by Elena Aitken
“Given that I just found out about it myself, I have no idea.” Gwen shrugged. “But I’m willing to bet, Ian already told him to get on a plane.” She looked at her fiancé. “Am I wrong?”
He grinned. It was the only answer they needed. “But I did tell him he’d still have to go through the screen test and script read and all that stuff. But I really do think he’s a good fit.”
If it meant not having to sift through any more head shots, Jade was game to give it a try. “Now we need to come up with a female lead.”
Ian tipped his beer bottle back and swallowed the last of his drink before sliding out of the booth. “I’ll leave that to the ladies. I really need to check on a few things with the fireworks barge.” He kissed Gwen on the forehead, which Jade knew was only for her benefit. If she hadn’t been sitting there under some semblance of a business meeting, it likely would have turned into a heavy make-out session between the two of them. She felt that twinge of envy again, but quickly dismissed it.
The second Ian was out the door, Gwen’s hands shot out and grabbed Jade’s. She squeezed them tight, her eyes lit up with excitement. “Okay,” she said. “Spill.”
“What are you talking about?” Jade laughed nervously, because she was fairly sure she did know what Gwen was talking about, and she wasn’t about to get into it.
“Oh, come on.” She squeezed Jade’s hands one more time before she dropped them. “You and Mitch. What’s going on? Talk. I want to know everything.”
She swallowed hard. She wanted this; she wanted a girlfriend to confide things in. To share the giggles and secrets that good friends had. She couldn’t remember ever having a close friend. She’d been too busy building her career; friendships were like relationships, just a liability on the path to success.
Gwen was the closest thing Jade had ever had for a real friend. It was sad really, because Gwen was a client. She was a client. Now they were colleagues. Now they could be friends. She looked across the table at the other woman, who was waiting for Jade to share some piece of information with her. Something that girlfriends would share.
“I don’t really have—”
“Oh, come on.” Gwen narrowed her eyes playfully. “I’m not blind. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other at the festival and pretty much every time you were in the room together before and since. The heat between the two of you is crazy. So, are you two dating or something? Mitch has been totally tight-lipped about it.”
“He has?”
“Of course. ’Cause he’s a man. And he’s practically my brother-in-law, and…well, we’re still working on our relationship.”
Jade nodded thoughtfully. She knew all about the relationship between Gwen and Ian’s younger brother. It hadn’t been the most positive one when they were kids, and it was Mitch who’d recognized Gwen when he came to town and more or less outed her to Ian, which had caused all kinds of drama, only a few weeks earlier. All that seemed like a million years ago though because now everyone had made up and everything had worked out.
“Of course,” Jade said. “But you’re not kids anymore. I’m sure you guys will find your common ground soon.”
“For sure we will.” Gwen brushed it off. “And right now, I think that common ground is you.”
Jade would have blushed if she were the blushing type. But she most certainly was not. She also was not the type to kiss and tell. Under normal circumstances, she would have kept her mouth shut about what had happened between her and Mitch at the festival.
But this wasn’t normal.
This could quite possibly be the start of a real, genuine friendship.
“Okay, okay.” Jade squeezed her eyes shut momentarily. “But you can’t tell anyone.”
“Ohh, this sounds good.”
She could not believe she was doing this. Never in her whole life had she ever discussed a man with anyone. Not ever. She took a deep breath. “We kissed.”
Gwen sat back in the booth as if she’d been smacked. Her mouth fell open. “You kissed?”
Jade nodded.
“And?”
“And what?” She didn’t understand. Wasn’t that exactly what Gwen wanted to hear? “We did.”
“I’m sure you did.” Gwen rolled her eyes. “And that’s it?”
“Well…”
“Ah-ha!” Gwen shouted and pointed a finger at her gleefully. “I knew there was more. You guys totally hooked up, didn’t you?”
