Page 18 of You Know You Wanna

And the more I learned about what lay beneath, the more I found myself wanting to know.

9

REMINGTON

Laurene begrudgingly agreed to go to the movie night. With a deep sigh, she got her things together and pouted all the way to the Kids Camp.

“It’s for toddlers and preschoolers,” she complained as I opened the gate. “I’m going to be a glorified babysitter.”

“No, you’re not,” I said with a laugh. “The toddlers and preschoolers are in bed already. This movie night is for the older kids. Like you.”

She sighed, but walked into the area once the gate was open. I followed, turning to face her to give her strict instructions when we reached the camp counselor. “Straight back to the suite when the movie is over.”

“I can walk her to make sure she gets there safely,” Jenna volunteered, then nudged Laurene’s side. “Plus, without your dad around, you can order whatever you want from room service.”

Laurene glanced at her, smiling shyly before she nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

I grinned and walked away from them backward, keeping my eyes on my daughter’s as I gave her a pointed look. “Whatever you want, but within reason.”

She rolled her eyes at me, but Jenna flashed me a reassuring smile, slid her arm around Laurene’s shoulders, and walked her inside while I headed off to the restaurant. I couldn’t explain it, but talking to Birdie last night had made me see things just a little differently, and after my argument with Laurene earlier, I felt like I needed that insight again.

Maybe it was because I’d never been able to talk to Jacqueline about this stuff and I had no personal experience being a twelve-year-old girl, but I was looking forward to drinks. Or maybe it’s simply because I’m still on the hunt for more information about her boss.

All of which could be true at the same time.

Whatever the reason, I was happy she’d agreed to meet me here and even happier that she was already sitting at the bar when I arrived. She was talking to Gracie, the bartender, but they both fell silent when I approached.

I flashed them what I hoped was a charming smile and sat down on a vacant stool beside her. “Do you need me to give you another few minutes so you can finish gossiping before I come back?”

Gracie shrugged and batted her lashes innocently. “We weren’t gossiping. We were just speculating about why you’d have asked her to have another drink tonight. Are you trying to get into her pants?”

“Grace!” Birdie’s face turned beet red and she smacked her friend’s shoulder. She groaned, slid her palms over her eyes, and shook her head. Separating two fingers to peer out at me between them, she grimaced. “I’m so sorry. Don’t answer that question. She’s just bored and nosy.”

Gracie chuckled, shrugging again. She grabbed a glass and ran a rag across it, drying it while her gaze remained steadily on mine. “She’s not wrong. I am nosy, but I’m also protective. Everyone around here is protective of one another, actually. We’ve got too many tourists coming in and out, looking to sweep us off our feet only to leave again, breaking hearts and spirits all over the damn place.”

“She’s being dramatic,” Birdie said, lifting her head out of her hands and sending her friend a look that said back off. “Gracie and I have never had our hearts broken by a tourist. Don’t listen to her. Are you going to bring the man a drink before you keep interrogating him?”

Gracie’s head jerked like it hadn’t occurred to her to offer. She looked at me and stood up a little straighter. “Another beer, or are we feeling more adventurous tonight? I have cocktails that aren’t so girly looking, if you’re interested.”

“Though the Mai Tais really are great,” Birdie added, nodding at hers.

Just the sight of the thing made me wince. “I’ll have to take your word for it, but I’m going to stick to whiskey tonight.”

“Sweet drinks not your thing?” Birdie teased, those blue eyes suddenly lit up with humor now that the embarrassment had faded. “What a surprise. The big, hulking guy isn’t confident enough for a pink drink.”

I laughed. “You call it confidence. I call it heartburn. If I have one of those, I’ll be wishing that my esophagus would just melt and get it over with for the next week or so.”

“Whiskey, it is,” Gracie said. “I appreciate a man who acknowledges his shortcomings and embraces that with age comes the responsibility to watch what we eat and drink.”

I frowned at her. “We? You can’t be a day over thirty. The real problems only start after that.”

“Thirty-one,” she said. “So is she, but thanks for the compliment. I wear a lot of sunscreen.”

She spun around to grab a bottle and fill a tumbler with amber liquid while Birdie smiled at me. “Did Laurene get to the movie night okay?”

“She did. Although she did not go happily, that’s for sure. Apparently, the camp is only for little kids.”

Birdie’s eyes softened with understanding as she nodded slowly. “Yeah, we get that a lot. It takes the older kids some time to realize that we have a part of the Kids Camp specifically for them. I’ve told her that. The little ones aren’t even allowed in where they are. We always show it to them right off the bat, but because they have to walk past all the little kids’ stuff to get there, their first impressions are always that they’re too old for the place. It takes a while for them to let go of the idea.”