A throb of jealousy pulses through my veins, and I press the gas a little harder.The sooner I get out of Inner Shores, the better.
It’s not like Chloe tried to talk me out of leaving.She didn’t say a word, which is why I had it get the heck out of there.
I spend the rest of the day throwing myself into work.When I finally finish, I toss all my shit into my suitcase and then take a quick shower.Something tells me I’m gonna need more than one beer tonight, so I leave my truck at home and stroll along the beach to the Sand Dollar.
The only sound that breaks through the crashing waves is the occasional cry of a swooping seagull.Even the row of pastel-colored houses sits silent above the sand.As I get closer to the town center, I realize why.The beach is still swarming with people, soaking up the clear skies and warm weather before the sun dips below the horizon.
The long walk seems to have knocked some of the bitterness out of my lungs, and I step into the Sand Dollar feeling a little lighter.The place is getting busy, but it’s not packed yet.I spot a couple of familiar faces—Lily Jane, and one of the cashiers from the grocery store, which feels weirdly comforting.All my life, I’ve loved being alone, but for some reason, the novelty is starting to wear off.
I slide onto an empty stool at the end of the bar, spotting Lola clearing a table over near the jukebox.She eyes me and lifts her chin as if to say, “I’ll be right over.”Thank God there’s no sign of that Johnny Bravo she works with.
I grab a menu, unstick the plastic pages, and scan my options.
Lola lands on the other side of the bar, bringing a whiff of musky perfume.“Hey, Ethan.Where’s Chloe?”
The question stings like hell.“No idea.”My phone’s been silent since I last saw her this morning, and I’m working up the nerve to call her.I need to explain why I have to head back to Philly so soon, and to apologize for acting like such a jealous asshole earlier.
Which is funny, considering that’s exactly what I am.
Lola’s brows lift.“You two have a spat?”She grabs a glass and pours me the same beer I ordered the last time I was here.With Chloe.
“Nah, we’re cool,” I lie as she slides the beer toward me.“She’s just… got a friend in town.Short dark hair.Looks like a flamingo threw up on him.”
Lola tilts her face, thinking.“You don’t mean Steve?”
“Steve,” is all I say before chugging a third of my beer.A name as forgettable as the man himself.
It’s a bad sign, though, that Lola knows who he is.
Part of me had hoped she’d never heard of the guy.That he wasn’t significant enough for Chloe to even mention.
“Wow, it’s a bit early for him,” she says.
“What do you mean?”
A guy down the bar aggressively waves a credit card at Lola, and she shoots him a sneer.“Patience is a virtue, Bill,” she calls out, then drops onto her forearms to stare at me.“I mean that Steve is her Fourth of July hookup.”
I go still.Does she mean this coming Fourth of July or every Fourth of July?I clutch my beer glass so hard it could shatter, and then toss back another huge gulp.
Lola ducks off to deal with the credit card guy, and I return to the menu, even though my appetite just drifted out to sea.
Fourth of July hookup.
Not her ex.A recurring fling.
Is that what she and I are destined to become?Am I going to be her hookup whenever I come down to visit my parents for Christmas or Thanksgiving?Or does she already have someone in line for those holidays?
Shit.
Shit.
A flash of hot pink catches my eye from across the room.I glance up, all my muscles tensing.
Oh, fuck no.
Stevesaunters in, his ugly shirt tucked loosely into khaki shorts.His snow-white sneakers slap against the floor toward the bar, fanning the flames in my chest with every step.My heart hammers as I scan behind him for Chloe.Thankfully, there’s no sign of her.
What if she’s meeting him here?
