“Don’t get me wrong, I like that look, too. Fourteen, off the fifteen, corner pocket.”
Was he flirting? She didn’t really have a “look.” At work, she dressed for comfort in things she didn’t care about getting anything from bilge water to fish guts on. Quick-drying was also a plus. Even Charlotte tsked and rolled her eyes at her euphemistically titled “work wardrobe,” and she knew how Shelby spent her days. The usual crowd at the Bait Box wouldn’t blink an eyelash if she showed up looking like she’d crawled out from under the dock, but Charlotte would. Jeans and a cute top weren’t exactly fashion-magazine-worthy, but it wasn’t enough to draw attention to herself, either. It was both the upside and the downside to living in Magnolia Beach: everyone knew her, and therefore barely anyone ever noticed her. So flirting or not, the attention from Declan was certainly flattering.
The green-striped ball rolled right to the cusp of the pocket before stopping. Declan merely shrugged. “Your shot.”
She checked the table. The four ball was an easy shot, thank goodness, as she had no assurance she’d be able to hit anything more complicated. Across the table, Declan perched a hip on the stool and crossed his arms over his chest, the beer bottle dangling easily from his fingers. With a big cheesy smile and a waggle of his eyebrows, he asked, “So you come here often?”
“Actually, I do. There aren’t a lot of other options.”
“True. But it did make it a lot easier for me to find you.”
The casual statement caused her to miss the cue ball entirely. “Damn it.”
“Take a do-over.” As she started to protest, Declan held up a hand. “It’s just a friendly game, right?”
Forcing herself to focus—she did not want to look like a fool—she was able to sink the ball on her second try. Pretending to really study the table, she asked—very casually, of course—“You were looking for me?”
“I was. You said you’d introduce me around, and in order for that to happen, I had to find you first.”
Oh. It made sense, but she couldn’t deny his very rational reason wasn’t a bit of a hit on her ego at the same time. “Well, it’s a little slow in here tonight, so it wouldn’t take long at all for you to meet everyone. It’s busier on the weekends, though, with live music and sometimes some dancing.”
“We’ll have to give that a try.”
Declan seemed determined to keep her wobbly. To throw off her game or something else? Not that it mattered, as it was completely working. She’d been aiming for the three, but missed it entirely, hitting the ten instead. The ten then rolled over to the corner pocket, knocking in the fourteen before rolling in behind it. Lovely, she thought as she heard Declan try to cover his laugh with a cough.
Charlotte chose that moment to return with Jimmy, Eli, and Todd in tow and hand her a bottle. Shelby immediately turned it up like she’d been sober for a month. “So how’s the game going?”
Shelby had no freakin’ clue how to answer that.
* * *
He’d succeeded in flustering Shelby. In a way, Declan felt bad about it—even while at the same time he was enjoying it—but it only seemed fair. He’d been flustered the moment he’d seen her tonight.
While she still had that wholesome, all-American, girl-next-door look, the tomboy was gone. She was very casually dressed, in snug-fitting jeans and a silky tank-top thing that floated to the tops of her thighs, but her hair was loose, hanging in a shiny blond curtain over her shoulders and those toned biceps. If she was wearing any makeup, it was subtle, undetectable under the lights of the neon signs. The effect was feminine, yet not fluffy or overdone. Shelby looked right at home, classing up the joint without looking out of place.
He hadn’t been lying to her, either. That look did work for him. More than expected and possibly a little too well.
On second thought, though, Shelby’s look should have been exactly what he’d expected. The Bait Box was more of a place to be rather than a place to be seen, but it wasn’t the Bay Breeze Marina, either. He’d stepped up his game tonight, too, but it wasn’t exactly a big step, even compared to how he’d been living the last few weeks.
But the look on Shelby’s face had been totally worth it. Her fluster was just a bonus.
She’d been so competent and assured at the marina, and while not necessarily acting superior, she was definitely amused by his lack of knowledge and enjoying it a bit too much. Knocking her off her stride, even a little, was satisfying payback—however immature it might be.
Shelby’s friend Charlotte returned from the bar with their drinks and handed a bottle to Shelby, who accepted it gratefully. Charlotte and Shelby seemed like close friends, but they were an odd pair. No one who had ever met Shelby would describe her as quiet or retiring, but Charlotte was the kind of woman who demanded attention. From her glossy curls and lush curves to her elegant manicure and chandelier earrings, she looked like she belonged anywhere other than a dive like this. Standing next to Shelby, Charlotte seemed almost comically overdone in comparison.
There were three men on Charlotte’s heels. Since the Bait Box didn’t seem like a meat market—and Shelby and Charlotte had been playing alone before his arrival—he had to assume she had invited them over.
“Declan, this is Jimmy, Todd, and Eli.”
After shaking his hand, Eli moved past him to stand next to Shelby—not in a possessive way, but unmistakably warning him, nonetheless. Jimmy, on the other hand, was practically worshipping Charlotte with his eyes—something Todd seemed to find amusing and Charlotte tolerated with an ease that told Declan she’d been dealing with that for a long time.
There were all kinds of stories and undercurrents, like he’d walked into the middle of a soap opera—which, he realized, he kind of had, in a way. These people had known each other for a very long time and had story lines he had no clue about.
He wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about Eli’s nonaggressive but clearly made warning, but Shelby wasn’t paying Eli any attention one way or the other, so he wasn’t going to press that just yet.
There was friendly chitchat and a little ribbing—it seemed the story of his rescue was making its way around town, in part due to the community service being done by those kids—but nothing he couldn’t handle. “Well, Shelby took me out on the Lady Jane, and I’m now a graduate of the Magnolia Beach Basic Water Safety Program. I’ve got a certificate signed by the mayor and everything.”
