Traded

by Tess Thompson

  His stomach fluttered at the sight of her in black pants that stopped at her slender ankles, stiletto pumps, and a sleeveless blouse. Her hair hung in loose waves. Thick eyeliner and mascara completed her sophisticated, urban look

  “Kara, over here.” Honor waved her over to the table.

  Brody couldn’t take his eyes off her as she worked through a maze of people to their table.

  “Hey everyone,” Kara said.

  Honor made introductions, thankfully, because he was rendered suddenly mute.

  One of the servers had cleared an empty table. By the time Zane moved it over to butt up against the other table, Kyle had managed to sit next to Violet. He reminded Brody of the big bad wolf, staring at Violet like he wanted to order her for dinner. She was attractive, if you liked the earthy, natural type of girl who probably made her own fragrance out of oils guaranteed not to wreck the ozone layer. Which Kyle did not. At least, he hadn’t so far. Plus, Violet had a little boy. Kyle would run from that as fast as he could.

  He had to admit, despite the reason, he was relieved Kyle wasn’t attracted to Kara. No woman could resist him. If Kyle wanted a woman, he got her. Brody had no interest in testing that theory with Kara. The only woman he’d ever told Kyle to keep his hands off was Honor. Surprisingly, Kyle had agreed, and Honor seemed to have no interest in him either, other than their relentless flirting. Brody suspected they were too much alike. They knew instinctively no space would be big enough for the two of them.

  “What brings you ladies out tonight?” Kyle asked.

  Honor poured beer into the empty glasses. “Kara’s been working hard and deserved a night out. Fortunately, I am always up for the task.”

  “I don’t know that Honor’s the best person to take you out, Kara. You may end up worshipping the porcelain goddess before the end of the night.” Zane smiled as he said it, but there was a hint of truth in his voice.

  Honor played with the tennis bracelet on her left wrist and glared at Zane. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Zane shrugged, color rising to his cheeks. “Should I remind you of the last time you were here with Violet?”

  “You can stop now.” Honor said the words with a tight smile on her face. “Seriously.”

  “I’m just teasing. Chill out,” Zane said. It didn’t seem like teasing. Zane had always said Honor was trouble, but he’d never been outwardly hostile to her.

  “I think I’m the one who knows how to chill. You, not so sure.” Honor tucked her hair behind her ears. Splotches of pink peppered her neck.

  “Keep telling yourself that,” Zane said.

  Something was up between these two.

  A server delivered a tray full of tequila shots, breaking the tension. Kara was next to him, close enough that he could smell her hair.

  Kyle proposed a toast. “To a spontaneous night out.”

  Everyone raised their shot glasses. All but Violet downed them. “Have to get home to the little bug later,” she said as she slid hers across the table to Honor.

  Around the time they finished their dinner and ordered another round of drinks, the band, “The Rocket Mans,” played their first song. A local group who performed mostly seventies and eighties rock covers, they often played Friday nights at The Oar. Locals never seemed to tire of them. Before long, couples packed the dance floor.

  Kyle escorted Violet to a dimly lit corner and took her into his arms. He’d have her gliding across the room and into his bed before the night was over.

  Kara and Honor had their heads together, talking. Jackson had his head in his phone, probably texting with Sharon. Zane sat with his arms crossed over his muscular chest, focused on the band. Something had him agitated.

  The band began playing an eighties ballad. “I love this song,” Kara said.

  “Would you like to dance?” Zane asked.

  Honor studied the contents of her beer glass and tossed her hair behind her shoulder. Kara’s gaze had skirted to Honor, then back to Zane. She opened her mouth, but Brody interrupted her before she could agree.

  “No, she owes me a dance,” Brody said.

  Kara looked up at him. “I do?”

  “Yep.” He rose from his chair and offered his hand. “Let’s go.”

