Kim grins but doesn’t say anything about Londyn’s enthusiasm, for which I’m grateful.
“That’s fine. Thank you.”
“Great. Follow me. Your cousin should be around here somewhere. He’ll probably come say hi later on,” Kim says as she leads us to our own table.
The couches look more comfortable than the ones I have at home, and I briefly consider asking my cousin where he found them so that I can purchase a set for myself. When Kim leaves us to attend to some of the other club goers, Londyn and I take up a seat across from each other. My eyes almost roll to the back of my head as my butt hits the soft fabric and I sink back. I definitely will be asking him where he bought these.
“I’m going to go get us a bottle. What do you want?” I have to raise my voice and lean in close to her ear for Londyn to hear me above the DJ’s music.
“What do they have?”
I list the different bottles of alcohol available that I remember seeing on the website. When Londyn begins worrying her lip at all the different brand choices I tell her that I’ll take care of it and leave to walk across to the white marble bar. It doesn’t take long to get one of the bartenders’ attention. I order a bottle of Patrón Silver, slipping my credit card from its resting place in the side of my bra when he goes to retrieve the bottle.
“It’s on the house, Don,” a deep voice says behind me.
Don nods, placing the bottle he just opened within my reach, then goes off to attend to another patron.
“Seriously, Clint. You don’t need to do that,” I say, turning to face my cousin.
His green eyes dance with amusement while his lips tip up in a lopsided smile. “Nika, I know what a primary school teacher makes. Let me do this for you.”
My brows pull together in a frown as I stare him down, but when several seconds go by and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to budge, I sigh and give up. If the comment about my career choice had come from anyone else I would’ve had something to say about it, but this is my cousin. I know he didn’t intend for it come across as the dig it sounded like.
“Fine. You can buy me booze.”
Clint laughs, pulling me into a side hug. “A thank you would work too.”
I nudge him in the side with my elbow, dislodging his arm from around my shoulders. Clint chuckles, moving to lean an elbow on the bar and effectively ignoring the hungry looks all the women are giving him.
“Thank you,” I say. “It’s… it’s been hard.” I’m not sure why I say that, but it just feels right. He was always the one I could confide in when we were little. Maybe that’s because we’re only two years apart in age, I don’t know. Moving away from Cape Town wasn’t hard. Moving away from Clint was.
“I know,” he says, sobering. The smile slipping from his face and concern taking its place. “We should get all the cousins together soon. I think we can all use the family time.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I reach for the bottle of Patrón on the bar. “I should get back to my friend though before she sends a search party.”
He laughs. “Alright. I’ll come check on you ladies in a little bit. Anything you need is on the house.”
“Thanks, Cuz,” I say, slipping an arm around his waist and then head back to Londyn.
“Who was that hottie you were talking to?” She asks, raising her voice above the music as I pour us each a shot glass of the tequila.
“That’s my cousin, and whatever you’re thinking the answer is no.”
I hand Londyn her shot and we clink glasses before throwing them back. This shit burns the back of the throat but because it’s so flipping expensive, the burn is almost worth it.
“I wasn’t thinking anything.”
I glare at her and she giggles.
“Okay, I wasn’t thinking much.”
“Not going to happen, Londyn,” I warn.
Londyn’s a great girl. I wouldn’t consider her my best friend if she wasn’t. And I love my cousin, but the two of them together would be like sparking a match too close to gasoline. They’d destroy each other and I love them both too much to see that happen. If it were any one of my other cousins… my single cousins, I’d gladly try to set her up with them, but not Clint.
After a couple more shots, Londyn convinces me to join her on the other side for some dancing. Clint comes over just as we’re getting up to go over and he assures us that no one will tamper with our bottle while we’re gone. He’ll even put it behind the bar himself and one of the bartenders will bring it over when we return. I practically have to drag Londyn away from him, but I don’t miss the way his eyes travel down her body either. I inwardly groan. This is supposed to be my night to let loose and not worry about shit. Instead, I’m having to play babysitter to my best friend so that her and my cousin don’t sneak off somewhere to jump each other’s bones.
