"Jack?" Lucy could barely hear her own voice. "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this. I thought I could, but it's ridiculous. I feel like an idiot. I've never humiliated myself like this, at least not since I was in love with my second grade teacher. Here's your check." He tore up the check and let it flutter to the sand. "I don't care how beautiful you are, I can't sit around waiting for you to tell me to kiss you. It's unnatural. I decide when I'm going to kiss a woman. Got that?"

Jack pushed her against a palm tree and held her gaze.

"Please, Jack, it wasn't an insult. Honestly. I was desperate. I'm supposed to be the siren in this movie, this week. I'll freeze up and get fired, I know it." She sighed and a tear fell on her cheek. "I just wanted you to help me unfreeze. Warm me up a little." She shook her head. He didn't understand. How could he? The man probably hadn't frozen up around a member of the opposite sex since he was thirteen. "Practice," she tried again. And realized how stupid she sounded.

"Why me?" His voice sounded very far away.