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I’m not entirely sure whether Jackson recognizes Andy or Briar from last night, but I can tell he’s picking up on the weird energy coming from my best friend and her boyfriend.
Jackson clears his throat and sticks his hand out. “Nice to meet you. What’s your name?”
It takes a second, but Andy reaches out and shakes Jackson’s hand. “I’m Andy Marshall. This is my girlfriend, Briar Mitchell.”
“Haven’t I seen you before?” Briar asks, her head tilted to the side as she continues trying to place him.
“I think we saw him at Lucky’s last night, babe,” Andy says. “Remember?”
He looks at her hard, like he’s willing her to remember that Jackson is the five-star ass.
Briar’s eyes narrow and her nose wrinkles, but she just shakes her head. “No, I don’t think it’s that.”
“Oh, that’s right,” my brother interjects, looking to Jackson and elbowing him playfully in the arm. “You mentioned that earlier.” Then he looks at the rest of us at the table. “Apparently, Jackson found himself a local to have a bit of fun with last night.”
My stomach dips and nausea builds as I have the sudden horrifying realization that Jackson talked to Rusty about what happened at Lucky’s and the hotel. I glance at Jackson, heat building in my cheeks and neck as I search for some way to ask him what the hell he told my brother.
Logically, I can deduce the fact that they talked about it without the knowledge that I was Rusty’s little sister, but still.
Ick.
“All I said was that I met someone last night,” Jackson says to Rusty, though he glances at me. “I didn’t go into detail.”
The tension in my shoulders eases, just slightly. I was having visions of the two of them exchanging blow-by-blow stories, and that would probably ratchet up my nausea to the point that I’d be rushing to a bathroom stall.
“Psht. That’s not all you said,” my brother says, slapping Jackson lightly on the bicep before looking back at us. “Apparently, she was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, and he wants help figuring out who she is because she snuck out this morning.”
My lips part in surprise as my eyes dart to Jackson’s, and what I find there confirms what Rusty said. He’s looking down at the table, a few small flushed spots on his cheeks. He really was hoping to find me? That wasn’t just a bullshit line earlier?
The nausea I was feeling before begins to dissipate at the realization, and something much warmer and more soothing takes its place as a smile tugs at my lips.
I’m not trying to delude myself with visions of grand gestures or anything crazy romantic happening between the two of us, especially if Jackson is just in town to help my brother with stuff related to the brewery-slash-taproom thing he’s planning on opening. But I also can’t help the swoop that happens in my belly at knowing he was just as into me as I was into him.
Suddenly, Briar gasps loudly, her eyes going wide as she looks between Jackson and me.
“Oh my God.”
“You know, I don’t think I need your help, actually,” Jackson interjects, interrupting Briar before she can say anything else. “I mentioned it in passing, but it doesn’t have to be a big deal.”
“Nah, we’ve gotta help you find this girl,” Rusty says, clapping his hands together and rubbing his palms back and forth. “If she’s a local, one of us will definitely know her.”
My eyes flit over to Briar’s, finding her staring at me with wide eyes and a half-smile that makes her look constipated.
“She’s not in here, is she?” Rusty asks, his eyes searching the room for any woman he thinks might fit whatever information Jackson gave him about her. About me.
“Uh…” Jackson trails off, looking incredibly uncomfortable. “Let’s not do this, okay? It’s really not that big a deal.”
“Yeah, Rus. Just let it go if he doesn’t want to talk about it,” I say. “Besides, it could have been another tourist staying at the resort.”
Rusty’s head tilts back, like he didn’t even hear me.
“Who do I know that was at Lucky’s last night?” he says, one hand coming up to stroke his full beard. Then he looks back at Briar and Andy. “Did you guys see any…”
He pauses, and I see his eyes darting around the table before coming back to look at me.
“How did you know he was staying at the resort last night?”
There’s a long pause where I realize I have two choices.
