It almost makes her glow.
Her eyes sweep the room. Is she meeting someone? Or hunting for allies in a town hostile to outsiders? Whatever’s going through her head, that undaunted spirit cuts right through me, like the first bite of cold air when I skate out onto the rink.
I’m tempted to cross the bar and greet her. I wring the cloth in my hands as I watch her spot Mayor Kent and walk over to his table.
And while I serve drinks and ignore Red and Delia chirping at each other, my eyes keep returning to her. Her smile could stop a man’s heart, yet Mayor Kent seems unmoved. I suppose that makes sense, seeing as he cares more about tradition than things like giving a chance to an intelligent, engaging woman.
“Speak of the devil,” Red says, following my eyes to Kayla. “That’s Miss Carville. She comes here every night after work.”
Something in my chest pinches.
“What for?” I ask.
“She’s trying to act like she’s one of us,” Delia says. “She talked to me for twenty minutes the other night, asking mequestion after question. What’s she need to know about my family for?”
“She was being nice,” Red says in a patient, but teasing voice. “That’s a thing people do when they care about other people.”
I glance up and over heads—not hard, considering I’m six-four—and see Kayla talking to someone else now.
She’s easy to spot, considering she’s probably five-ten, herself, but the people she’s talking to are sittin’ down. I move my head, peering around the crowd, and see?—
Oh no.
It’s the church ladies.
I put down my rag. “Excuse me,” I say and start walking from behind the bar.
“Everything okay, son?” Dad asks.
“Just thought I’d say hello to an old friend,” I say. “Mind covering for me?”
“You’re not even on the clock,” Dad says with a chuckle. “Take your time.”
I smile and push past patrons and old friends, trying not to get sidetracked. Kayla has no idea the landmine she’s about to step in.
“O’Shannan!” someone says, and I turn my head to see another of my teammates from the Blue Collars. “Hey man,” he says, getting around a table and pounding my back with his fist.
“Good seeing you, brother. But I can’t talk right now. I’m needed. Catch up later?”
He gives me an easy smile, the lack of judgment (or envy) a welcome relief. “Yeah, sure. Just watch out for Serena, okay? She’s been on one since she heard you’re back.”
Serena?
I hold back a sigh. Serena’s always had a short fuse. But there was a time where those sparks were the most exciting thing inthe world to me. Until I got burned. “Thanks for the heads up. Let’s practice at the barn Monday. Nine still work?”
“You know it.”
I put my friend (and my ex) out of my mind immediately and wind around the last few tables until I reach her.
Kayla Carville.
CHAPTER FOUR
KAYLA
Idon’t enjoy pain.
I’m not the type to hunt for a hammer and then smash my thumb for fun.
