“No.” His eyes narrowed for a second. “She’s a medical assistant now, which I guess makes her happy. She works a lot of hours, anyway.”
His tone was flippant, almost irritated, and I wondered if my mom’s gossip about Colin and Lorelei had been true.
“Good for her.”
He shrugged, as if his wife and her profession didn’t particularly matter. He angled his face toward Sandra and put on a smile. “I’m sorry, Sandra, I don’t mean to exclude you from the conversation. How do you know Audrey?”
The skepticism in Sandra’s eyes almost made me laugh. She was clearly not impressed with Colin’s attempt to act interested in her. “We work together. And how do you know her, exactly?”
Colin met my eyes and smiled. “We’re old friends from high school.”
“Old friends?” Sandra asked.
“Well,” Colin said, turning his palms up. “We were more than friends. In fact, we almost got married.”
That took me aback and I sat up straighter. “We didn’t almost get married.”
“Of course we did.”
“We were never engaged. I think you need to at least be engaged to be able to say you almost got married.”
“Most of us thought it was a foregone conclusion that we would get married.”
Sandra raised her eyebrows at me, as if to say, what are you going to do about this guy?
I wanted to stand up and make a scene. To tell him that I didn’t care what everyone else had thought. They’d been wrong. He’d been wrong if he ever thought I’d marry him and he should go home to his wife.
But I couldn’t make a scene. I squirmed in my seat. What would all the people in here think? I just wanted to get out of there.
Without thinking about what I was doing, I pushed my chair back. “I’m sorry Sandra, but I should probably get home.”
“Audrey, sweetheart.” Colin’s tone was placating, like he was talking to an upset child. “Don’t do that.”
“You shouldn’t call her that.”
My eyes widened at the growly voice behind me. I didn’t know when Josiah had gotten up from his place at the bar but I could feel his presence behind me now, dark and menacing.
Colin looked up at him. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t think she likes you calling her sweetheart. So how about you go find your own table and leave these ladies alone.”
“How about you mind your own business.”
“I would love to but you keep bothering them and I don’t like it.”
My heart raced and I felt like I was glued to my chair. Sandra grinned at Josiah, as if this whole scene was making her night. I cast a quick glance over my shoulder. He towered behind me like a wall of timber, arms crossed and brow deeply furrowed, his eyes locked on Colin.
I had no idea why Josiah was standing up for me. Colin hadn’t been harassing us in an obvious way. Sitting at our table and making conversation wasn’t that bad.
Except it was. It was making me uncomfortable. In a moment when I’d been about to run away, Josiah Haven, a guy I barely knew, was stepping in to stop it.
Kind of restored my faith in humanity a little bit.
Colin stood, his chin lifted. His eyes flicked up and down, as if he were sizing up his opponent. He probably spent time in the gym every week, but he had to be smart enough to realize that if this got physical, he didn’t stand a chance.
And something told me Josiah would have no problem getting physical.
After an agonizing moment, Colin turned to me, his face betraying nothing. “Sorry for intruding, Audrey. It’s always good to see you. We’ll pick up again where we left off another time.”
Josiah growled.
With one last glare at Josiah, Colin turned and left.
Vaguely, I was aware that my eyes had to be as wide as saucers and my mouth was hanging open. Not a great look. But I was too stunned to do anything but slowly twist in my seat and look up at Josiah Haven.
He kept his eyes on Colin’s back until the door shut behind him. His gaze moved to me but he didn’t say a word. Just glared, like he was mad at me now, and went back to his spot at the bar, leaving me wondering what on earth had just happened.
CHAPTER 10
Josiah
Rocco smirked at me.
I hunched over my beer and locked my eyes on the bar. Why had I done that? I didn’t need to get involved. The asshole had been right, it wasn’t my business. She wasn’t my business.
But every word out of that prick’s mouth had been like the sound of a fork scraping over a plate. Some people hated fingernails on a chalkboard, I hated a fork scraping on a plate. I could be as clueless as the next guy, but how dumb did he have to be to miss the obvious fact that Audrey had not wanted him there?
I didn’t know who he was, although I’d heard the word ex-boyfriend at some point. Not that I’d been eavesdropping on Audrey and Sandra. I’d just been stupid enough to pick a spot at the bar right behind their table. Couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.
My back tightened, like someone was turning a screw and stretching my skin across my muscles. Sandra and Audrey were talking but too quietly for me to make out what they were saying.
Didn’t care. She wasn’t my problem.
I drained the last of my beer and gestured to Rocco for another. I needed to calm down. Wound up this tight, I’d probably punch the first guy who looked at me wrong.
While Rocco poured my beer from the tap, I cast a quick glance over my shoulder. Audrey’s back was to me and Sandra had scooted closer to her. Their heads were down in quiet conversation. Sandra’s eyes flicked to me and her mouth twitched in a grin.
I looked away. Rocco slid my drink across the bar and I took a long swallow. I could feel other eyes on me, could practically hear the whispers. Great. By morning, half of Tilikum would be talking about how Josiah Haven had chased off some guy who’d been bothering the new girl in town. And the other half would hear about it by lunchtime.
A light touch on my arm wrenched me from my thoughts. Before I even looked to see who it was, I had the offending wrist in my grip.
Audrey’s eyes were wide and her lips parted. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Feeling like an absolute jackass, I let go. “Sorry.”
She rubbed it with her other hand. “It’s okay.”
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“Oh, no.” She held up her arm as if to prove it. “I just didn’t expect that. I startled you, you startled me. I guess we’re even. Except we’re not. What I mean is, I want to thank you for getting rid of Colin.”
“Sure.”
“He lives up in Pinecrest so it’s kind of weirding me out that he was here. Anyway, you didn’t have to stand up for me like that and you did, so I appreciate it.”
I grunted, keeping my eyes on the bar.
“Okay, well, I’ll quit bugging you. I probably talk too much when I’m nervous and right now I feel about as calm as a rabbit running through a field full of foxes.”
That almost made me crack a smile. “Nice alliteration.”
She laughed softly. “I’m going to go before I make this worse. Thanks again, Josiah. I’ll see you around.”
I tried not to look when she left—and failed. Sandra hesitated, like she was deciding whether or not to say something to me.
She stepped closer. “Thanks for that. She needed it.”
“Just do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t tell my aunt Louise about this.”
Sandra chuckled. “She won’t hear it from me. But we both know she’ll hear about it.”
I groaned. “I know.”
“See ya, Josiah.”
I turned back to the bar. What did I care if people talked? Gossip was Tilikum’s favorite pastime. Nothing I could do about it.
But something about the whole thing kept eating at me. I met Rocco’s eyes and he stepped closer.
“That asshole I chased out of here. Have you seen him in here before?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t look familiar, but I don’t memorize faces.”
I nodded. That was fair enough. But a cocky jerk like that would stand out. Seemed like Rocco would have remembered him.
Did he come down here from Pinecrest once in a while just to have a drink in peace? Or had he been out looking for Audrey? Noticed her car in the parking lot and come in to see her?