someone named Zoey had been helping out with some of the chores he hated. He hadn’t made the connection between that conversation and the Zoey he’d known growing up.
“Ah.”
She studied him. “What does that mean?”
Bubba held up his hands. “Nothing. I knew he had someone helping him, but I didn’t really know who.”
“Maybe if you’d come home now and then to visit him, you would’ve.”
That hit a little too close to home for Bubba’s comfort, and his response was curt. “Yeah, well, I’ve been off saving the world, sweetheart. I didn’t have much time for visiting my hometown to get berated for not being around more.”
Zoey’s eyes narrowed and she glared at him. “The big bad Navy SEAL. Yeah, we know all about you and how amazing you are. Too good to talk to the likes of me, I’m sure. So if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll continue to read until our plane is ready.”
Bubba sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. He hadn’t meant to insult her, even if she kinda deserved it for being a bit harsh and piling on more guilt. But once he’d left home, coming back to Juneau had never taken precedence in his life. His dad had begged him to come home to work for his company. His brother practically ignored him; talking once or twice about the business didn’t really count. And everyone he came into contact with asked him when he was moving back to Juneau. He’d left to begin with because he’d felt stifled in the small town.
Other than the cruise ship traffic in the summers, nothing much changed and gossip was one of the locals’ favorite pastimes. It drove him crazy, and when he graduated, he was more than ready to move on, to see the world.
His twin, Malcom, had been content to stay in Juneau and go to work with their father. Bubba hated that he wasn’t as close to his brother as they’d been as children, but after thirteen years apart, it wasn’t too surprising.
What hurt the most about his pop’s death was that it had been so unexpected. Bubba had thought he’d live well into his nineties. He’d always been healthy as a horse, and his passing away had been a punch to the gut. Especially since Bubba had made plans to visit soon. He’d missed seeing his dad one last time, and that hurt like hell.
“I’m sorry,” Bubba said quietly to Zoey’s bent head. “I just…I feel terrible that I didn’t get to say goodbye to my dad. Hell, I didn’t even know he was having issues with his heart. This seems so unreal.”
Zoey put her finger between the pages to mark her place and closed the book as she looked up at him. “If it’s any consolation, he’d been sick for a while, but seemed to be on the mend. And when I left to go to Anchorage to visit my mom, he was getting better, and I felt okay leaving him. I hate that I didn’t get to say goodbye too. And I’m sorry about my earlier comment. It was out of line and a low blow. I’m just a little jealous of you. Not all of us had the option to leave after high school,” she said softly. “Although, while Juneau isn’t the most exciting place in the world, it’s not as bad as you seem to think it is either.”
“I know. High school was kind of fun,” Bubba said, trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, his attempt seemed to fall flat.
“Yeah, fun,” Zoey said unenthusiastically.
Sensing he was missing something, Bubba did what he always did…tried to solve the mystery. “So, why did you break up with Malcom again?”
She rolled her eyes, and Bubba couldn’t help but think it was cute. Her brunette hair was pulled back into a messy bun at the back of her head, her hazel eyes full of intelligence and spunk. He liked that. “We weren’t really dating,” she told him. “We only went out a couple of times.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’m sure it’s no surprise, but Malcom was a horn dog. All he wanted was to get me into bed.”
Bubba asked the question before he could think better of it. “And did he succeed?”
Zoey’s eyes narrowed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I wasn’t that kind of girl.”
“Wasn’t?”
Shit, he really needed to control himself better. But Bubba was surprised at his level of interest in her answer.
“Wasn’t,” she confirmed, then went on. “Aren’t. Isn’t.