About three or four songs into the night, I think I see a man leaning against the bar who looks eerily similar to Jack, but I shake it off. Jack was never really into the partying scene, even when he was home between missions. And if he was, Cocoon wouldn’t have been the place you’d catch him. It’s too expensive for his taste. When I glance back towards the bar again, the man is gone. Londyn grabs my hands and pulls me closer when “Piece of Me” by Britney Spears begins blaring from the speakers. This was our jam during our senior year of high school, and still holds so many memories for us.
Hours and a bottle of Patrón later, it’s three thirty in the morning and the bartenders have just called last call. My feet are killing me, I’m sweaty, my hair’s a mess and I’m pretty sure I have someone else’s thong in my clutch. I’m not entirely sure how that happened and I’m beyond the point of asking questions.
I plop my ass down on one of the comfy couches and sink down until my head’s resting on the back. Londyn’s still dancing away, and I make myself promise to get up and go get her after one more song. She looks so happy and carefree on the dance floor though, even if she is the only one left. I vaguely realize that I may envy her endurance and her ability to still look good after hours of dancing and drinking.
“You look like you’ve had a hard night,” my cousin says, sitting down beside me.
I nudge his dress shoe with my bare foot having lost the battle with my heels hours ago.
“Pretty sure that counts as one of those things you’re supposed to think but not say out loud.”
He leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees and grins over his shoulder at me. “Pretty sure that doesn’t apply to family.”
“Asshole,” I murmur.
Also, how the hell does he still look so put together at almost four in the morning and after a full night of work? Minus the rolled-up sleeves and the undone top buttons, he still looks good. His gold watch shines in the lights of the incandescent chandeliers when he runs a hand through his wavy hair.
“Should you go get her?” he asks, tipping his head towards where Londyn is doing some sort of weird remake of the sprinkler.
“Yeah, probably.” I stand, wincing when my feet send a jolt of pain up my calves in protest.
“C’mon,” Clint says, helping me gather up my heels and purse. “I’ll give you ladies a ride home.”
It takes me a little longer than I would’ve liked to coax Londyn from the dance floor but once she catches a glance of Clint standing at the throne chairs waiting for us, her mood instantly changes and suddenly she’s more than happy to leave the club.
“Don’t you have to stay and close up?” I ask my cousin after we’ve wrestled a very drunk Londyn into the back seat of his car.
“Kim’s staying to close up tonight,” he answers, reversing out of his parking stall.
Clint helps me bring Londyn in from the car and even stays to help put her to bed. A fact that I refuse to examine right now. Maybe not even in the light of day.
After seeing him out and promising to keep in touch more, I lock the door behind him and shuffle my way back down the hallway and into my bedroom. Not even
bothering to take off my dress, I fall face first on top of the covers and swear that it’s the last time I’ll be drinking. My inner voice laughs, calling me a liar as I succumb to sleep. Somewhere in the distant land between being awake and asleep, I hear my phone beep with a new message.
Chapter 17
“Umbrella, ma’am?” One of the men asks as Londyn and I pad our way over the sand to a spot on the beach.
“Please. Just over here,” I say, pointing to the spot in the sand we’re heading too.
He walks ahead of us in his board shorts and springbok t-shirt to dig the pole of the umbrella in the sand and make sure it’s steady enough that the wind can’t blow it away. I thank him and hand him a ten rand for the umbrella.
“I can’t wait to get into the water,” Londyn says, already pulling off her tank top and shimming out of her shorts to reveal her barely there white bikini.
“I’m glad we got here when we did. We may not have gotten a spot if we had come later.” I fluff out my towel and lay it on one side of the pole, leaving the other side for Londyn to put her towel down.
