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“Will there be anything else for tonight?” Her tone was as stiff as the rest of her.
“What time do you get off, sweetheart?”
“Perhaps you’d like your check.”
“Aw, now, don’t be like that. You’re always shutting me down. I just want to talk to you.”
I was already out of my seat and closing the distance when I saw the guy reach out as if to touch her. I slid in between them, blocking his access. “Is there a problem here?”
Caroline’s eyes flew to mine, and there was no mistaking the relief.
“This doesn’t concern you, McNamara.”
Recognizing Troy Lincoln, I made a snap decision and hoped Caroline would forgive me later. Shifting closer to her, I flashed a smile with sharp edges. “Well Troy, seeing as I’m pretty sure you’re harassing my girlfriend, I’d say it does.”
Troy’s blond brows drew together. “She’s not your girlfriend. You haven’t been back but like a couple of weeks.”
“Yep. And I know a good thing when I see one. Not gonna let it pass me by. You, however, are going to pass her by for the rest of the summer. And really for the rest of your life. She’s not interested. And she’s taken.”
I didn’t dare look at Caroline to see how she was reacting to this declaration. My entire focus was on the asshole who thought he was entitled to her time and attention. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him act like this. As the star pitcher for the high school baseball team, he’d earned a reputation back then for not taking ‘No’ for an answer. I had zero expectation that had changed since graduation, and I definitely wasn’t going to stand by and let Caroline become his next victim.
Troy scowled and rose from his seat, stepping into my space. Given I had two inches and at least an extra thirty pounds on him, I wasn’t intimidated. I just stared down my nose and waited. Several long, tense seconds ticked by before he evidently thought better of engaging and shoved past, shoulder checking me in the process. I pivoted and watched him storm out of the bar.
When I was sure he wasn’t coming back, I turned to Caroline and found her staring at me with wide, dark eyes, the tray clutched to her chest like a shield.
Okay, so that wasn’t how I’d expected this encounter to go.
I rubbed at the heat on the back of my neck. “Look, I apologize for going all caveman there, but he’s not a guy who backs off just because a woman asks him to, and I got the impression this has been an ongoing thing.”
With a slow exhale, she nodded, her shoulders relaxing a little. “Ed normally shuts it down, but he’s on the mainland for a doctor’s appointment today, so I’m closing tonight. The other server on the schedule quit this afternoon, so I’m on my own, other than Jasper.” She hooked a thumb toward the kitchen, so I assumed Jasper was the cook.
I didn’t know a thing about Jasper, but all this said she had no one to back her up out here. “If it’s all the same to you, I’m gonna stick around to make sure he doesn’t bother you, and that he’s not hanging around when you leave to give you any more hassle.”
That flicker of surprise crossed her face again. Jesus, when was the last time someone other than me had done something kind?
“Thank you.” She hesitated, frowning. “You realize what you told him is going to get all over the island, right?”
Had I registered that in the moment I’d claimed her? Sure. That had been the point. Did I regret it? Well, that depended on what she did with it.
“It doesn’t bother me if it does. If you have a boyfriend, I suppose we should rectify that to make sure he doesn’t want to put a fist in my face.” As a fishing attempt, it wasn’t exactly subtle, but when was the opportunity going to present itself again?
The corner of that full mouth quirked up. “No, no boyfriend. I don’t date.”
As good news went, I’d take it. Convincing her to take a chance on me would be easier than having to watch her with someone else.
“Well, if you change your mind on that, I’d love to take you out sometime. But that is one hundred percent not a condition of any of this. I want to make sure you’re okay and not further harassed by that creep. If the illusion of being attached to me will achieve that, and you’re okay with it, then so am I.”
When she didn’t immediately reply, I thought maybe I’d pushed too far.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“This whole coming to my rescue thing? Again. At all. We barely know each other.”
I considered saying something about how I had a thing for damsels in distress, but that didn’t seem like the right direction. I shrugged. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”
If anything, my answer seemed to confound her more.
