She may have been embarrassed, but she hadn’t totally hated the idea. Blushing was good. It meant he affected her, which was what he desperately wanted.
So, summing up…she’d laughed at him, and blushed at him, then kicked him out.
He could work with that.
Chapter Twelve
“Don’t let me drink a lot tonight, okay?” Jade said to Ivy as they walked toward The Clumsy Clam.
“Roger that, Red Ranger.” Ivy abruptly halted in the middle of the sidewalk and tilted her head as she assessed Jade. “Wait. Why not? Tonight is supposed to be about taking a break from all your stress over the store. And nothing melts away stress faster than copious amounts of alcohol. That’s sort of the point of going to a bar.”
Jade shot her a serious look. “Because if I’m going to be meeting a lot of new people tonight”—since Ivy had insisted on introducing her to every Shell Grove resident in the joint—“I don’t want their first impression of me to be of an irresponsible, drunken lush.”
Ivy waved her off and resumed walking. “Don’t worry. I already hold that title in this town. People have come to expect it of me. So if I start doing body shots and trying to hold a wet T-shirt contest, no one will even notice if you’re slurring your words a little.”
Jade couldn’t help but giggle. The woman was such a trip.
When they reached the front door of the bar, Ivy once again paused and turned to Jade with a grave expression. “One important thing to know before you go in there.”
Jade’s ears perked up. “What?”
“Whatever you do, don’t drink the Maggie’s Punch.”
Jade frowned. “As in, Hunter’s cousin, Maggie?”
Hmm. That didn’t sound good. Hunter had warned her that anything involving Maggie and alcohol did not mesh well.
Ivy nodded. “Only Finn, Maggie, and the bartender know what’s in the drink, but let’s just say it’s not good juju. Everyone knows you only drink the stuff if you’re going through something rough, like a death in the family, or a bad breakup, or a job layoff. If you’re drinking Maggie’s Punch, everyone pretty much knows to leave you alone.”
“Have you ever had one?” Jade asked.
Ivy’s nostrils flared. “Only once. Garrett and I were going through a tough time. I can’t remember everything, but I do know I was seeing flamingos dressed in tuxedos all night. And the next morning, I woke up in a gazebo next to a moped and a half-eaten Hawaiian pizza.”
Oo-kay. That was good enough for Jade. Though, Hawaiian pizza was her favorite…
“Gotcha,” she said. “I’ll steer clear. I appreciate the warning.”
Ivy looked satisfied. “All right. Let’s own this bitch!”
When they walked through the door into the bar area, Jade took in the atmosphere and was immediately impressed. Everything was covered in rustic wood—the floors, the walls, the ceilings, the bar—and was decorated with old-school fishing gear, mounted fish of various sizes, license plates from all over the country, humorous signs with funny sayings, and artwork everywhere that said “The Clumsy Clam.”
It was, like, surf shack meets House of Blues.
She loved it.
“The dining rooms are through that door,” Ivy said pointing to their left, “if you feel like sitting down to have a meal. This side is just the bar area and dance floor. There’s live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Finn always finds good bands from up and down the coast. It’s a nice place to kick back, have a drink, and dance.”
Jade nodded, looking over the giant space and the high, vaulted ceilings. “You said Hunter’s best friend, Finn, owns it?”
Ivy looked over her shoulder and nodded.
“He did a really good job with the place.”
“Why, thank you,” said a jovial male voice from behind them.
Jade knew it wasn’t Hunter because the Southern accent was just slightly different, and Hunter’s voice was a little bit deeper. When she turned around, she saw an incredibly good-looking guy with short blond hair and a bright smile, complete with boyish dimples. His appearance wasn’t as impressive as Hunter’s, but he still had some good-size muscles on him and she had no doubt he could handle himself.
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Finn Caldwell. And you must be Jade?”
Knowing this was Hunter’s best friend, she got nervous all of a sudden. Though, what Hunter’s friends thought of her shouldn’t matter. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, taking his hand.
