Paulie slapped his hand on the bar. “Glad you could make it. Finally.” He raised his bushy white eyebrows as I headed toward him. “What are you wearing?”
“Sorry, Paulie. I was at an appointment in Savannah that … ran long.” I deliberately didn’t answer his embarrassing question.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack’s hand tense imperceptibly around his drink. Good. I hoped he thought I was in Savannah with Colt. And I hoped I was glowing. How dare he come in to the Snapper Grill when I’d asked him to leave me alone? And what was that look he just gave me? That wasn’t playing fair.
“No matter, sweetheart, you’re here now. Brenda’s been doin’ a great job, but if it keeps up like this with word gettin’ out about these two being here, it’ll be a flat out sprint within the hour.”
“Sorry, Paulie,” Devon shrugged. “We can always pitch in, if you need it. I mix a mean drink.”
“Ha!” Paulie hooted loudly. “I may hold you to it, boy! But I’ve got two more guys coming in to help in the kitchen so we should be good.”
“I’ll go check in with Brenda and help her with tables tonight, if that’s okay, so you can entertain our esteemed guests at the bar,” I offered Paulie, willingly giving up bar duty. I then turned to Devon, pointedly ignoring Jack. “Good to see you again, Devon.”
He raised two fingers to his brow, saluting me. “You too, Keri Ann. You’re looking beautiful this evening. Did you have a date today or something?” he asked in a tone I just knew jabbed Jack on purpose.
My skin flushed warm. “Or something,” I managed, but joined his game by cocking my eyebrow and adding a world of innuendo to my simple answer.
“Fuck you, Devon,” I heard Jack hiss at his friend, though his lips barely moved.
Devon smiled and winked at me.
I found Brenda and took over half of her tables. As predicted, the evening was long and busy as word got out about our celebrity guests. It was probably the most exciting thing to happen to Butler Cove residents since they built a new bridge onto the island.
But I found it increasingly confusing.
I thought Jack didn’t like people knowing where he was. If he felt like Butler Cove was a place he could escape to, why was he letting the whole world know where he was?
Unless he wasn’t planning on staying very long.
My chest felt lined with lead. He’d told Colt he was staying indefinitely, but that was before I told him to leave me alone. I wanted that, right?
I waffled between being upset he’d blatantly ignored my request, and by extension, admitting he didn’t mean what he’d told me, and being steeped in disappointment that this clearly meant he was leaving Butler Cove and leaving me alone.
Over the course of the evening, he must have had his picture taken with at least thirty people. Women.
I tried not to pay attention, but the weight of Jack’s presence in the room was hard to ignore. The tension needled across my skin and deep into my belly, getting stronger by the second. I was running on adrenaline, counting the seconds until I could escape.
Clearly having heard the buzz, a group of female students from USC Beaufort came in half an hour before closing in a gaggle of long tanned limbs, lip gloss, and short skirts. I recognized one of them as a friend of Jazz’s. We exchanged a few pleasantries as I pointed out where they could sit and tried not to roll my eyes at Brenda.
There may have even been glitter. Seriously.
As they passed the bar, they invited Jack and Devon to join them in their booth.
Which the guys did.
What the hell?
I let out a long breath and asked Brenda to handle their drink orders. Heading to the kitchen, I smacked the door open with my palm.
The girls were giggly and ridiculous as they fawned all over Jack and Devon for the next interminably long time. Jazz’s friend, her name was Ashley, I remembered now, had gorgeous long blonde hair, and she slung her arm around Jack’s shoulder as she snuggled up to him.
“Quite a spectacle isn’t it?” Brenda said next to me sometime later.
I realized I was staring and quickly looked away. “Yep, unreal.”
“Rumor has it you two had a thing,” Brenda said curiously. “I didn’t even know he’d been to Butler Cove before, but I guess it makes sense with his friend having a place here. Is it true?”
I sighed. What did it hurt to tell anyone now? “Yeah. Had.”
“Wow.” Brenda looked impressed. “Not that I didn’t think you could attract a hottie like that … but I didn’t expect you to be attracted to someone with that kind of career.”