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Her hands raise in surrender as she smartly backs up a step. “Okay, okay. Just saying, he’s not terrible on the eyes.”
When Anita gets googly-eyed for Mark, I gag. She grabs a ticket and pulls a highball from the shelf to work on her next drink.
All I can think is…Mark? Really?
I mean, to look at, yes. Agreed. If Mark had a mute button, he’d be the perfect man. The problem with him—or rather, the biggest problem with him—is that his looks far overshadow his tiny, little pea-brain. That and his two-sizes too-small heart.
Have you ever seen a man too beautiful to exist? Sure, in and of itself, it’s not a reason to hate him. What I hate is that Mark wields it like a weapon. Whenever he walks into a room, I feel the need to dispense chastity belts with reckless abandon.
Again, I’m not talking about your garden-variety good looks, as in he looks great in a pair of jeans with an insta-swoon dimple that could launch a thousand ships. I’m talking about a legs-locked, knees-weak, heart-stopping level of sex appeal that would stand out in a sea of Hemsworths. The irony is that with all that heat, Mark is too cold.
Anita pops the cork on a bottle of Moscato and works on a Bellini. “Well, if your heart’s set on Tyler or Zac, you’re SOL. I just remembered that Tyler isn’t here. He and Zac went fishing with their dad before Zac returns to school.”
I nibble my lower lip again, worry twisting my gut.
“Nope. Don’t do that,” Anita says, frowning.
“Huh? Do what?”
She waves an accusatory strawberry-margarita painted fingernail in my face. “That thing where your brows pinch so hard, they nearly touch. Trust me, you’re too young to start with the permanent angry line.” She wipes down the bar. “You worried about Brian leaving?”
“No,” I lie, lifting a defiant chin. “Brian has been here long enough. Having him take care of me since my parents—”
My mouth dries, sand filling my throat before I can say the words. I breathe through it until words come out.
“Anyway, the military gave him all the leave they could. I’m an adult. I’ve graduated. I’m a big girl, and my brother’s a big boy. We can take care of ourselves.” I say this out loud at least a dozen times a day, because any day now, I’ll believe it.
Anita places a bowl of mixed nuts between us and pops a few into her mouth. “Then what is it?”
Deflated, I sigh. “I have five days to get Brian his going-away gift before his deployment.”
“That should be plenty of time.”
“I need to be able to afford it first. It costs my entire paycheck.”
She lifts a brow. “All of your paycheck?”
I nod. “Along with the engraving, yes. I caught him drooling at the jewelers over some stupid-expensive tactical watch. After an insane amount of searching, I found a pre-owned one, but I have to pick it up today. The owner already has other buyers.” I’m about to show her on my phone, but my battery’s already low, and I still need to use it to find this guy. Wiggling my fingers at her, I say, “Give me your phone.”
Anita hands it to me, and I pull up the Laney Jewelers website, then scroll to the right photo. With a two-toned whistle, she approves.
I smile. “And then hopefully, I’ll have time to get it engraved before Brian leaves.”
“You mean Brian and Mark. What, no gift for his bestie?” she teases.
My lips quirk as my narrowed eyes respond for me.
“Hey, if push comes to shove, girl, I’ve got you.” She holds up a paring knife. “Seriously, how hard can it be to scratch two Bs on the metal band?”
“What I had in mind is a little more than his initials, and this watch is worth weeks of my life,” I say indignantly as I lower her knife-wielding hand. “As skilled as you are with slicing and dicing, how about we leave the pretty letter carving to the experts.” I tap the counter, not sure what to do. “Who can I get my check from?”
“You can get it from Mark.”
“What? Mark’s here?” My brows pop up as the name of my arch-nemesis rings through the air. Or is it just nemesis? “Mark never comes here. And why isn’t he fishing with everyone else?”
Smiling, she shrugs. “Mrs. D.’s working out the details for the Whitney wedding. I guess he’s filling in.”
“Perfect.” I let out a frustrated sigh. “Any idea where he is?” Anita shakes her head as I slide off the leather stool. “I guess I’ll stop looking for Tyler and hunt down Mark.”
