Page 42 of The Sweetness of Life

“Hi, I’m Shelby.” My voice is a little rough. He doesn’t notice, but Zach does, and out of the corner of my eye, I see him shift his weight. I hold my hand out for him to shake, which the guy does, wrapping both of his large ones around mine. Sweat rolls down his neck and across his shoulder, and I focus on it to keep my eyes from drifting to where they’re not wanted.

“James. Nice to meet you.” His eyes trail over me, and I look to see what I’m wearing: sparkly flip-flops, white shorts, and a light blue button-down untucked and rolled up at the sleeves. James’s eyes crinkle in the corners as they meet mine, and his smile gets bigger.

It’s flattering after the blow to my ego Zach just delivered. Even though I feel mortified by my situation with him, this guy makes me breathe a little easier and feel more comfortable.

“That’s Jack.” James points to a guy with sandy blond hair, and he winks back at me. “That’s Bryan.” He waves his hand toward another guy with light brown hair. “And I guess you already know Zach and Kyle.”

My eyes lock with Zach’s again, and—surprise, surprise—he just scowls harder.

Ass.

I’m officially done. I’m done trying, I’m done “starting over,” and I’m done giving him the benefit of the doubt. I came here for the assignment, an assignment that’s going to give me an edge up on others, and something I can’t afford to get distracted from. I’m not weak, I don’t pine after guys, and certainly not guys like him. Less than a week to go, so no more. Done. Just done.

“Yup.” The sound of the p pops off my lips, irritation evident in my tone.

All three of the new guys chuckle as Bryan, Jack, and Zach move closer to the golf cart. James makes his way over to Zach and claps him on the back before turning back to me. “Better be careful there, darlin’—our boy isn’t used to not being gawked over. You might be crushing his delicate feelings.”

All the guys—all except for Zach, that is—burst out in laughter.

“I doubt that. Given my limited time with him, I’d argue he doesn’t have feelings.” I eye him warily, knowing I’m intentionally pushing his buttons, but he needs to know I’ve reached my limit and I’m fed up.

“Ohhh,” they ring out in chorus.

“Too bad Lexi isn’t here—she’d love this girl.” James looks over to Bryan and grins.

“Wait! You know Lexi?” My heart skips a beat at the mention of my sweet friend. We haven’t had a chance to get together since that fiasco at the Feeding America event, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t missing her like crazy.

“Know her? I’m related to her. She’s my sister. You know Lexi?” He looks at me questioningly.

“Oh my God! You’re her James?” I slide out of the golf cart and walk around the front of it toward him. “Such a small world to find you here. I’m Shelby Leigh, as in Lexi, Shelby, and Meg.”

His eyes widen. “No way! I’ve been dying to meet you for like years! All she talks about is you and Meg.” James wraps his arms around me, sweeping me off my feet and into a crushing hug. “Zach, you didn’t tell me the third leg to the tripod was here!”

“I’m not really sure what you’re talking about so, no, I didn’t.” His voice is flat, and his face has darkened with annoyance and a hint of jealousy. James picks up on his tone, smirks at him, and holds me a tad bit longer than necessary.

Slowly letting me down, his eyes drop over me again, only this time his look is different. It isn’t flirtatious so much as endearing, and I feel like I’ve found a long-lost friend.

“Lexi told us you were overseas.” I take him in and look for any signs of injury or illness.

“I am. I’m on leave right now.”

“That’s awesome. Do you plan to see her while you’re here? Wait! You better see her.” I shove his chest, smiling up at him.

He chuckles and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Yeah, she was going to come here this weekend, but she has a large order she needs to fill. So, I’m headed to her on Monday.”

“You guys are staying the weekend?” I ask, glancing at each of them and stopping on Zach.

“Yup,” he answers, mimicking the way I said the word moments ago without breaking eye contact—not even to blink. His stare makes me even more uncomfortable and heats me at same time. This seems to be the trend between us: he hates me, he likes me, he hates me, he likes me. I remind myself I’m done with all his back and forth and push out a deep sigh as I turn back to James.

“I should have recognized you right away. I’ve seen your photo no less than a hundred times, and y’all look so similar.” I look over the features of his face: blond hair, dark eyes, golden skin, high cheekbones, and full lips.

“It’s the hair, or lack of.” He rubs his hand back and forth over the standard military buzz.

“No, I still should have seen it. How do y’all know each other?” I wave my finger between him, Zach, and the other guys.

“Bryan and I have known each other for forever. Zach, Bryan, and I played college ball together, and Bryan and Jack play for Tampa.”

“Football, got it.” I glance at each of them, and Jack winks at me.