  She took his hand. He led Kara out to a corner of the dance floor. Six other couples danced, their bodies close. He tightened one arm around her waist and held her hand up to his chest with the other. They swayed to the slow tempo, their bodies at least six inches apart, like grade school kids at a wedding.

  “Did you ask me to dance because you knew Honor didn’t want me to dance with Zane?”

  “Correct.” He swung her gently in a circle. She glided under his arm and let him tuck her against his chest. “You’re light on your feet.”

  “I took a lot of dance for cheerleading.”

  “I could tell at Zumba the other night that you know your way across a dance floor.”

  “Thank you.”

  Was it his imagination or had she grown warm under his touch?

  “Did you notice it’s weird between Honor and Zane?” he asked.

  “I don’t know them well, obviously, but there seemed to be tension between them.”

  “They’ve known each other for years and have never seemed to notice each other,” he said.

  “Something happened between them,” Kara said.

  “Like sex something?”

  With his hand pressed into her back, he felt the bubble of laughter tumble out of her. “Yes, sex something,” she said.

  “She told me she had feelings for someone. If it’s Zane, my world is officially rocked.”

  “Good or bad?” Kara asked.

  “Bad. Very bad. Because with Honor, it will always end badly.”

  “You don’t know that. Maybe it’s the real thing between them and they’ll both be transformed by it.”

  “No. People don’t change. They’re both too damaged.”

  “I respectfully disagree, Mr. Mullen. Love can conquer all problems. Sometimes anyway.”

  The song ended. Tearing his body away from hers seemed wrong, but the band started playing a rock song with a fast tempo. They went back to the table. Jackson had bought another pitcher of beer and had poured them each a glass. Zane and Violet chatted at the other end of the table. Honor and Kyle were out on the dance floor.

  He kicked Zane under the table. “Grab your beer. Let’s get some air.”

  Zane nodded his head in agreement.

  The temperature had dropped a few degrees from earlier, but it felt good after the warm bar. They walked around the building to the back patio. In the warm months, Zane opened it up to clientele, but for now it was empty. The two men leaned against the railing and looked up at the stars.

  “Nice night,” Zane said.

  “What’s bugging you?” Brody stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.

  “Nothing’s bugging me.”

  “Come on. What’s up with you and Honor?”

  “She bugs me.”

  “Bugs you how?” Brody asked.

  “All the ways that a person bothers another person,” Zane said. “It’s her sass, her impenetrable self-confidence. She makes me insane. For real.”

  “What happened? You never even seemed to notice her,” Brody asked.

  “I notice her. Believe me, I notice her.”

  He looked over at his friend. In the dark, it was impossible to read his expression.

  “And the way she moves and dresses. She’s a live billboard promising the best sex you’ve ever had or your money back.” The bitter tone in Zane’s voice startled him.

  “Dude. She isn’t for sale,” Brody said.

  “No, she gives it away for free.”

  Brody balled his hands into fists and took in a deep breath. Stay calm. This isn’t like Zane. Regardless, he couldn’t allow anyone to talk about Honor that way. “Have a little respect.”

  “You’re blind about her. Th
at’s all I’m saying.”

  Brody turned to look at him. “What’s gotten into you? You’re acting like a total jerk.”

  “Sorry if I don’t think she walks on water the way you do.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and drew closer to his temporarily crazed friend. “You need to tell me what’s going on. Right now.”

  “We slept together, okay? And she blew me off. Snuck out of my bed without so much as a ‘Hey, thanks for the great lay, sucker.’ ”

  “When?” Brody couldn’t believe it—Zane was Honor’s “men trouble.” She had feelings for him. Real ones. Which made her act like a complete lunatic because she was scared out of her mind.

  “Weeks ago. She came in one night to eat. The place was packed and both my servers were out sick with the flu. Without saying a thing, she just put on an apron and started taking orders.”

  Honor had put herself through college by waitressing for Zane’s dad. It was hard to imagine the sophisticated business woman she was today as the petite waitress who whipped around the restaurant for four years.