“Pleasure’s all mine,” he replied smoothly.
She was sure that half the women in town were probably constantly trying to land Finn, since as far as she knew, he was unmarried. The half that weren’t were probably after Hunter…
“Seeing as you’re new in town, the first round is on me, okay?”
Ivy cheered loudly and slapped Jade on the back. “That’s what I’m talking about. Now see, even this scoundrel has some good ol’ Southern hospitality.”
Finn chuckled and nodded. “My momma taught me well.”
“Yeah, with a switch and a boot up your ass,” came a female voice behind Finn. “And you still don’t listen to her.”
Finn’s mouth spread into a smile before he turned around to face the woman. “Says the daughter of the year,” he said. “Tell me, exactly how many times were you arrested before the age of twenty?”
Rather than respond, the woman reached up and stuck her finger in Finn’s ear. He lunged away, grunting. “Damn it, Mags. One rule. I have one rule. No wet willies.”
The woman winked up at him. “When have you ever known me to follow rules?”
Finn got a look in his eyes as he stared down at her, seemingly forgetting his annoyance over the wet willie. His eyes softened, and it was obvious there was a lot more going on between the two than platonic friendship.
The woman shifted away to turn her gaze on Jade, a genuine smile forming. She had shiny black hair and striking blue eyes. Her lean body was toned with a golden tan, giving her an alluring, exotic appearance.
She was stunning.
Jade could see why Finn was infatuated.
“I’m Maggie,” she said to Jade. “Only seventy percent of the stuff you hear about me is true. The other thirty percent is folklore.”
“Folklore?” Finn asked, sarcasm lacing the word.
She nodded. “I’m basically a legend around here.”
“In your own mind,” Finn said under his breath. Maggie didn’t seem to catch it, but Jade did, and it made her grin.
Another woman approached them, and Maggie threw her arm over her shoulder. “And this is my partner in crime. My cousin, Mia Sparks. You probably know her as Hunter’s younger sister.”
Mia studied Jade in a curious way—though not a judgmental one. She gave her a friendly smile, making Jade feel a little more at ease. She had shoulder-length honey-blond hair—nothing like Hunter’s dark brown—and had a certain ethereal quality to her facial features reminiscent of a fairy-tale enchantress.
“I’d say more victim than partner,” Mia said, making everyone laugh, including Maggie. “Most of the time, I don’t even know she’s up to something until we’re being chased by an angry circus clown or walking into a gay club on Drag Queen Fashion Night.”
Jade glanced over at Maggie to see a proud smile. “True stories.”
“Pretty much all of them are true stories,” Finn chimed in. “The good, the bad, and the unbelievable.”
“Well,” Maggie said, rubbing her hands together, “I believe you said the first round was on you, Finny.”
He crossed his arms. “I never said anything about you.”
She flicked his chin, blowing him a kiss. “I’m your best customer. I have a drink named after me, and hell, I helped you come up with the name of this place. My first round is always on you.”
Finn’s jaw hardened, his eyes darkening at her words. He quickly wiped the odd look off his face and made his way toward the bar. “Four Cock Chasers coming up,”
he announced.
The other three women let out high-pitched howls, while Jade looked at Ivy questioningly. She gave Jade a nod of approval, letting her know that at least that drink wouldn’t cause hallucinations of tuxedo-wearing flamingos.
Chapter Thirteen
Jade couldn’t remember ever laughing so hard in her life.
Maggie slapped her hand down on their table. “So, I told him, honey, if you wanted to look like a twenty-five-year-old Dolly Parton instead of my seventy-year-old grandmother, you should have superglued those suckers to your chest!”
Ivy spit out some of her Cock Chaser while the rest of the table broke out in another fit of uproarious laughter.
Jade had listened to story after story of Maggie and Mia’s adventures over the years with wonder and intrigue. Even Ivy had thrown in her tales of being a wild twenty-one-year-old college student, making everyone laugh so hard they about fell off their high-top stools.
