seventeen
JACK
“Incoming asshole.”
Kayla’s words breezed by where I crouched, stocking limes in the refrigerator beneath the bar.
I stood up as Kayla continued directly into the kitchen through the swinging door.
Then out of sheer curiosity, I looked toward the front door of Magnolia.
Sure enough, there was an asshole incoming.
Danny Jensen wasn’t wearing his customary blue button-up. He was in jeans and a white tee shirt. The tan work coat covered most of his thin frame.
If he’d ditched the one-night-stand uniform, I wondered what the hell he was doing here. Especially on an afternoon in the middle of the week. It was barely four o’clock and the bar was practically empty.
I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
The man came right up to where I was standing and slipped onto the stool in front of me.
I wiped my hands with a towel to keep them busy. Too bad there wasn’t anything to do the same for my mouth.
“What’ll it be?” I practically spat.
Danny swallowed. “You’re Jack, right? The guy dating my wife?”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed. So that was how it was going to be.
“Listen, man,” Danny went on, unburdened by forethought or self-preservation or anything as inconsequential as reality, “I don’t want to fight.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I raised a challenging brow. “Oh, yeah? That’s good to hear.”
He straightened in his seat, perhaps realizing how a fight would likely go down between the two of us. Danny was about my height, but I probably had forty pounds on the guy. Plus, I was no stranger to schoolyard brawls, and I wouldn’t feel bad about kicking his ass.
But I wasn’t a fucking caveman, and Bonnie wasn’t some shiny toy to squabble over like middle schoolers.
Danny changed tactics, offering up a good-ole-boy smile that did nothing to win me over. “I’m just looking out for you. Bonnie’s not what you think she is.”
“And what do I think she is?”
He shrugged. “What everyone thinks—that she’s perfect. But she’s not. She’s a little boring, actually. Probably not like the kind of women you’re used to—temporary and fun. And she’s pretty tame in the sack.”
Heat gathered in my chest, something bright and violent and reckless. A mistake waiting to happen. One with consequences like hospital beds and courtrooms. Maybe I was a caveman after all, because I wanted to beat the living shit out of this guy. But I refused to give him the satisfaction of getting a rise out of me.
I knew exactly what this pathetic attempt was. A desperate man who’d lost the best thing that had ever happened to him. And he was looking to score a hit without ever raising his fist.
Ignoring my fury, I kept my expression bored and glanced lazily at my watch for good measure.
Danny’s dark blond brow creased in confusion.
Expectations were tricky like that. You couldn’t bait someone with bullshit. There was nothing about this man I respected, so his opinions and his lies meant even less to me than he did.
Bonnie’s ex shifted on his stool and decided to go in a different direction. “But if you’re looking for something more permanent, you should know she isn’t much of a housewife either. You can’t tell it by looking at her, but she’s kind of a slob. I don’t know about you, but I like coming home to a clean house. Fresh sheets and the bed made every day.”
I kept my gaze steady. “So make your own bed, Daniel.”And lie in it, I thought spitefully.
When he realized he still wasn’t getting anywhere with me, Danny leaned in and spoke low, frustration and anger finally spilling over into his features. “You’re not good enough for her.”