  “After we closed for the night, she stayed and helped me clean up and get ready for the next day. It was cool, man, just the two of us, chatting and working together. She was different, like being in her apron took her back a few years when she wasn’t so steely-eyed and driven. And, she had all these hilarious stories about my dad that I’d never heard. He used to help her with her humanities papers. I never knew that. Did you know she once found a discrepancy in the books and figured out the accountant was skimming off the top?”

  “No, but it doesn’t surprise me. You should see her plow through a contract.”

  “She told me how much my dad meant to her. He was the first adult man she could ever trust. It wrecked me. I mean it. Did you know she goes by to see him once a week?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “She didn’t tell me, but one of the nurses mentioned it a few weeks ago that she comes by every Friday afternoon at four.”

  “I thought she went to the gym then,” Brody said.

  “Dude, that’s the thing. Why does she hide her soft side?”

  “If we knew what she went through as a kid, I think we’d know the answer to that question.”

  “Yeah,” Zane said. “That night, I felt close to her—we were in our own little world. You know?”

  “I do. Exactly.”

  “I asked her if she wanted to share a bottle of wine upstairs in the apartment and she said yes, which surprised me. We talked for another hour and polished off the wine and then it was fireworks.” Zane shook his head. “Off the hook. And then, she just left without any explanation, like it never happened.”

  “Because you got too close. That’s her thing.”

  Zane downed his beer. “I know that, but it sucks because there’s something about her I can’t resist.”

  Brody understood that feeling all too well.

  “So you like her for real,” Brody said.

  “Yep. Because I’m an idiot. She’s not capable of loving a man. She’s too broken, too jaded. And I don’t want to get hurt again.”

  If Brody looked at it logically, Zane should run and run away fast. However, the memory of Honor’s face the morning after her night with Zane told a different story. These two were in a game of chicken. Who would let go of their fears first and confess to real feelings? If he had to put money on it, he’d choose Zane. Yes, his heart had been broken when Natalie had called off the wedding, but Honor’s heart had been squashed a thousand times when she was a kid. That kind of pain didn’t disappear overnight. If Zane wanted her, he was going to have to work hard to gain her trust.

  “It’s been three years since Natalie,” Brody said.

  “I know how long it’s been. What’s your point?” Zane asked.

  “Not every girl is Natalie. In fact, most aren’t. You dodged a bullet.”

  Should he betray Honor and tell Zane about the morning she’d burst into tears? “I know for a fact she has real feelings for you,” Brody said.

  “How?”

  “She told me she had guy problems—someone she likes but that doesn’t have reciprocal feelings. I had no idea it was you.”

  “Really?” Zane asked.

  “Really.”

  “Crap. Well, that changes things.”

  A shriek of laughter coming from the street penetrated their silence, followed by the click of heels. Honor and Kara, with linked arms and deep in conversation, came around the corner of the building. They both stopped when they saw the two men.

  “Sorry, we didn’t know you guys were out here,” Honor said. “Kara needed some air.”

  Kara looked up at Brody with glazed eyes. “There were so many people in there and it’s loud, and I’m a little tipsy.”

  “She’s not used to tequila,” Honor said.

  “Most women aren’t,” Zane said.

  Honor let go of Kara and hopped onto the patio’s wide railing. “I realize that’s a jab at me, Zane Shaw, but I’m Teflon. You can hurl hurtful objects at me for as long as you want.”

  Poor Honor. She was so mistaken. Zane had penetrated the Teflon.

  Kara distracted him from his thoughts when she swayed. He held out an arm to steady her. She leaned against him and looked up into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have had that tequila shot.”

  “You’re all right.” Despite himself, he put an arm around her and drew her close to his side. Her body radiated heat through her clothes. He glanced at Zane, who was now staring at the flooring of the deck like he wanted to bore holes through it. Honor had her face tilted toward the sky.