Jade didn’t have any stories like that to share.
She tried not to let it affect her, but it was hard when she felt regret climbing into her subconscious, making her envy these courageous women who’d always had the nerve to live life to its fullest.
Was it too late for Jade to have her own adventures? Probably not.
But it helped if you had someone to share them with.
Which she didn’t.
And since she had vowed never to fall in love, being alone was something she needed to accept and get used to. No matter how enjoyable it was to imagine experiencing those adventures…with Hunter.
“Oh, hell to the no,” Mia said on a groan, scowling in the direction over Jade’s shoulder.
Maggie followed her gaze and released a similar groan. “What the hell is Queen Skankface doing here? Hasn’t she caused enough destruction in this town?”
“Who?” Jade asked as she and Ivy turned around.
“The living embodiment of An American Horror Story,” Maggie said with a sneer.
“A.k.a. Hunter’s ex-girlfriend, Rebecca,” Mia clarified.
What?
Jade scanned over the growing bar crowd and soon found Hunter sitting at a table on the other side of the room with Finn and another man she didn’t know. The woman in question was standing way too close to Hunter, trying to paw him like he was her favorite boy toy.
Shit. The woman was quite beautiful, with rich brown hair, tanned skin, and not one ounce of fat on her body. It was obvious why any man would be attracted to her.
“She’s very pretty,” Jade unintentionally mumbled.
“But has a soul as ugly as the Wicked Witch of the West,” Ivy replied.
“For real,” Mia added. “She’s the devil incarnate. She’s got some nerve, showing her face in here and approaching Hunter like that. Why is she even talking to him? He can’t stand her.”
“He can’t?” Jade asked, not proud of the relief that sifted through her that they were no longer chummy. She watched Rebecca snake her hand up his arm, and he shrugged it off. “What happened between them?”
To her shame, jealousy ripped through her like a tidal wave just at seeing them together. It didn’t help all that much that Hunter was clearly not interested. Just the mere fact that they had once been an item made a lump form in her throat. Women who looked like Rebecca—was that what he usually went for?
Jade felt her stomach sink. She clearly paled in comparison to the brunette beauty.
But he found you attractive enough to sleep with you at the hotel.
She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse.
It was Mia who answered her question. “They dated for a little while. None of us were big fans of the relationship because we knew the kind of person she was—is. At least, Maggie and I did. Hunter was very good to her, though, and gave her the benefit of the doubt. Then he found out she was cheating on him with some rich doctor over in Ridgefield. He immediately broke it off. As far as I know, she never even apologized to him.”
Who in their right mind would cheat on a man like Hunter? The woman had to be insane. Especially since Jade knew what sex with him felt like. That alone would be reason enough never to visit another man’s bed.
“And now, from what I hear,” Maggie continued, “she’s using her new boyfriend, Dan Ottman, to keep Hunter’s company from getting contracts. Dan owns Seaside Properties, and I’ve heard he’s turned down the last few bids Hunter’s submitted. They were big jobs, too. Hunter’s crew does the best work around, so there’s no excuse for it. Everyone knows it’s because of her. It doesn’t make any sense, though, because she was the one who cheated on him.”
“How long were they together?” Jade asked, trying to sound casual.
Mia and Maggie looked at each other in thought. “Six months?” Maggie said.
“I think almost eight,” Mia offered.
Still longer than Jade would have liked.
Two days would have been longer than she’d like.
She nonchalantly watched the two across the room, hoping she didn’t look too interested. She took note of Hunter’s body language. He’d had a frown on his face ever since she’d spotted him. He kept pursing his lips and addressing Rebecca through gritted teeth. And he continued to scoot away from her, as if he didn’t want any part of her to touch him for fear of getting burned.
“That’s it,” Maggie said, slamming back the rest of her drink. “The bitch is getting cut. Finn appointed me his unofficial bouncer, and I’m going to go take out the trash.”