Clifton 1st Beach isn’t normally on my list of preferred beaches to visit in the city. It gets crowded fast because it’s so popular and there are a slew of houses that use it as their personal beach, even though it’s public. But after hiking Lion’s Head Mountain this morning and showing Londyn the view on the way to the top, she insisted we stop and swim for a bit before heading back home to shower before dinner. I’m glad I had the sense of mind to have us both pack our swimsuits and towels in case this very thing happened.
Crossing my arms over my belly, I pull my own tank top off and work my running shorts down my legs until I can kick them off to the side. I wave Londyn off when she asks if I’m coming in and settle on my back on the towel, pulling out my copy of Dani Rene’s latest novel. The model on the cover is so hot. He’s got that older ‘I’ll call him daddy’ vibe going on. And I’ve heard that there may be some man on man action within the pages. I’m excited to find out since I’ve been on an m/m kick lately when it comes to books. I devoured Lucy Lennox’ series in a matter of a few days. It’s like I can’t get enough of them.
I’m brought out of the world Dani has created after a few chapters when my phone buzzes with an incoming message.
Jack: Dinner tonight?
Me: Londyn’s in town.
Jack: She can spare you for a few hours.
“If you keep frowning so hard you’re going to get wrinkles,” Londyn says, dropping to her knees and stretching out on her stomach on her towel.
“I already have wrinkles,” I reply with an eye roll. “Jack wants to have dinner tonight.”
“So? Go.”
“I can’t just leave you. You’re only here for a few more days.”
“Annika,” Londyn starts, turning onto her side and leaning up on an elbow. “This is the reason why I’m here. To help you figure out this thing with Jack suddenly being alive and Nathan. If you want to go have dinner with your husband, then you should go. Plus, I’m a big girl. I can handle a night to myself.” She turns back on her stomach, folding her arms under her head like a pillow. “I can just call up that cousin of yours.”
I groan. “Stay away from my cousin. I mean it, Londyn. He’s… he’s not right for you.”
She pops up on her elbows and glares at me. At least I think she’s glaring. It hard to tell with her reflective sunglasses covering her eyes. All I can see is my own reflection staring back at me.
“Are you saying I’m not good enough for him?”
“No.” I roll over onto my front and slide my own sunglasses up my face to rest on the top of my head. “I’m saying he doesn’t have the greatest reputation and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Now it’s her turn to roll her eyes. “I’m only here until the end of the week. Nothing serious is going to happen between us. Plus, I’m not looking for anything long distance.”
“I know. It’s just-”
“You should tell Jack that dinner sounds great,” she says, effectively cutting me off and pulling her phone out of her bag.
I huff in frustration but do exactly what she suggests and text Jack that I’m looking forward to seeing him tonight.
* * *
The dim lights of the restaurant greet us as Jack pulls open the door for me. The lights are turned down so low I feel like I’m still outside, about to dine under the moonlit stars. The hostess greets us when Jack steps in behind me and places a warm hand on the small of my back. His hand stays there as he gently guides me to follow the hostess to our table, only removing it when he goes to pull out my chair for me. Such a gentleman.
I vaguely hear her tell us about tonight’s specials when Jack takes up his own seat across from me. The candlelight from our table does nothing to soften his sharp features, if anything it just makes him look more ethereal. He’s let his dark hair grow out a bit on the top. It’s still short enough for me to run my fingers through, but there’s just enough length I can grab hold of it and tug. His usually bright sea-foam green eyes look darker in this light. There’s a general air of mystery surrounding him tonight and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that. I used to pride myself on knowing this man inside and out, but now… now I’m not so sure I know him at all.
Jack orders a drink for himself the second our server walks up the table, but I don’t think too much of it. He’s always enjoyed a drink or two with dinner especially when we’ve gone out to a fancy restaurant like this one. But when one drink turns into two then four then six, I begin to worry. This isn’t like him at all, and the more he drinks the more animated he becomes. Almost hitting the guy sitting at the table beside us in the head when Jack flings his arm out.
