Coming Home to Seashell Harbor (Seashell Harbor #1) - Miranda Liasson Page 0,97

We’ve got everything covered.”

“I second that,” Lucy said as she loaded plates onto serving trays.

Well, like father like son. And daughter, she thought.

Outside Cam was serving tables, smiling and laughing, joking. Everyone seemed delighted to have a famous football player not only serve their food but chat them up as well.

Feeling her responsibilities begin to dwindle, Hadley sat down with Darla. Only to have Cam serve their food himself. “Well?” he asked with concern. “Is it warm? Is it good?”

“It’s perfect,” Darla said, savoring a bite of pasta.

“Darla,” Cam said. “I can’t believe you said that.”

She shrugged and took another bite.

“Save room for dessert,” he said quietly to Hadley with a look that made her blush again before he ran off to serve more people.

“Somehow, I have a feeling he wasn’t talking about the tiramisu,” Darla said.

Hadley was glad she didn’t have to respond to that, because the band started playing. They both happened to look over at the light-strung boardwalk, where Kit was standing near the dance floor…with a guy.

“Parents or no parents, look at that,” Darla said.

“Is that Hal? The insurance adjuster from work that keeps asking her out?” Hadley asked. “She doesn’t look very happy.”

Kit was standing with her arms crossed and shaking her head. A Caribbean-beat song was just getting started, and the lit torches gave a fun island vibe as everyone flocked to the boardwalk.

The guy took her recklessly by the elbow and, laughing, headed to the dance floor. The gesture wasn’t overly rough, and they probably wouldn’t even have noticed except for the fact that Kit wasn’t laughing.

The guy was large and muscle-bound and clearly had already had too much to drink. “I’m going over there,” Hadley called over her shoulder, already rushing away, Darla following right behind her.

“C’mon, Kit,” the guy was saying as they neared. “Quit being a tease. You know you want me.”

Hadley, infuriated, was about to do something—not quite sure what the depths of her outrage would come up with—but someone else got there first. A tall, lean guy with a military cut and his own set of muscles wore an expression thunderous enough to freeze Hadley in her tracks. She suddenly recognized Kit’s rescuer as Alex de la Cruz, Carson’s best friend.

“I don’t think the lady wants to dance,” Alex said, inserting himself between Kit and Hal.

Hal held up his hands defensively. “I just wanted to dance, I swear it, nothing else. I just thought—”

Alex hovered over him. Way over him. “Okay, no thinking. If you don’t back off, you’re going to be dancing with me. And I don’t think you’re going to like my rhythm. You get what I’m saying?”

Hal shook his head, backed away, and vanished into the crowd, leaving Kit to stand there, openmouthed.

“Are you all right?” Alex asked.

“I…um, yes,” Kit said, crossing her arms. “Just a little disappointed.”

His brow rose in surprise.

“…because I might’ve liked to see you dance with him.”

He squinted into the distance. “I can still arrange that, if you’d like.”

“I’m swooning,” Darla whispered to Hadley. “I love a guy in uniform.”

“He’s not wearing his uniform,” Hadley whispered back.

“That’s okay,” Darla said. “He’s still going in my next book.”

“Thanks for helping me,” Kit was saying to Alex. “He’s harmless, just a little drunk. When…did you get into town?”

“Just got here,” Alex said, glancing around. “Thought I’d come check out the celebration.”

“I emailed you,” Kit said. “I told you not to come on my account. I really don’t need help with the McKinnon house. I’m sorry if you didn’t receive it.”

“I got your email,” he said. “I’m actually back home to visit my mom. I’m still on active duty until next spring.”

Kit frowned and opened her mouth to say something but Alex interrupted.

“It’s a shame to waste a good song. Want to dance? I promise I’ll do better than our friend there.”

Kit’s eyes widened in shock. “Dance? Now? With you?”

Say yes was the look that passed between Hadley and Darla. Say yes now.

Alex started to sway to the music. “I love this song. C’mon.”

Kit scanned the crowd, maybe to see if her parents were watching. But then she took his hand.

“I can’t believe she just did that,” Hadley said.

“Me neither,” Darla said. “But just FYI, I’d let him work on my house anytime.”

“Is that Alex?” Cam asked, walking up. “Maybe we need to worry more about him than that jerk who was bothering her. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind until I saw you all had it covered.”

“All I

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