had a bunch of lovebirds staying at the place. It wasn’t the PDA. Hell, Jada and the circle she traveled in could raise the bar on PDA levels faster than I could change gears. It was something deeper. The memories of my own affection for a girl I was never supposed to have.
“Books and Beds by the Sea, huh? That’s quite a name. Do you recommend it?”
He shrugged. “I don’t really have a lot of experience with B&Bs. I’m only there because my girlfriend is taking care of the place for a few weeks.”
That raised every single alert in my body to DEFCON 3, and I was at his side in two steps.
“What the hell?” I asked.
The guy stiffened, turning to take me in, and I knew what he saw. He saw a man stuck in a surfer-like lifestyle. A man who should have moved on to a career and a family and gold card but who was a slacker instead. It was an image I’d perfected. It clashed with the Aston Martin sitting outside enough that it threw people for a loop when they saw me get into it. It clashed with the suits and tuxedos I had to wear when Dax and I did business. But it was the me I preferred. Relaxed. Ready for the water.
“Excuse me?” he demanded.
“You heard me. What the hell is this?” I repeated, even when I didn’t need to.
He didn’t like my challenging him, but I also saw confusion streak across his face.
“Not sure it’s any of your business,” he said.
The four or five inches I had on him caused me to hover over him, shadowing him with my height and my bulk. While I wasn’t intimidated by him at all, he had the attitude of someone who thought I should be, his professional attire outranking my beachwear.
“Books and Beds by the Sea will always be my business,” I told him. Leena and Mandy’s place was not only my landing spot whenever I was in town, they were my family. More family than my own parents.
Mom had been all about children raising themselves. She’d been flighty, in and out, barely there. Dad had been all about his image as sheriff and the sparkly, younger wife on his arm. Neither parent had actually cared if I’d come home at the end of the day unless whatever I was doing blemished Dad’s reelection chances.
It wasn’t until I’d moved here with Truck and had seen how Mandy and Leena treated Mandy’s son, as well as Violet and Jersey, that I’d really understood familial love. Mandy and Leena had taken that same affection and concern and wrapped it around Truck and me without hesitation, even when I’d been a moody, grumpy bastard.
So, to have this no-name powermonger say his girlfriend was running their place was never, ever going to fly with me.
When I didn’t back down, he seemed to deflate a little. “I don’t know who you are, but Violet is running the place at the moment. Maybe you missed the company memo?”
My entire insides seized up at Violet’s name rolling off his lips, my vision filling with huge lavender eyes that sparkled and shone like the diamonds on Jada’s phone case. But then his words settled into me, and my insides squeezed tightly together.
Violet was his girlfriend.
Double fuck.
“Where’s Leena?” I scowled.
“Again. Not. Your. Business.” He turned and sauntered out of the place, sipping at the cup in his hand. He didn’t have anything in his other hand, which meant he wasn’t bringing anything back to his girlfriend…to Violet, who loved caramel macchiatos more than life—or at least she had.
I yanked my personal phone out of the trio in my pocket, turned it back on, and slammed out a text to my brother.
ME: Why is Vi running the B&B with some asshole?
This was the last thing I needed right now. Violet. Leena. Distractions.
I grabbed my espresso and stomped my way out to the car while I waited for a response to my question. A glance at the time had me cringing. I hadn’t even thought about San Francisco being three hours behind New London. Truck would either be asleep with his body wedged up tight against his wife, or he’d be on duty. I might have to wait hours for a reply.
Relief poured through me when my phone vibrated.
TRUCK: He surfaces from the underworld! I was starting to get worried.
I stared at his words for a long time. He meant it as a joke, but little