  “You smell so good.” Kara looked up at him with glazed eyes. Her precise way of speaking had slowed and grown rounded around the edges of words. This was Kara drunk. Adorable, as always, but less sure, less competent.

  “I should probably take her home,” Brody said.

  Honor shook her head. “No, I can do it.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t drive,” Brody said. “Zane here will make sure you get home.”

  “It’s only nine,” Zane said. “We’re just getting started.”

  Translation: don’t leave me alone with Honor.

  “I don’t need help getting home,” Honor said.

  “I’ll walk you home,” Zane said.

  “I’m not going home yet,” Honor said. “So there’s no need.”

  These two and their chicken game. How long could it last? “I’ll see you guys later,” Brody said.

  Zane pierced him with a stormy glare worthy of the grim reaper.

  Kara stumbled a little on the boards of the patio in her heels. He reached out to steady her, slipping an arm around her waist as they walked along the path to the front of the bar.

  “I don’t think I should hang out with Honor anymore. She’s going to get me into trouble.”

  “That seems to be a theme tonight,” he said.

  “You mean Zane?”

  “He thinks she’s trouble.”

  “They’re perfect for each other. She’s one of those types of girls that doesn’t need approval from anyone. Not men. Not other women. Alpha males like Zane need women like that. Otherwise, they end up bored.”

  “Alpha males? Is that what Zane is?”

  “Obviously,” she said.

  “Obviously?” It wasn’t obvious to him.

  “Bossy. A little controlling. Not afraid of confrontation.”

  “How did you know he’d fallen for her?” he asked.

  “Did you see the way he looks at her?”

  “No, but I am just now realizing I’m not the brightest bulb in the world,” he said. “Obviously.”

  She laughed. “Obviously.”

  Women were so much smarter than men.

  “You Dogs all have your roles. Do you want to know what yours is, Brody Mullen?”

  “Not really.”

  She answered anyway. “You’re the caretaker, sensitive. Always making sure everyone’s ok
ay.”

  “Why do I have to be the sensitive one?” he asked.

  “It’s just the way you are. Even though you try and hide it.” She laughed again.

  God, he loved the sound.

  “Kyle’s the fun and charming one. A little irresponsible and a total player,” she said. “Even though he’s deeply sad under all that nonsense.”

  “What about Jackson?” he asked.

  “He’s the rock. Steady. Responsible. Good qualities for the town doctor, even if he is a bit of a worrier.”

  She had them nailed.

  They had reached the front door of the bar by then. Through the window, he could see Kyle and Violet still at their table, both gesturing wildly with their hands. Were they having a heated discussion about something? Interesting. Was Violet the only woman on the planet resistant to his charms?

  “I just need my purse,” Kara said.

  He held the door for her. As they walked in, Kyle got up rather violently from his chair and stormed toward the bar area. Violet slammed her beer glass on the table.

  Jackson, who’d been mingling with another group on the other side of the restaurant, met Brody and Kara at their table. “Everything all right, Violet?” Jackson asked.

  “No, everything is not all right. Your friend Kyle’s a complete tool. He wants to buy the old fruit stand property and build a hotel. A hotel.” Violet’s usually soft voice had risen at least an octave. “A blight on the land.”

  “A blight?” Brody covered his mouth to hide his smile. “That seems a bit extreme.”

  “Did you know about this, Jackson?” Violet asked.

  Jackson nodded with a sheepish smile. “He’s been working on the deal for a while.”

  “That’s how it came up in the first place. He was trying to impress me with his prowess in the business world. The ‘big-time’ developer.” Violet made quotes in the air. “He’s what’s wrong with this country. Tear down the old and build the new.”

  “The property will be tasteful. Kyle’s always are,” Jackson said.

  “His architect firm is world renowned. He never skimps on anything,” Brody said. He was an investor, so he would know, which he would conveniently keep to himself for now. No reason to poke the hippie chick bear.