| |
Five years had apparently been enough time for Summer to forget just how crazy Teddy McCallen made her. He’d always been a moody son of a bitch, that was for sure. A good-looking one at that. But over the years, just like his looks, his broody nature had clearly matured. He was now a ridiculously sexy, six-foot-four ball of rage. And she kind of liked it.
So, so healthy, Summer.
Dropping off the empty glasses she’d collected at the end of the bar, she snuck another look at the man in question. The easy charm he offered each customer was deceptive. If they hung around for just another second, they’d see Teddy’s mask drop almost instantly. She saw it though. She’d always seen it. Summer figured that was why he always treated her differently. Although, right about now, she was starting to wish he didn’t. She could really go for some of that fake friendly, if it meant that smile was directed her way.
It had been a rough year, but she knew she needed to try and focus on the positive. At least she had a place to stay now. That was something. She would never take for granted hot showers and clean clothes ever again.
Showing up at Teddy’s the other night hadn’t been her finest hour. She was well aware of what a hot mess she was. But at least now she was a clean, semi-presentable hot mess. And she was determined to try to not piss him off during her first shift at Mickey’s.
“Summer. Long time no see.” A familiar, deep voice croaked from behind her.
Spinning on her heel, she visibly cringed at the sight. Colton. Her ex. Yet another bad decision she’d made over ten years ago. Great. That was the thing about small towns, exes were always sneaking up on you and reminding you of what a dumbass you used to be.
He looked just as she remembered him. Jet-black hair that was just a little bit too long, piercing dark brown eyes, and enough stubble to be considered the start of a beard. Although he was tall, he’d always been on the lean side. That hadn’t changed either.
“Uh, hi, Colt.” She smiled and hoped like hell it didn’t look as forced as it felt. “How you doing?”
“Doing good, babe. What ... no hug?” Colton opened his arms expectantly while she internally screamed.
Fuck my life.
She stepped into his arms and gave him the world’s quickest, most awkward hug before retreating back toward the bar counter.
“Well, I better get back to work. It was good seeing you.” She spun in the other direction before she’d even finished the sentence. But he didn’t let her get very far. She felt his hand wrap around her upper arm, forcing her to a stop, holding her in place. Goddamnit. Hadn’t she been manhandled enough already? Now she was pissed. Screw being friendly.
“Get your hands off me, Colt. Now.” She fumed as she turned to face him.
Luckily, the man was smart enough to drop his hand, but he didn’t back away.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you, Summer. Come on. It’s me. Me! I’ve done a lot more than grab your arm if I remember correctly, babe.” The dirty smirk he gave her made her stomach roil.
Stupid, goddamn small towns.
“I’m not your babe, Colt. And I suggest in the future, you don’t go around grabbing women in bars unless you’re looking for a punch to the throat.”
Clearly not too worried about her threat, he took a step closer, crowding her against the bar. “I promise to not go around grabbing women in bars, Summer; I doubt I’m gonna want to now that you’re back in town. How ’bout I pick you up after your shift tonight ...?” He took a moment to run his eyes over her body. “We can do some catching up?”
Euwww.
“How ’bout you back up before I make good on my promise?”
“Everything all right here?” Teddy boomed from behind the bar. She didn’t need to see his face to know it was set to angry.
“Everything’s good, Teddy. Summer and I are just catching up. Right, babe?”
Summer was done. She was so sick of men, it wasn’t even funny. She shoved Colton’s shoulder until he took a step back. Finally. “For the last time, I’m not your babe. And don’t ever touch me again.” Chancing a look in Teddy’s direction, she was surprised to see just how angry he was. Rage seemed to be seeping out of every pore. Even when she’d thrown a lamp at him, he hadn’t looked this pissed. “I’m going on my break.”
She didn’t wait for an answer. She needed to get out of there.
Her feet didn’t stop until she hit the alley next to the bar. Sliding down the brick wall, she winced as her skin met the cobbles, and she wasted no time wrapping her arms around her knees. Tonight probably wasn’t the best night to wear shorts, but she couldn’t bring herself to care right now. The frigid air was the only thing stopping her from falling apart.
As she dropped her head onto her knees, thoughts of the past year flitted through her mind. Her brain chose that moment to play her an ironic slideshow of all her bad decisions. Perfect. It’s not like she needed a reminder. Ben was front and center of the show of course. Even after tonight’s display, he could easily swipe the worst ex award right out of Colton’s hands.