Was this really happening? The last thing Jade needed was everyone in town knowing her business. She glanced around to see whether anyone was paying attention, but the few people who were in the bar all minded their own business and were in no way concerned with what the two women in the booth were talking about.
“Keep your voice down.” Jade grabbed Gwen’s hands and pressed them to the table. “I don’t want everyone knowing!”
“So you did?” Gwen’s voice really was way too loud.
“Gwen!”
“Sorry.” The woman self-corrected and although her voice was lower, she practically bounced in her seat. “And? Was it amazing? I bet it was. You two clearly have chemistry. Anyone can see it. I knew the first time I saw you together, the two of you had sparks. Major sparks.”
Was it amazing? Was it ever. Just remembering the way Mitch touched her body, his fingers leaving a streak of heat on her skin. The way his lips moved against her neck, her breasts, her— Oh yes, it had been amazing, all right. It was almost too bad it wouldn’t happen again.
And she told her new friend as much. “It was a one-time thing.”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“Well, that’s just ridiculous.” Gwen slapped both palms against the table and pushed up from the table. “I can see in your face that you don’t believe that. And even if you do, I don’t. But I have to run. I’ll see you later at the picnic?”
“Of course.” Jade smiled. Not because she was excited about a small-town picnic, but because she had been looking forward to the possibility of seeing Mitch again. Because Gwen was right: she kept telling herself that whatever happened between her and Mitch was a one-time thing, but she wasn’t so sure anymore that she wanted it to be.
Chapter Two
“You are absolutely the best.” Chelsea stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “You really are, Mitch. Thank you so much.”
He wasn’t so convinced that he was the best, especially considering earlier, he’d spent more than a few minutes cursing his little sister when she’d called to convince him to cover for her at the Dockside because she needed to pick up a shift at the Grizzly Paw.
There would have been a time when his first response might have been to tell her to stuff it, but his half-sister was growing on him. They hadn’t grown up together, and in reality, Ian and Mitch spent most of the last ten years since discovering they even had two half-sisters ignoring their existence, as if it were their fault that their father was a lying, cheating asshole with two families. Being younger, and of similar ages, Mitch’s younger brothers Cal and Declan had gotten to know both Chelsea and Amber, and it was Declan who’d bridged the gap earlier in the summer by sending Chelsea to live with Ian.
Things had a funny way of working out because after only a few weeks with her in his life, Mitch couldn’t imagine it any other way. Which was why he didn’t hesitate, not really, when Chelsea asked for the favor. Even if it did mean eating his picnic food from a takeaway box she brought him on her break.
“You owe me.” He opened the lid of the foam container. Immediately, the delicious aroma of fried chicken hit him. “This smells amazing.”
“Only the best for you, bro. I made sure Jax put together a special box for you.”
Jax was the head chef of the restaurant at the upscale Springs resort in town, and as far as Mitch was concerned, cooked the best food he’d ever tasted.
“Okay.” He picked up a drumstick. “Maybe you made up for it. This is amazing.” He grabbed a beer out of
the little fridge they kept in the store and headed outside, where he could listen to the music from the picnic.
Chelsea followed him out and together they sat on the edge of the dock and dangled their feet over the water’s edge.
“Don’t you have to get back?”
She shrugged. “Soon. It’s actually pretty busy.”
“I bet.” Mitch glanced in the direction of the party. “It looks like the whole town is there, but I know they’re not, because there’s at least a few people here renting boats and jet skis.” He laughed and took another bite of the delicious chicken.
“I’m sorry you’re missing it.” Her pretty face fell into a frown. The last thing Mitch wanted was for his little sister to be unhappy. His big brother instincts had kicked into overdrive in a big way. He had ten years to make up for, after all.
“Don’t be sorry.” He offered Chelsea a piece of chicken, but she shook her head. “I’m happy to help. Besides, it’s good to see business booming. All business. If the Grizzly Paw is hopping, that’s only good for the rest of the town, and Ian’s going to be very happy when he sees the books from today. We’ve been booked solid, and I even managed to book most of the slots for the next few days as well with walk-ins. The boats are going to be busy.”