“What’s going on with you tonight?” I ask, keeping my voice low so that only he can hear me.
“Nothing. Why would something be wrong?”
Okay, that’s not quite what I asked. I narrow my eyes at him and have to hold back the gasp of shock that threatens to escape. How could I have been so blind? Beyond the soft light of the candle and the dim lighting of the restaurant, there are dark circles under Jack’s eyes. But even beyond that, his eyes hold something that looks a lot like… defeat? Exhaustion?
I reach out across the table and lay my hand on top of his, feeling guilty that I haven’t exactly been there for him since he came to find me in Cape Town and especially after finding out that he spent the last couple years as a prisoner of war.
“Talk to me,” I plead, giving his hand a squeeze.
It’s like that one gesture is enough to bring the wall he built around himself to come crumbling down. His expression turns pained when he flips his hand over so we’re palm to palm, and squeezes mine back.
“I, uh, I haven’t been sleeping all that well,” he says like it’s not a big deal.
“Nightmares?” I ask, having remembered that was something that was pretty common among POWs. I didn’t do a ton of research and I mostly just skimmed what I had found, but that one stood out to me.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Jack slips his hand out from under mine and slams back the rest of his drink, ordering another when our server comes around to collect our dinner plates and offer us dessert. We both decline the sweet treats.
“Jack, please talk to me. Tell me what I can do to help. You’re my husband.”
He snorts. “I’m glad you acknowledge that I’m still your husband.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jack takes a healthy sip of his newly refilled drink and leans forward with his elbows on the table. “Have you been fucking him while I’ve been back?”
I start to tell him that it’s not that simple, but I stop before the words have a chance to leave my lips. Nate and I haven’t been alone except for that time I met him for dinner the day after finding Jack on my front doorstep. So, it should be easy for me to tell Jack the truth that I haven’t been seeing Nate, but I just… can’t. I’m not sure
what it says about me that I just slump back in my seat and stare at my husband without defending myself against his accusations. Nate means something to me and I’m not about to deny it.
I lift my clutch from the edge of the table and stand, smoothing down my dress in the process. “Take me home, please.” I don’t make eye contact with Jack as I utter the request, choosing to stare straight ahead with my chin held high. The moment I see him stand from the table and pull out his wallet, I head in a straight line for the door and walk out into the cool night air.
“Annika!” I hear Jack call and then running feet sound behind me before a hand slips around to grip my arm and he halts my progress to a waiting Uber. “Jesus, babe. I’m sorry. I’m such an asshole. I know you’d never do something like that.”
My throat burns with the tears I’m struggling to hold back because he’s wrong. I would do something like that. I have been doing that ever since I moved here and met Nate.
“It’s just… the nightmares. They really fuck me up, you know?” He blows out a harsh breath, running both hands through his hair. “I can’t fucking sleep. The damn pills they gave me have stopped working. I can’t even close my eyes without seeing-” His voice hitches in a choked sob and I find myself pulling him into my arms and holding this huge man as he breaks apart.
I can’t even begin to imagine the things he’s been through and seen over the last couple of years especially.
“Would it help if you talked to me about it? About what you went through?”
His warm breath ghosts over my neck and I shiver. “Not allowed to.” His speech is so slurred now, I think the amount of alcohol he drank is beginning to catch up with him.
Jack starts pressing open mouthed kisses up my neck and I groan.
“Come on, big guy. Let’s get you home.”
“I want you so much, Nika.” He grips my hips and pulls me against him.
“You’re drunk,” I say, trying to disentangle myself from him and lead him to the waiting Uber.
“Not that drunk,” he replies, stumbling into the car. “Alcohol is the only thing that helps,” is the last thing he says before falling asleep as soon as the driver pulls away from the curb, his head resting on my shoulder.
Then There Was You (Twist of Fate) Page 13