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Thankfully, just as things start to get awkward, the door opens and a grungy surfer I’ve never seen before walks in. He’s got a wetsuit peeled halfway down his body and the dampness from his hair tells me that he just got out of the ocean.
“Hey, Finn,” Hayes greets him.
“Barkeep!” he says excitedly. “Let me get a Blue Moon, good sir.”
Hayes nods and goes to get his beer while Finn turns to my best friend.
“Mali,” he swoons. “Looking beautiful as ever.”
I watch as he observes the room, realizing how empty it is, until his eyes land on me. He smiles in a way that’s not nearly as sexy as I’m sure he thinks it is.
“Hi,” he drawls. “I’m Finn, and you are?”
Mali snorts behind him. “Oh, here we go.”
“Laiken,” I reply.
“Laiken. That’s a gorgeous name.” He comes up and leans against the table beside me. “But I guess that’s fitting for such a gorgeous girl.”
Gag me.“Better be careful. You’re going to get a cavity with all that sweet talk.”
“That’s okay. I’m a sucker for sugar.” He licks his lips, and I damn near vomit on the spot.
Hayes slams Finn’s beer down on the counter a little harder than necessary, making it slosh over the sides of the glass. “Here you go.”
Finn lets his eyes linger on me as he walks backward toward the bar, only turning around when he has to. “Man, you two have it made. Hanging out here with hot girls all day.”
Cam scrunches his nose in disgust. “Laiken’s my sister.”
“Oh, my bad,” he says. “Hey. If I play my cards right, I could end up being your brother- in-law someday.”
Jesus Christ, I just met the guy, and he’s already planning our wedding. My and Mali’s eyes widen, and we look at each other. I mouthhelp me, only for her to shake her head in response.
Bitch.
Finn grabs his beer and takes a sip, only to swallow it with a bitter look on his face. “Barkeep, you sure this beer is okay? It doesn’t taste right.”
Hayes presses his lips together and hums. “Huh. Must not have rinsed all the cleaner out of the lines. Sorry about that.”
Cam chuckles as he goes to get Finn another beer, and I can’t help but smile because we all know that was no accident. Or at least all of us but Finn, who finally just realized Nolan exists.
“I’m sorry, darlin’. You probably feel so left out.”
Nolan giggles, putting her hands up in front of her. “No, I’m okay. Really.”
He shrugs, taking the new beer and drinking it happily—as if he didn’t get shot down three times in a row.
Cam looks at the ingredients listed on the bottle of cleaner, probably making sure they won’t be on the defensive side of a lawsuit due to Hayes’s possessive tendencies. He points something out to Hayes, but all he does is shrug like it’s no big deal. Cam laughs, lightly backhanding him in the stomach before putting the bottle back.
“By the way,” my brother says to him, “we have to move the pool table upstairs soon, before the summer rush starts.”
Of course, Mr. Surferman has something to say about that. “Bruh! I’m so fucking good at pool!”
“I’m sure you are,” Mali murmurs.
He shakes his head. “Nah, for real. I could kick anyone’s ass at pool! I’m legit.”
Mali looks at me and smirks, and I already know where she’s going with this. “Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is then?”
