“Knock it off,” I said to him before turning to Alejandra. “What happened?”
“My parents wanted to meet him, so they invited him over to dinner earlier this week. Everything went great. He bonded with my dad over baseball, brought flowers for my mom, and even ate three helpings of her enchiladas.” Alejandra had a far-off look in her eyes. “That’s the best way to win my mom over—praise her cooking and eat lots of it.”
“Hey, I’ve eaten three helpings of your mom’s enchiladas before,” Ben said. “Heck, I could probably eat four.”
I tried to kick Ben under the table again, but he pulled his leg back just in time.
“Sounds like it went well,” Penny said.
“It did. Even my parents’ dog loved him. Then, after dinner, Kyle and my brother went into the garage to look at this car Miguel has been working on. I was helping my mom do the dishes when I heard the two of them arguing. I went out there to see what was going on and I saw Kyle speeding away. When I asked Miguel what happened, he muttered something about my boyfriend being a jerk. Then he stormed back in the house. He threw the flowers Kyle had given my mom in the trash before telling me never to see Kyle again.”
“What were they arguing about?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Alejandra said. “Miguel won’t talk about it. Then I got a text from Kyle saying that he couldn’t see me anymore, because he was leaving town.”
“Do you think that Miguel made him send that text?” Penny asked. “You’ve always said that he takes his role as your big brother too seriously and tries to scare off your dates.”
I nodded. “Good point. It was probably because of what Miguel said to him. Besides, saying you can’t see someone anymore is different than breaking up with someone.”
Ben leaned back in his chair. “Sounds like a break-up to me.”
“Ben’s right. He broke up with me.” Alejandra’s shoulders slumped. “I knew it was too good to be true. I haven’t been able to sleep since then. I keep playing everything over and over in my head, trying to figure out what went wrong. And it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. I’ve got so much to do to get the nail salon ready for the grand opening on Monday. Kyle said he’d help me, but …”
Her eyes started to water, and I squeezed her hand. “You have friends. We can help. Scooter and I can come to the salon tomorrow to pitch in.”
Alejandra leaned forward. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Scooter said.
“Count me in,” Penny added.
Ben grinned at Alejandra. “I’ll be there too.”
“Thanks, guys.” She twisted a lock of her hair. “I haven’t had much time to prep for tonight and I’m having a hard time concentrating. Hopefully, I won’t let you down.”
“It’s just a silly game,” I said.
Scooter shot me a look, then smiled at Alejandra. “With everything going on, we’re just glad you could make it.”
Alejandra looked around the room. “How come it hasn’t started yet? I thought I was late.”
“Oh, you missed a bit of drama,” Penny said. “Cassie Newton made a surprise appearance. We’re just waiting for her to come back on stage.”
“I see her over there,” Scooter said, pointing at the kitchen entrance. “Looks like she’s talking with someone.”
“It seems like quite an intense discussion,” Penny said. “Do you think that guy is who she was on the phone with before?”
I turned around in my chair. The way he was positioned, I couldn’t see his face. Despite that the dark buzz cut and tall frame with broad shoulders seemed familiar.
Cassie was thrusting a large red-and-white striped envelope at him. He took a step backward and held his hands up. She waved the envelope toward him, gesturing anxiously. Finally, she shoved it in the pocket of his suit jacket, then spun around and walked back into the kitchen.
The man started to follow Cassie, then changed his mind and walked in our direction.
When he passed our table, Ben said, “Hey, isn’t that Kyle?”
Alejandra looked up from her phone and did a double take. She leaped to her feet and grabbed his elbow. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. We need to talk.”
He paused, locked his gaze with hers for a beat, then pulled his arm away and strode toward the exit without responding.
Alejandra burst into tears and ran after him. The rest of us exchanged glances as an awkward silence fell over the table.
“What exactly do we know about Kyle?” Penny asked after a few moments.
“He’s a jerk,” Ben said.
“Agreed,” Penny said. “But that’s all we know, isn’t it? We don’t know where he’s from, what he does for a living, or why he’s in Coconut Cove.”
“He is a mystery man,” I said. “But we do know one thing for sure. He and Cassie Newton are acquainted. It makes you wonder what’s in that envelope, doesn’t it?”
* * *
I hope you enjoyed that sneak peek! If you want to find out what happens next in Shooting by the Sea, grab a copy at your favorite retailer at books2read.com/sea.
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