“You okay?”
Summer startled. She hadn’t heard anyone come out or make their way into the alley. Her head shot up and she was even more alarmed to find that Teddy was sitting next to her.
“You scared the shit out of me! How is it, such a big fucker like you, can sneak up on me without making a sound?”
Teddy threw his head back and laughed, which only annoyed her more. Why was he laughing at her?
“A big fucker like me,” he said through another throaty laugh, “well, I guess I have the Navy to thank for that.”
Summer threw her hands up in exasperation. “Dear Lord, how could I forget? You’re a big, badass Navy SEAL.” Sarcasm dripped off every word as she rolled her eyes. “They probably have a special class designed just for you. Stealth 101 for big fuckers.” She turned back to see him convulsing. “Can you stop laughing at me now?”
“I forgot how funny you are, doll.”
She simply glared at him while he got himself under control. But her tension quickly dissipated as she got a good look at his smile. It was aimed her way for once, and it made her feel things. Things she thought she’d buried long ago.
Teddy McCallen was her weakness. Always had been. And apparently always would be. It didn’t help that the man was frigging gorgeous. His body was practically a wall of muscle, and even the ink covering both his arms was as sexy as hell. But it wasn’t just his dark, messy hair, square jaw, and sparkling green eyes that captured her attention. It was the man himself. The smart, funny, and kind man before her. Sure, he was a little rough around the edges, but he had a heart of pure gold.
He’d practically raised his little sister, Ivy, when his parents passed away. Although he’d been young, and they’d been taken in by their grandparents, Summer had seen first-hand the part he played in raising Ivy. And she would never forget that. He was a good man. Way too good for Summer.
“Seriously, Summer, you okay? If Colton touched you inappropriately, I swear to God I’ll rip his throat out.”
Her lips twitched. “Harsh.”
“Warranted,” Teddy countered.
She didn’t hold back her smile. “What did I see in him again?”
“Fuck if I know!”
Then she remembered. Colton was supposed to help her move on. Move on from the man she really wanted. The man she’d spent her entire childhood obsessing over. Teddy.
She never dated anyone else before Colton because of her crush. Summer’s teenage years were spent waiting for Teddy to realize he was in love with her. But it was in high school when delusion really took over. She actually thought for a while that Teddy liked her back. So what did she do? Flirt with him relentlessly of course. Making a fool out of herself. And breaking her own heart when she realized he’d been sleeping with Becky Matthews the entire time. The perky cheerleader. Talk about clichés.
“I was never any good at choosing men.” She sighed, turning away from him and directing her gaze back to her knees.
“No, you weren’t.” She felt his callused fingers lightly brush her chin as he turned her face back to him. “But seriously, dollface, he hurt you?”
Summer felt all gooey as she stared into the concern. It had been a while since anyone had cared. “No, Teddy. He didn’t hurt me. I swear. I think he just wanted to hook up, and he wasn’t really getting my very loud and very clear message that I wasn’t interested.”
Instead of relaxing, Teddy seemed to tense even more. If he clenched his jaw any tighter he was going to need a dentist. Her hand absently drifted toward his jawline and stroked. Her body and her brain were clearly not communicating well. When she realized just what she was doing, she started to pull away. But Teddy grabbed her wrist and held it in place.
They stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like hours but was probably only seconds, her fingers brushing up and down over the stubble on the side of his face. In turn, his thumb lazily stroked the pulse point on her wrist.
Wait. What the hell is happening?
“Um, Teddy,” one of the bartenders called out as he poked his head out of the back exit, “I need some help in here; we’re slammed.”
Summer was back on her feet seconds later, heading back toward the bar. What had she been thinking? He must think she’s a psycho. Chucking lamps at his head one minute, then stroking his face like a horny Frog Hog the next. She was definitely a hot mess. She needed to pull herself together. Quickly.
***
Summer let out a sigh as she slumped back into the deckchair. Picking her wine glass back off the table, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the refill Laney had poured her. It was splashing over the sides before it had even made it to her mouth.
“Thank God you’re not working with me at Mickey’s, Lanes, this measure would have got you on Teddy’s shit list for sure.”
Her friend threw her a devilish smirk, her dark eyes twinkling. “What can I say? When it comes to wine, more is more.”
