Read Coming Home- Rock Bay 1 for Free Online Page A

scrunched up his face. “But you still look at him and see that guy who tied you to the flag pole.”
“Shit. I’d forgotten about that one.”
Amy chuckled, and Lex glared at her. “Oh, come on, it’s funny now! That was fourteen years ago! It did take me almost two hours to untie you, though.”
Lex groaned. “Wasn’t that the day that we decided to start dating?”
Amy laughed. “Yeah. Partners in deception. We were probably the longest lasting couple in that whole school. Too bad the straight kids couldn’t figure out how to make it work like we did.”
“It’s easy if there’s no hormones involved. No fighting, no crying, no breaking up. I might have to break up with you now, though, if you keep telling people I’m in love with Zac Efron.”
Amy looked thoughtful for a second. “Don’t you think Tally looks a little bit like Zac Efron?”
“Not at all! He’s way taller, and his hair’s dark brown, and his eyes are brown instead of blue, and… oh you’re a wench.”
“I knew you were still looking. Gotta go to work.” She gave him a self-satisfied smirk and slid off her stool. “Love ya.”
“Love you too.” As annoyed as Lex was with the trick that he fell for so easily, he did still love her. She was practically his sister, after all. Amy trotted off toward the front entrance of the shop.
“See you tomorrow,” she called as she swung the glass door open and sailed through it.
“See you tomorrow,” Lex echoed quietly, considering what he’d learned so far about the new Tallis Carrington.
    T
ALLY collapsed on his bed that afternoon, feet tired, body aching, but unable to keep the smile from his face. There had been a few hiccups, but all in all it had been a pretty good day. He honestly liked his new job. He wished he could say he liked Lex, or even that he disliked him, for that matter. He wished he could say anything concrete about Lex. The guy confused the hell out of him. He was the definition of hot and cold. Well, lukewarm and cold at least.
    Tally realized he had obviously done something to wrong the guy, but for some reason he just couldn’t place Lex anywhere in his past. He would have thought he had everyone he used to torture burned into his subconscious. He sure as hell felt awful about the ones he did remember, like that cute little pudgy James kid who’d made the mistake of suggesting he might be looking at guys. He’d been so terrified that one of his friends might notice the same thing that he’d tormented the kid for a good part of the year just to make sure he knew that Tally was no one to mess with.
    Maybe on my day off I’ll look him up and apologize. Tally cringed at the idea of facing that kid down. Not that he’d accept it. He’d probably punch the crap out of me. Didn’t matter. He didn’t remember what the kid’s last name was—only remembered taunting him with the nickname Jamie, since he’d obviously hated it.
    Tally closed his eyes, thinking he’d just lay there for a minute more then get up and find some way to help his grandmother around the house, but when he woke, the daylight had turned to a misty twilight that darkened his room to a near pitch black. He could smell something lovely and fattening wafting up from the kitchen.
    “Hey, Grams, whatchya makin’?” He’d wandered down the narrow stairs, yawning and pulling on a hooded sweatshirt. The nights were much colder out on the coast than they’d been in Seattle. Gram’s kitchen was as sunny and happy as it had been the night before, filled with the scents of Italy and the oldies that she had pumping from her small countertop radio. There was a pan cooling on the top of the oven.
    “I made baked ziti with lots of extra cheese—just like you used to like it when you were little.”
Tally’s mouth watered. The fantastic smell mingled with his memory of tomatoey cheesy perfection. “That’s really nice of you. Hey, do you want me to get some groceries after work tomorrow?” He didn’t