“That’s so good.” Chelsea’s smile was back. “I know how hard Ian has worked to get things off the ground here.”
“And you too.”
She laughed. “My biggest contribution was being a pain in the ass, which resulted in Ian hiring Gwen to help out and we all know how that turned out.” Her smile grew bigger and she kicked her legs excitedly. “Hey, want me to be a pain in your ass, too? Maybe that’ll help you get a girlfriend.”
Mitch choked on the bite of potato salad in his mouth. He quickly washed it down with a slug of beer. “Girlfriend?” He managed to get the word out. “What would make you think I even wanted one?”
He was careful to keep his face a mask of neutrality because the truth was, he did kind of want one. It was a huge shift for him, one that even he was having trouble getting used to.
“I don’t know if you do.” Chelsea helped herself to a sip of beer. “But if you did, I think I have a real skill for this matchmaking by being a pain in the ass thing. If you’re ever in need of my services…”
He laughed and snatched his beer back. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
The other thing he was keeping in mind was Jade. He’d barely seen her since the festival, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been looking. At least a little. She may be the exact opposite of what he should be looking for—if he was indeed looking for a girlfriend—but damn, she was hot. And sexy as hell in bed. Or up against the wall, whatever the case may be.
“Well, don’t say I didn’t offer.” Chelsea jumped to her feet and wiped her hands. “I meet a lot of nice women at the Paw. I’m sure I could—”
“I’m good, Chels.” He held up a hand. “Really. I’ll let you know if I need any help.”
She pretended to pout for a minute before she squeezed him on the shoulder. “I should get back. But I’ll see you later, right?”
“As soon as the last rental is back, which…judging by the sun, should be in about twenty minutes or so. I promise to find you and say hi.” He was rewarded by her smile and once again, Mitch was taken aback at how much time they’d missed growing up. He was five years older than her, and maybe it wouldn’t have been the same when they were younger, but he was really enjoying having a little sister to look out for. And tease. There was no doubt that in only a few short weeks, Chelsea had her big brother completely wrapped around her little finger. But he didn’t mind a bit.
“Okay, I’ll see you soon. And thanks again.” She turned to leave, but only got halfway down the dock before she turned around. “Oh, I totally forgot to tell you. I kind of volunteered you for something.”
“Chelsea?” He drew out her name with a tone of warning. “Please tell me you didn’t.”
“You don’t even know what it is. But you can’t say no.”
He was pretty sure he could say no. And he would, too, if it was anything ridiculous like being auctioned off in a bachelor auction. He had no reason to suspect that, but it seemed like something Chelsea would sign him up for.
“I swear, it’s nothing bad.” She took a few steps backward, closer to escape.
“Chels?”
“It’s just some tutoring.” He could see the mischief dancing in her eyes, even from the distance. “You’re a teacher—she needs some help.”
“She?” He dropped his head and shook it before he looked up again. “I told you I don’t need a setup.”
Her laughter floated on the breeze. “I didn’t say anything about a setup. But if that’s how you want to look at it… Besides, it’s not for her; it’s for her kid.”
“Her kid?”
“I told you it wasn’t a setup.” She tipped her head playfully. “But now that you mention it.”
“I didn’t.”
“Maybe you’d like—”
“Bye, Chelsea.” There was zero point arguing with her, so he turned his attention back to the delicious food in front of him. At least that was something he could control, because he most certainly couldn’t dream of controlling his sister.
He couldn’t help but chuckle a little. But he still had no intention of letting Chelsea set him up with anyone. Although… His gaze drifted over the water toward the party that was starting to pick up steam as the band took the stage. If he planned on staying in Cedar Springs after the summer was over, it certainly couldn’t hurt to meet new women. A vision of Jade’s face flashed in his head.