God, Summer had missed her friend. It was a small miracle that they always managed to pick things up from where they’d left off. She was more than aware that traveling for work and being away for long periods of time didn’t make her the best bet when it came to friendship. And she was sure most people would call her out for the lack of actual communication while she was away. It wasn’t like she didn’t keep in touch. She did. When she could. And trading memes totally counted.
“How is it, working with Teddy?”
That was a good question. Since her first shift where she’d practically pawed him like a cat in heat, she’d been avoiding him. Well, as much as someone can avoid someone they work with.
“Uh, yeah, it’s okay. You know Teddy, ever the charmer ... to everyone but me.”
Laney grinned mischievously. “Oh yeah, I forgot that you were the Teddy whisperer.”
Summer almost choked on her tongue. “Hardly! A whisperer means you can make them do things ... like, oh, I don’t know ... be nice to you?”
“And him giving you a free place to stay and a job, isn’t that him being nice to you?”
Well damn, when Laney put it like that.
After gulping some more of her wine, Summer decided Teddy was the last thing she wanted to think about right now. It had been hard enough trying to avoid him all week.
“Can we change the subject, please? Why don’t you tell me how you managed to get Max and the kids out of the house long enough to drink with me?”
“Okay, I’ll give you a pass ... for now. We’ll revisit the topic of Teddy when we’re another bottle deep!”
Summer couldn’t help but laugh, even though she knew her friend was far from joking.
“And as for the free house, well, let’s just say Max was unable to resist my feminine wiles.” Laney winked as she picked up her own glass.
Now that, Summer could believe. Laney was gorgeous. With her long, curly black hair, flawless dark skin, and a body that could easily make any model jealous, even after having two kids. Fortunately, her husband, Max, wasn’t a stupid man. He knew what he had, and he would literally do anything for her. Including taking the kids over to their grandparents this evening and not returning until they were asleep. Effectively giving his wife a night off.
Summer and Laney drank, gossiped, and laughed until their sides hurt for the next couple of hours. Summer had tried to keep it light, but two bottles of wine later, her lips were loosening.
“So, why are you really back? And are you back for good? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you changing the topic every time I ask you about work.”
She knew this was coming. It was only a matter of time. Ignoring the look her friend was pinning her with, she stared instead at the pristine lawn. They’d been sitting out on the deck ever since Summer had arrived, and sometime in the past hour or so the sun had gone down, leaving them with just the glow of the kitchen light to navigate the backyard. There was something so calming about sitting outside in the dark.
“Summer,” Laney warned, “come on, spill.”
Urgh.
“Okay, okay.” Summer met her friend’s eyes again. “I quit. You know what happened with Ben ... well, even though we broke up a frigging year ago, the dude couldn’t take the hint. He followed me on my last two assignments, and, well ... well, I just had enough.”
She was leaving a few things out. But that was still the most she’d told anyone so far.
“What?” Laney screeched. “You can’t just quit your job because of that asshole! You love your job. You love working for the aid agency. Traveling around. Helping people. Making a difference. Did you report him? That’s harassment right there! He can’t get away with that.”
Summer smiled at her friend’s outrage on her behalf. But it really wasn’t necessary.
“It’s fine, Lanes. Really.” She reached over to place a hand over Laney’s. “Yes, I loved my job, but the plan was always to come back here. Back to Bluestone. Permanently. I’m not gonna lie, Ben following me around and generally being a douchebag definitely made my decision to leave easier. And quicker. But I was always gonna come back.”
Her explanation seemed to calm her friend ... a little. That was until she had time to think up questions.
“But what are you gonna do here? And aren’t you gonna get bored? You’ve been traveling the world for ten years for God’s sake, and now what, you’re just gonna find a nine-to-five in small-town Montana? I know you, Summer, you’ll be bored shitless in a month.”
“Well ... I was planning on taking over Mickey’s, but Teddy royally screwed me over there. So, I need a new plan. But I’m not gonna stress about it now. Having a roof over my head and a job means that I can take my time and think about my next steps. And trust me when I tell you, I won’t be getting bored. Don’t get me wrong, I did love my job. But I’m not getting any younger, and living out of a backpack gets old. I want to plant some roots. Start the next chapter.”
Her friend eyed her for a moment. Obviously considering what to say next.
“Okay, girl, time for tequila.”
And just like that, Summer felt a million times better.