She started to stand up, but Mia quickly pulled her back down. “Finn isn’t crazy enough to do that, and you are not going over there. Hunter asked us to stay out of Rebecca’s way. He’ll get rid of her on his own.”
Maggie pouted. “Can I at least go accidentally spill something on her? Please?”
“No,” Mia said firmly. “It’s none of our business.”
“How about we go dance?” Ivy suggested. “My ass is getting sore from this chair.”
“I thought that was from Garrett,” Jade quipped, pleased when Maggie and Mia burst into guffaws.
“Oh, little Mrs. Ashcroft likes it rough, does she?” Maggie teased.
Never the shy sort, Ivy sat up straighter and winked. “Baby, if you knew what Garrett looks like without pants on, you’d want maximum power, too.”
Garrett had just left to go back to the oil rig that morning, and he and Ivy had been shacked up for the entire four days he was in town. Tonight was the first time Jade had seen her neighbor in ninety-six hours.
“I heard some noises over there last night that I know wasn’t the TV,” Jade told the other two women. “Not unless they were watching Gorillas in the Mist.”
They all laughed again as Ivy stood up and finished her drink. “On that note, let’s go shake it like it’s hot.”
“You mean drop it like it’s hot,” Mia shouted over the music that had picked up.
“Oh yeah. We’ll do that, too.”
They danced in a group through several songs, until Jade could feel sweat start to gather and drip down her back. She was having an amazing time with these three women. She hadn’t felt so free in…she couldn’t remember how long.
Ever?
Losing herself in the moment was a luxury she hadn’t often been able to enjoy in the past. There was always something to worry about or stress over.
Tonight, despite the upsetting scene she’d witnessed between Hunter and Rebecca, she wasn’t worrying about anything. In fact, it was probably a good thing she’d seen them talking. It reminded her to keep her distance from him.
Because she could see herself easily becoming way too attached to the man.
And that would not end well.
Ex-girlfriend or not—ex-contractor or not—Hunter was off-limits, and he had to remain off-limits. She had already put everything on the line for her new life in Shell Grove.
She wasn’t willing to sacrifice her heart, too.
Ivy got her attention and leaned toward he
r, raising her voice to be heard over the music. “There’s a guy watching you from the bar,” she said. “His name is Josh Foreman. He’s pretty cute. Just warning you because he looks like he’s about to come over.”
Jade maneuvered her body around to get a look at the guy and immediately spotted him leaning against the bar, staring right at her. When he realized he’d been caught, his face spread into a smile.
She smiled back.
Why not?
He was attractive, and Ivy would have told her if he was a weirdo. Plus, Hunter hadn’t come over to talk to her once all night, which was sort of bumming her out. It bothered her, but she wasn’t about to let it ruin her good night.
And as she’d just reminded herself, she wasn’t getting attached to any man. But she could dance with whomever she wanted.
If it was all in good fun, where was the harm?
She watched as the flannel-wearing Josh pulled away from the bar and slowly made his way over. He was a tall guy but not as muscular as Hunter. He had a little scruff on his face and was wearing a baseball cap. She didn’t feel a stirring in her lady loins like she did with Hunter, but he certainly filled out that flannel nicely.
“Hey,” he said when he reached her.
“Hi.”
“I’m Josh.”
“Jade.”
“Pretty sure it’s Josh, but I’ll double check.” Okay, he earned a point for making her laugh. “You want to dance, sugar?” he asked, standing at a respectable distance until he got her permission.
Were all Southern guys raised with such good manners? Because they sure as hell weren’t in DC.
“Sure.”
Her heart skipped a beat as he took her into his arms.
But as cute as Josh was, she wished he was Hunter.
Chapter Fourteen
Apparently, God wasn’t finished punishing Hunter for spitting gum in Mia’s hair when he was ten. He knew this to be true as he glared at his ex-girlfriend, who was currently ruining a perfectly good buzz.
He’d come to The Clumsy Clam to unwind from a long first day on his new Harperville job and have a few drinks. And maybe—hopefully—run into Jade at some point.
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