Or maybe spend time with one he already knew.
No. It couldn’t hurt at all.
Jade stood to the side of the party and gazed out over the lake. Not because she didn’t know many people, and not because she wasn’t really sure whether she fit into the various groups that had gathered along the lawn and next to the stage where the band was setting up. Although, both of those things were true. But avoiding a crowd was definitely not Jade’s style. No, she was leaning up against the large wooden sign on the sand declaring the welcome to Cedar Springs public beach because it gave her the best vantage point for another stunning sunset over the lake.
From the first night that she arrived in town, she’d been completely taken with the explosion of color that seemed to mark almost every sunset. The magnificent display of color was a kaleidoscope of yellows, purples, pinks, reds, and oranges. And the perfect calm of the water on a night like the one she was enjoying acted as a mirror to reflect a perfect replica of the beauty. It was truly one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen.
“It’s pretty spectacular, isn’t it?”
Jade’s heart leapt at the sound of Mitch McCormick’s voice. They’d seen each other a few times, but they certainly hadn’t been alone together since…well, since he had her ass in his hands and her legs were wrapped around his waist. Heat flooded her at the thought.
Hoping she sounded a great deal more composed than she felt, Jade turned and smiled. “It is breathtaking.”
“You’re breathtaking.”
Her smile slipped a little. She had not been prepared for such direct flirting. Was he trying to secure a repeat performance of the festival? Or worse, a date?
No way. It wasn’t happening.
“Thank you.” She kept her voice cool and turned back to the scene in front of her. “Have you been enjoying the party?” Maybe a change of topic would give him the hint that she wasn’t interested. And that was probably a good thing. Even if every cell in her body was vibrating for her to express to him exactly how interested she was.
“I am now.”
Okay. Maybe he wasn’t getting the hint.
She took a breath and prepared to tell him in no uncertain terms that despite the fact that they’d had a lot of fun together—and they had—it could never happen again.
“But truthfully, I just got here,”
Mitch continued. “I’ve been so busy helping Ian with the Dockside for the last few weeks, it shouldn’t surprise me that it cut into party time, too. But I’m here now.” He glanced down at her empty hands. “You need a drink.” It wasn’t a question.
By self-imposed rule, Jade usually limited herself to two glasses of wine. Three, if she was at a longer event and then she’d only drink spritzers. Less alcohol that way. Her mother had drilled it into her head that drinking too much alcohol only led to one thing—poor choices.
But she’d been completely sober the night of the summer solstice festival. Jade looked over at Mitch, who looked even sexier in his cargo shorts and T-shirt than he had the night of the festival. And that hadn’t been such a poor choice.
“I’d love a drink.” Her smile was genuine as she turned with Mitch and walked with him toward the bar. They didn’t touch, but the heat coming from him warmed her from the slight chill in the air now that the sun had gone down.
“Two big events in less than a month,” Mitch said as they approached the crowd. “You’re really fitting in to this small-town life, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know about fitting in.” She straightened her shoulders, suddenly hyper aware of the silk blouse she wore tucked neatly into black dress shorts. If she was trying to fit in, she definitely wasn’t pulling it off with her outfit. All the women around her were wearing cutoff shorts, cut tank tops or flirty summer dresses. She looked more like she was ready to attend a conference or a business meeting of some sort. Which was ironic, considering she’d changed into something more casual after her meeting with Gwen and Ian, which was casual. “I could say the same about you.” She shifted the conversation back to him. “You are a city boy after all, aren’t you?”
The sexy smile slid from his face, but only momentarily. “Guilty. But I can play at being a townie, can’t I?”
“If you can, I can.”
She was flirting. With Mitch, it was either that or they were snapping at each other. In fact, it was that initial heat between them that had sparked things with them from the beginning. It was a heat that was still most definitely there. But she shouldn’t encourage it. Fooling around once was one thing. But twice? That bordered way too closely to a relationship of some kind.