Hannah looked at him for a long moment.
Her hand was still wrapped around the glass, but she hadn’t taken a drink. The condensation had begun to bead against her fingers.
“That’s… weird,” she said finally.
Jason watched her reaction carefully. The way her eyes flicked briefly toward the painting behind her again, then back to him.
“How so?” he asked lightly.
She hesitated.
Because it wasn’t just weird.
The way he’d described it, the gray boards, the wind, the house sitting right against the edge of the water, was too close. Too specific.
She could still see it if she closed her eyes: the long grass bending in the wind, the creaking porch, the smell of salt in the air. She had dreamed about that place more than once.
But how could he possibly know that?
Hannah forced a small laugh. “You’re just good at guessing, I guess.”
Jason smiled easily, as if the whole thing had already slipped from his mind.
“Maybe.”
The server appeared then, setting down two menus and asking about drinks. They ordered quickly, the interruption giving Hannah a moment to gather herself.
When the server left, Jason glanced once more at the painting before leaning back in his chair.
“So,” he said casually, “do you like the beach?”
The shift in conversation was so smooth it almost didn’t register.
“Yeah,” Hannah said automatically. “I mean, who doesn’t?”
Jason shrugged. “Some people hate sand. And wind. And the whole ‘salt everywhere’ thing.”
“That’s true,” she admitted.
He picked up his menu but didn’t really look at it.
“Did you go much growing up?” he asked.
“Sometimes,” she said. “Not constantly, but we took trips.”
“Georgia coast?”
“Mostly.”
Jason nodded slowly, as if confirming something to himself.
“Did you ever stay in one of those old beach houses?” he asked. “The wooden ones that feel like they’ve been there forever.”
Hannah frowned slightly.
“Maybe once or twice,” she said. “Why?”
Jason finally looked up from the menu.
“No reason,” he said with an easy smile. “Just curious.”
But his eyes lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary, as if waiting to see what else she might say.
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