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I snatched my knife and fork, not hesitating to cut right in, and when I finally looked back up, I noticed Mike had gone a little pale, his eyes pointed at something behind me. “Everything all right?”
That was when I felt it, that freaking,freakingtingle. And I knew without having to turn around who was behind me.
“Don’t look now, but Beau Wade is a few tables back, and he’s looking this way.”
I knew. I felt it. And from the way my skin was heating, I imagined how pissed he must be to see me sitting with Mike.
“He doesn’t look very happy,” Mike mumbled, only confirming what I’d already guessed.
My cheeks felt stiff. “Just ignore him,” I insisted as I took a bite of my food. Only, I couldn’t enjoy it the way I normallywould, not with Beau’s gaze drilling into the back of my neck like a laser beam. “I’m sure he’ll leave soon enough. Don’t worry about it.”
Mike let out an uncharacteristic snort. “Easy for you to say.”
My brow pinched together. “What’s that mean?”
He blew out a breath and shook his head, like he hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud. “It’s just, the guy’s incredibly intense when it comes to you.” He glanced over my shoulder again, his gaze flaring with panic like he’d been caught before he looked back at me. “Either hereallyhates you”—his expression turned knowing—“or he feels something else completely.”
Ah hell.
My stomach bottomed out, and there was that freaking tug I’d tried so desperately to feel with Mike. “What—uh, what makes you say that?”
“I mean, there’s the fact that he’s looking at me right now like he wants to rip my head right off my shoulders. Then there’s the whole thing in high school.”
My fork froze midair. “What thing in high school?”
He let out a chuckle that was more like a humorless gust of air. “You know, I was going to ask you to prom senior year.”
I was glad I hadn’t taken a bite yet, because at that, I proceeded to choke on air. “What?” I croaked, picking up my water glass and drinking deeply.
“Yeah. I was going to ask you out. But Beau found out and warned me off.”
My brows winged up so high they nearly kissed my hairline. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling at that moment other than complete and total bafflement. “What do you mean, warned you off?”
A tinge of pink painted across his cheekbones as he admitted, “Well, he kind of threatened me.”
My hands came down on the table hard enough to rattle the silverware and dishes. “He threatened to beat you up?”
“No... not exactly. He just said he’d make me pay if I asked you to prom. I don’t know what he had in mind, but the dude was scary as hell when he said it.”
I couldn’t get my feelings in order. My head felt like it was spinning. It was a lot to try and process over brunch.
“Um, will you excuse me for a moment?” I said as I scooted my chair back and placed my napkin on the table beside my plate. “I need to use the restroom real quick.”
His forehead pinched with concern as I rose from my seat, but I barely noticed as a million and one things swirled around inside my head. With my eyes pointed to the ground, I booked it to the back hall where the restrooms were, needing a few moments to myself.
Chapter Sixteen
BEAU
Sam was already sittingat a table by the time I arrived at the Sand Dollar. He was scrolling through his phone and drinking a cup of coffee when I stopped at the table.
“Never took you for the brunch type, buddy,” I said by way of greeting.
He looked up from his phone with a big, bright smile on his face and stood to his impressive height, pocketing the device before pulling me into a manly, back-smacking hug, nearly squeezing the breath from my lungs in the process.
“Usually wouldn’t be. But Monica turned me on to this place. They’ve got the best bacon you’ll ever eat.” He did that chef’s kiss thing with his fingers. “Cooked to perfection.” He pulled back, looking at me with an expression like a proud father. “Hey, kid, good to see you. It’s been too damn long.”
I sucked air into my lungs and chuckled. “Good to see you too. But you know I’m thirty-four right,” I teased. “And you’re barely a decade older than me. What are the odds I can get you to stop calling mekid?”
