Before his friend could question him, he took the deck steps two at a time and headed for the circle of chairs where Pepper and the girls had stationed themselves.
“Ladies,” he drawled when he reached them. “You all having a good time?”
“We’re having a great time, Jackjack,” Pepper responded, then held up her glass and waved it around. “Margaritas always equal a good time, don’tcha know?”
Pepper’s blonde friend twisted around to smile at him. Her name was Kendall. Or was it Kendra? He couldn’t lie—he hadn’t paid much attention when Parker told him her name because he was too busy checking out Pepper’s legs on the sly.
“What about you?” Kendra asked coyly. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
Lynn glanced over at him. “This is Kendra—I’m not sure you two were formally introduced.”
“We weren’t. Nice to meet you, honey,” he said absently.
Kendra’s smile widened. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
Jack didn’t miss the flash of irritation in Pepper’s eyes. “Is there a reason you crashed our private party?” she asked.
It took him a second to remember he was holding her phone—his gaze had snagged on her bare feet and the cute toenails that she’d painted bright red with little black dots, making them look like teeny ladybugs. “Oh, uh, yeah. Here. Your mom says it won’t stop ringing.” Unable to help himself, he glanced at the screen before handing the phone over. “Huh. Six missed calls from Billy. Someone’s pretty eager to talk to you.” He cocked a brow. “Who’s Billy?”
Her lips tightened. “Just a guy I’m seeing.”
Jealousy once again burned a path straight up his chest. “Yeah? Anyone I’d know?”
“Doubt it.”
“He’s a cop,” Kendra piped up.
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “A cop, eh? Some big-shot detective, I guess?”
“Traffic cop,” Pepper said tersely. “Well, parking enforcement.”
A snort slipped out before he could stop it, which instantly put Pepper on the defensive.
“What?” she demanded as she set her glass on the plastic table next to her chair.
“Nothing.” He swallowed the rising wave of laughter. “It’s just…parking cops aren’t cops. In ocean talk, they’re like the bottom-feeders of the police force.”
A strangled laugh came from Suz’s direction, prompting Pepper to aim her next scowl at Lynn’s curvaceous best friend.
“I’m sorry,” Suz blurted out, her eyes dancing with humor. “But he’s right. Trust me, I’d know. Everyone in my family is in law enforcement. If you want to date a real cop, I’ll give you my brother Jake’s number. Or my brother Chase. Or my brother Mike. Or my brother—”
“Sweet Lord, how many brothers do you have?” Kendra exclaimed.
Suz pouted glumly. “A lot.”
Pepper, who didn’t seem the slightest bit amused by the conversation, abruptly shot out of her chair, clutching her phone in one hand. “’Scuse me. I’m going to listen to these voice mails.”
“Aw, hell, I think I offended her,” Suz said, looking genuinely remorseful.
“Naah,” Jack said lightly. “Pepper’s not easily offended.” He edged away. “But to be safe, I’ll go and apologize on both our behalves.”
He hurried after Pepper before any of the women could get another word in, catching up to her just as she reached the wooden gazebo on the other side of the spacious backyard.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Jackjack. What do you want?”
He slid his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans. “Jeez, you’re so damn snippy today.” A smirk formed on his lips. “Let me guess, it’s because your boy Billy isn’t lighting your fire, huh? His kissing skills are—what did you call them? Decent.”
Green eyes glared daggers at him. “I knew you were eavesdropping on us. Congratulations. I now have another item to add to my Why Jack is Mega-Annoying list.”
Then she spun around and climbed the steps into the gazebo, effectively dismissing him.
Jack followed her right inside.
“Seriously, would you just go away?” Pepper grumbled. “I want to check my messages.”
He leaned against one of the wooden posts of the covered structure. “Then check your messages. I’ll wait. I have something I wanted to run by you.”
Rather than look intrigued, she scowled at him again. “Why don’t you go run something by Kendra instead?”
His brows instantly furrowed. “Why would I do that?”
Pepper’s jaw went tight. “We’ve already verified that you were listening to us talk, which means you know she thinks you’re hot, and I saw you checking her out, so…” She shrugged, an action that was incongruous with her impossibly stiff shoulders. “So go make a love connection with her and give me some privacy.”
Several seconds ticked by as Jack made a startling, wonderful, delightful realization.
Pepper was jealous.