“Okay, I gave him the guilt trip for you. We’ll see if it works,” I told Jess. If the answer was no, I hoped it would come with a good excuse attached.
The dots didn’t appear. I stared at the screen until my vision blurred, Jess’s voice a warm hum across from me. A moment later, the screen lit up with his reply:On my way.
Jess’s grin spread wide. “Perfect. Can’t wait to meet him.”
I smiled back, but it felt brittle, like glass that had already cracked. I tucked my phone face-down near the salsa and tried to breathe the way my therapist back in Minnesota had taught me—four in, six out—while Jess lifted her margarita in a toast to her own big night, glowing with the thrill of everything ahead.
What should have been a happy occasion for me too was already laced with panic—because I knew the last place Kai wanted to be tonight was in the same room with me.
CHAPTER 28
KAI
Ispotted them through the glass before I even stepped inside—Jess laughing, margarita in hand, Jasmine smiling like nothing was wrong. To anyone else, it looked like a carefree girls’ night. To me, it felt like walking into a stage play where everyone knew their lines but me.
The place buzzed with Friday-night noise, all clinking silverware and overlapping conversations that rose and fell like surf against rocks. Overhead fans stirred the thick air but didn’t cut the heat; the scent of cumin and hot chilis stuck to every surface. Neon beer signs flickered above the bar, and a ballgame played on the TV, the announcer’s voice just audible under the chatter. College kids in sundresses and polos clustered by the pool tables, while families crowded into the booths along the wall. I sauntered toward them with far less enthusiasm than I’d normally have when approaching the two prettiest girls in the room.
Jess jumped up as I reached the table, all sunshine and champagne energy. “Finally! The infamous Kai.” She gave me a quick once-over, then grinned at Jasmine. “You weren’t exaggerating.”
“Jess,” I said, shaking her hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”
She slid back into her seat, eyes bright. “Jaz has told me all about you.”
“Has she now?” I said, letting the corner of my mouth curve. My tone wasn’t sharp, but the edge was there if you listened for it. “She does tend to tell all, when it suits her. It’s kind of cute she’s such a blabbermouth sometimes. So cute.”
Jasmine’s fork clinked too hard against her plate. Jess laughed, oblivious, and leaned across the table like she couldn’t get enough of the storybook romance she imagined we were living.
“How long have you two been official? I need details,” Jess pressed, twirling her straw. “She told me about you weeks ago—showed me your Instagram, actually. Those pictures on the boat? The shirtless ones? Yeah, you’re exactly her type.”
Jasmine shot her a warning look, cheeks blazing, but Jess barreled on, prying for details. How I liked living in an artist studio when I stayed over at Jasmine’s place.
I answered, because that’s what you do, but every word felt like gravel in my throat. “Guess I’ve learned to live with worse.”
Jess laughed again, not catching the strain in my voice, or the pained look in Jasmine’s eyes. Jess was on a roll, asking whether fishing was as fun as it looked on Insta, and what kind of sunscreen I used for long days on the water, to compare notes since she worked on a boat too. I nodded where I needed to, even managed a half-smile when appropriate. But inside, my patience was unraveling fast. Small talk was torture on the best of nights, and tonight my patience was paper thin.
Beside me, Jasmine kept her eyes down, dragging a chip through salsa that dripped red onto her napkin. She was playing along too. But more than once her laugh came half a second too late, like she was struggling to match Jess’s energy. I noticed the way her hand hovered near her drink longer than necessary, gripping the stem as if it might steady her. In the midst of this grand act, I wondered what was real anymore.
Halfway through Jess’s story about Blaze’s proposal, my phone buzzed on the table. A message from Coulter.
Faith and Waylan are on their way to the marina to talk about the square grouper. Get your ass here now.
My jaw locked. Of course. Perfect timing.
I shoved the phone toward Jasmine without thinking, voice clipped. “Sorry. I’ve gotta go. Something came up.”
Her eyes widened as she read it, panic flashing across the cool front she’d been wearing for Jess’s sake. “I’m coming with you.”
“No.” The word was out before she’d finished. The last thing I needed was her in the middle of the mess that she’d made. I kept my tone low, but it came out harsher than I meant. “I’ll call you. Fill you in later.”
“Kai—”
I stood, pushing my chair back with enough force that Jess blinked. The legs scraped against tile loud enough to draw a glance from the next table. “Stay with your friend. I’ll handle it.”
I bent and pressed a quick kiss to Jasmine’s hair, but it was automatic, distracted, my lips brushing more air than her. She tilted her face up like she wanted to stop me, but I didn’t give her the chance. “Goodnight.”
The night air wrapped around me as I stepped outside, heavy and humid, clinging like a second skin. Neon spilled from the restaurant sign, painting the pavement red and green. Tree frogs croaked from the mangroves across the lot, a relentless chorus that needled into my skull. I drew a deep breath, but it didn’t cool me down.
My phone was already in hand, Coulter’s message replaying in my head. Faith and Waylan. Square grouper. If Coulter knew, odds were they’d already told Reef too. Probably. He’d been looped in from the start—whether I liked it or not.
