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“Yes, please.”
I walk over to the bar and wait for Evie to finish with the customers at the other end of the counter.
“I swear they’ll sell the property to my parents,” a man beside me says to the guy next him. His back is to me, but his friend’s face doesn’t look familiar. “They’d be fools not to.”
“I’ll be sure to relay that to my boss.” The other man’s voice is low and prickly. I can barely hear him over the country music in the background. “He’s none too happy with the delay as it is.”
“Look, it will happen. I just need more time.”
“He don’t care about that. He only cares about you fulfilling your end of the deal.”
Evie turns to me and begins wiping down the counter. “What can I get you, Lucas?” She has the same long black hair as her sister, but unlike Kim, Evie’s hair has purple streaks in it.
“Cabernet Sauvignon and the house special on tap, please.”
She flashes me a dimpled grin. “So, the usual?” She turns and grabs a bottle of wine from the bar behind her.
“I hear you’re going to be an aunt,” I say as she pours Simone’s glass of wine. “Congratulations.”
She grabs a glass and fills it with beer from the tap. “Thanks. That should take the pressure off me for a while when it comes to getting married and giving Mom grandkids. Taylor and I aren’t in any rush to tie the knot or adopt. The microbrewery and bar keep us busy enough.”
A patron at the other end of the bar waves for her attention. I pay Evie and return to where Simone is setting up the balls on one of the available pool tables. I place her drink on the table where our friends are sitting.
“Was that Sebastian Dryson next to you at the bar?” she asks.
I swivel in the direction she was referring to, but the two men I overheard talking are no longer there.
“I’ve never met the man. You really think that could be him?”
She gives a small shrug. “He kinda resembled the guy in some of the photos I saw at Crystal and Walter’s house earlier this month. His hair’s a bit longer now. But otherwise, it looked like him.”
I scan the bar, but I can’t spot either man.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, everything’s fine. You ready to play?” I nod at the pool table, and my mouth tugs into a reasonable replica of a smile. The men’s conversation replays in my head. He must have been talking about the Wakefields’ property. But who wasn’t happy with the delay? What delay? Robert and Tuuli plan to announce the winning bid on October fourth. That date hasn’t changed.
Simone lightly drags her index finger down my chest. “Yep. I’m ready. How about we make a bet?” Whereas my smile is fake, hers is one hundred percent I-want-to-jump-your-bones genuine—and I shove the overheard conversation to the side, to be analyzed later.
“What do you have in mind?”
Simone leans into me. Her light floral scent teases me over the strong smell of spilled beer, burgers, and fries. “Winner picks position tonight.”
I don’t need a translator to understand what she’s getting at, and I grin. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
“Hey, you guys finally made it,” Emily says as I take my shot.
I glance up to see Zara and Kellan approach our group.
“I got a flat on the way,” Zara tells us matter-of-factly, as if this happens all the time. “Luckily for me, Kellan was in the neighborhood and fixed it.”
At the other pool table, Garrett straightens from the shot he was about to make. “Hey, I could have changed your tire if you had called me.”
“I know. But there was no need to call you. Your brother helped me out.” Not giving Garrett a chance to say anything else, Zara weaves through the crowd toward the bar.
Simone sizes up her next shot and gets into position. The hem of her sundress rides up, exposing the backs of her thighs. I walk behind her and brush the tantalizing skin with my stick—as she’s taking her shot.
The touch is enough to distract her, and her stick skims over the top of the ball, setting it in motion.
