She ran downstairs to get started on the drinks for the ladies and slipped behind the bar. She glanced at Carlos, whose face contorted.
“Did a spider bite you?”
He shook his head but remained silent. She followed his gaze out to the deck, but she could see nothing and no one of interest. Definitely no sign of the critic.
She ignored Carlos and went back to preparing the bar.
His eyes remained glued toward the water.
“I’ll be right back.”
Carlos darted to the end of the restaurant—peering outside. His attention then turned toward the waiting area.
After a few moments, he returned to the bar.
She tugged on his sleeve. “Carlos—what’s going on with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Maybe I have.” He turned to his sister and lowered his voice. “Don’t freak out, but I swear I just saw Jaime milling around outside.”
She gulped. Jaime? No way. It wasn’t possible. He didn’t live around here, and he had cut off all communication.
“Jaime? My Jaime?” She winced when those words came out of her mouth. He was no longer her Jaime, and honestly, it was doubtful that he had ever been truly hers.
But she had been his.
And she hated to admit it, but in some ways, she still was.
She shook off the thought.
“Yeah. It sure looked like him.”
No. No way. “Doubtful. He has never reached out and contacted me. Ever. I doubt he even knows this is my place. Only way he would show up was if he was part of some event here, but I have no media bookings for the night. They wouldn’t be filming, so I doubt he’d come.”
Did he know she owned the place? He was way too cool, too cocky to friend or even follow her on social media. Or maybe he just happened to be in town, walking along the water, and had no idea she was here.
But his best friend Santi knew where she worked. And though they still saw each other around town and at different events, Santi never mentioned Jaime. Neither did Alma. She just couldn’t believe that Santi would set her up—he was cooler than that.
“Yeah, I don’t know about all that. But I know what he looks like. And I swear that was him.”
Shivers ran through her. Impossible. After all this time, he couldn’t be in her town.
Her turn to investigate. “I’ll be right back.”
She scanned the place for Jaime. First skulking around the bar like a cat, then dashing upstairs to look on the second floor. Nada. No sign of him. And she would be able to see him if he was there. Plus, she would’ve noticed him coming through the door. She remembered every inch of his shiny black hair, his chiseled face, his muscular body, his hard cock that had filled her with such unbelievable pleasure.
Ah—stop!How long had it been? Alma needed to get laid.Maybe a one-night stand with a sexy tech bro or the hot ferry captain could banish fine-ass Jaime from her mind forever.
Though it was super doubtful.
After scouring the place for a sighting as if Jaime was some reclusive cryptid, like a Chupacabra, she went back behind the bar. She had to finish making those drinks for the upstairs party.
She placed her hand on Carlos’s shoulder. “You’re seeing things for sure. Even if he was outside, he’s definitely not in this building. And why on earth would he be here?”
Carlos shrugged. “Forget it. He wouldn’t be. Pretend I said nothing.” He paused and looked into her eyes. “Sorry I even mentioned him.”
“Thanks.” She was relieved her ex wasn’t there. Although she had to admit, she found it a little strange, the way she’d never heard from him again after he dumped her. Wasn’t he curious about her?
Probably not. If he was, he would’ve reached out. He was all over social media. Fine as ever. She didn’t contact him because she didn’t want to be pathetic. He was the one who’d dumped her. How could he have ended it and never looked back?
