AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay.”
“So tell me, what’s the story with you and Xander.” There was a lot of tension between them, sometimes it was anger or resentment, and other times it was white hot sexual tension.
“Nothing,” she replied quickly and almost harshly. “He’s the sheriff and I’m a citizen of Pilgrim. End of story.”
“Baloney.” Mara wasn’t the only one who could call people out and tell them like it is. “Nothing at all, that’s what you want me to believe?”
She shrugged and looked away. “We knew each other in another lifetime, way back in the day. That’s all.” That was definitely not all, but clearly Mara didn’t just not want to talk about it. She got this squirrely look in her eyes like she wanted to run and I didn’t want that.
“Okay fine. Keep your secrets. For now.” I would find out, but I had a feeling that was a conversation that required a private location and plenty of booze.
“Great. Now we can inhale these tapas in peace.”
I grunted and reached for a giant shrimp, happy that at least one of us had some peace of mind, because mine continued to race at the speed of light, wondering how to deal with the problem of Ben Rutherford and my increasing feelings for a man who probably didn’t return those feelings.
Whatever they were.
Ben
“Hey Joss.” I leaned against the bar at The Mayflower with a wide, flirtatious grin on my face as I got in her personal space.
She turned emotionless blue eyes my way and sighed. “Ben.” That was it. No smile. No light in her eyes. No happiness at all to see me, but she wasn’t angry, at least not in the traditional sense.
“How’s it going?” All week I’d been trying to talk to Joss and my attempts were met with short answers and blank stares.
“It’s going,” she said and turned to the bartender. “A pitcher of mango margaritas and a frozen lime pitcher, thanks.” She tapped her fingers on the edge of the bar, a clear sign she was nervous. I could work with that, nervous meant she was still affected by me.
“How long are we going to do this, Joss?” I screwed up and I knew it. Not going to that damn tapas restaurant had pissed her off and now I was paying for it. “I screwed up.”
“How Ben? How did you screw up?” Her words came out quiet and steely, her gaze still fixed on the television above the bar instead of me.
“I wasn’t in the mood to go out.” It was a damn lie and we both knew it.
“Okay.” She accepted both pitchers, and backed away from the bar without another look spared for me.
“Okay? That’s not exactly a complete answer, Joss.” I tried to relieve of her one of the pitchers, but her grip was firm and the message was clear. My help was not wanted. Or needed.
“It was as far as I’m concerned, now if you don’t mind, I’m here with my friends.” Her blue gaze stared at me until it stared through me, and then she sighed before she carried on to the table where Mara, Sophie and Tara waited for her while glaring at me so angrily that I finally took the hint and rejoined the guys at the dart boards in back.
She was more upset than I realized. Somehow, I’d convinced myself that she would get over it, that after a day or two of stewing, things would go back to normal. But they hadn’t. “Struck out again, huh?” Stone’s sympathetic tone didn’t help matters because I didn’t deserve sympathy and I didn’t want it either.
Xander laughed and threw his final dart. “Struck out would be a step up from what just happened. She’s done with him, man.”
“Thanks, Xander. You’re a real friend. Seriously.”
He shrugged and pulled the darts from the board. “A real friend would never lie to you, which makes me the best friend, so you’re welcome.” He wasn’t entirely wrong but his words made me realize I preferred Stone’s sympathy to Xander’s brutal honesty. “What did you do, anyway?”
“Nothing. She was headed out to some tapas place with Mara and invited me along. I wanted to stay in and went home. Now she’s upset.” That was how it played out from my perspective, but clearly Joss saw things differently.
“Why didn’t you want to go with her?”
I turned to Stone and frowned. “We work together.”
“And? What the hell does that have to do with anything? A bunch of teachers, coaches and administrators have dated on and off over the years, dating back since we were Pirates.”
“Yeah and when they ended, remember how much drama there was? Fights in the hallway, classroom swaps and so much damn gossip we could barely focus on school work.”
Xander barked out another laugh. “We were kids, man. Any excuse to avoid schoolwork. It could’ve been anything and most of the time it was everything.”
