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Yep, just two friends hanging out. Which Gabe didn’t seem crazy about.
But Laura grabbed her beer and Gabe grabbed his, and she made for the patio.
“We could play corn hole?” Laura offered. Tossing beanbags at a square platform with a hole cut out seemed like a way to stay active . . . and keep Gabe on one end of the lawn and her on the other.
“Sure,” Gabe said, less than amused.
“I’m glad we can hang out and be friends,” Laura said, grabbing red beanbags and taking her place on one side of the lawn while Gabe went to the other. They each stood next to a platform to throw at.
“Yeah, friends hanging out,” Gabe said, tossing a beanbag in his hand. “Just like old times.”
“Gabe . . . ,” she said and he just shrugged. “I want to be friends. I’m sorry, I’m not dating at all right now.”
He nodded and then tossed out that smile he used on all the cheerleaders back in the day. “Hey, a guy can try. And I’ll keep trying, Laura.”
Wish you wouldn’t . . .
Instead of yelling, “Never going to happen” to the deputy of Yachats, she took a swig of beer and geared up to make her first toss.
“You care to make this interesting?” a low voice whispered in her ear, and Laura jumped. She turned to see Jake. All six-plus feet of hulking sex on a stick of him. Wearing a tight white T-shirt and blue jeans, he looked as good as he smelled. Which was really, really good. Like sandalwood and man. But it had nothing to do with his coastal roots. This spicy scent was all him.
“What are you doing here?” Laura asked, trying to refocus on her impending toss. Gabe was four yards away, standing next to the platform she was aiming for, and judging by the look on his face, not thrilled she was talking to Jake.
Not that it was his right in the first place.
“I’m on a casual date. Just like you,” Jake said.
“I’m not on a date, we’re just friends hanging out.”
“Uh-huh,” Jake said just as his date walked up to join them. “Me, too.”
“Vicky McPhee?” Laura asked as the skinny brunette came to stand by Jake and threaded a hand through his arm. As if making a display she was there with him. Yeah, Laura got the message.
“Laura, it’s been a long time,” Vicky said, giving her hair a toss.
Laura tried for her best polite smile, but it just came out fake. Vicky McPhee had been captain of the cheerleading team, and even though she and Laura had run in the same circle, she’d made her life hell. And judging by the way she was clinging to Jake, not much had changed.
“We were just discussing teams,” Jake said.
No, we weren’t.
“Why don’t you be on my team,” he said to Vicky. She giggled and swayed and agreed.
Barf.
“You run on down to stand next to Gabe.” Jake waved to the deputy; then Vicky frowned, catching on that to be on a team you needed one person on each side.
“Fine, this way I get a better view,” she said to Jake and winked at him.
Double barf.
She walked toward Gabe and took her spot beside him just as Jake inched closer to Laura and picked up the blue beanbags.
“You weren’t even invited to this game,” Laura said to Jake, thanking God that between the music and the distance, Vicky and Gabe were out of earshot.
“But you don’t mind, do you?” Jake said with sarcasm. “Just a friendly competition with friends.”
He was overstating the word friend to irritate Laura, and it worked.