The others laughed, but Eli’s eyebrows pulled together as he looked at Shelby. “Really? I thought we talked about that.”
Shelby barely glanced in his direction. “You talked. I ignored you.”
“Shelby . . .”
“Well, you’re not the boss of me, so shut up.”
“So whose shot is it?” Charlotte interrupted, her voice forcefully bright.
“Declan’s,” Shelby offered, shooting Eli a look Declan couldn’t decipher.
“Which technically makes it Charlotte’s,” he corrected. “You’re stripes,” he said, and handed over the cue.
Charlotte surveyed the table. “Which means I’m winning for once. Maybe I should keep letting you play for me. Shelby normally kicks my ass.”
“The eleven is wide open,” Jimmy said, motioning Charlotte over to his side of the table.
Declan would have recommended Charlotte try for the fifteen, but he wasn’t wanting to help her line up her shot, either, which Jimmy obviously was.
“Having an off night, then?” he asked Shelby. She looked at him blankly. “The game? Kicking ass?” he clarified.
Her shoulder moved an inch in what might be considered a shrug. “It happens.”
“And here I thought you were setting me up to hustle me.”
Shelby started to smile, but Eli had overheard and took exception to his remark. “Shelby doesn’t need to hustle people.”
Her smile flattened ou
t as she rolled her eyes. “Go away, Eli,” she said, without even looking in his direction. “There’s got to be someone else in here you can annoy.”
While Charlotte seemed to handle her admirers with a mixture of humor and indulgence, Shelby wasn’t pulling her punches. Declan couldn’t decide if he liked that or not. There was obviously a history between Shelby and Eli, making him feel a little like an interloper—whether it was true or not.
There was a small groan that told him Charlotte had missed her shot, and Shelby looked over to give her friend an encouraging smile before handing her cue to Eli. “Why don’t you play for me. I’m off my game tonight anyway.” Under her breath, she added, “And he’s a better match for Charlotte anyway.”
Eli heard the comment and frowned, but he took the cue and walked to the end of the table—although not before sending a warning look in Declan’s direction.
Shelby saw it and sighed. “Ignore him. It’s so much easier that way.”
Eli did not strike Declan as someone easy to ignore. He was a big guy, maybe an inch or so over his own six feet, with burly arms that spoke of a serious commitment to the gym. Added to his hovering over Shelby . . . “So what is the story there?”
“Huh?” She looked genuinely confused.
“You and Eli? Is he an ex or something?”
Shelby nearly spit her beer. Coughing, she wiped a hand over her mouth. “No,” she stressed once she got her breath back. “Eli is my cousin.”
Now that she’d said it, it made sense. And now that he knew, he could see the family resemblance—which was pretty strong and not something he should have missed. “One of the eight I was warned about. Jeez, are they all that big?”
“In general, yeah. It’s all that fresh sea air and sunshine we get here. Grows ’em big, you know.”
“Then what happened to you?” he teased. Shelby wasn’t dainty or fragile, but in comparison to Eli . . .
“Every litter has to have a runt.”
“If you’re the runt . . .” He took a moment to appreciate her from head to toe again. “That’s a very impressive litter.”
Shelby might have blushed a bit. It was hard to tell in this light. “Impressively annoying, maybe.”
“I think it’s nice that they care so much.”
“Something only someone without family all up in their business would say.” Then her eyes widened. “I’m so sorry. That was really rude.”
“How?”
“With your mom passed . . . I mean . . . everyone’s family is different and you may have very good reasons why—and I’m sure you do—that you’re not close to them and you might . . .” She paused to clear her throat. “I’m just going to stop talking now.”
“You didn’t offend me, Shelby.”
“Oh. Okay. No, I mean, I’m glad I didn’t.” She dropped off into mutters before drinking deeply from her bottle.
A cheer went up at the table, and Declan looked up to see Charlotte doing a happy dance and getting high fives. One solid red ball remained on the table. She’d won.
“Good for you, Lottie!” Shelby leaned across the table—he tried not to look, but he didn’t try too hard and failed anyway—to give her a high five as well. Then she turned to her cousin, who was leaning on his cue, and mouthed, Thanks.
The corner of Eli’s mouth turned up, but he just shrugged. No one else seemed to notice the exchange.
“He let her win?”
“Probably. But if he didn’t, he can salvage a bit of pride by thinking that I think he did. Either way, I’m glad. Charlotte could use the ego boost. She’s had a tough couple of days at work.”
Shelby had a good heart, both for her friend and the cousin she was annoyed at. It was more than he could guarantee from himself. “But you won’t throw a game for her?”
“I can’t. She’d never believe it. And Jimmy is too busy trying to impress Charlotte with his skill to figure out how to tone it down, and Todd’s just too inherently honest to throw any kind of game for any reason.”
So Shelby was a good player, meaning he had flustered her. That boded well. But the razor-sharp analysis of her friends . . . “You know them all that well, huh?”
“Yeah. I told you, it’s a small town.”
“And what do they know about you?”
“Pretty much everything. We all grew up together.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Her eyebrows knitted together. “Why?”
Declan didn’t have to answer that question as Jimmy interrupted them. He was removing balls from the pockets and rolling them to one end of the table. “You want to play, Shelby? We can do doubles. Me and Charlotte against . . .” He trailed off as he looked at the other three men. “You can pick your partner.”
“There are other empty tables. Why don’t you just go get your own balls to play with?”
Thankfully, Todd and Eli snickered, too, so Declan wasn’t left alone feeling twelve years old. Shelby shot them an exasperated look, which changed to embarrassment as she figured out why they were snickering, and then morphed back to exasperation. “I’m not sure any of y’all are old enough to be in here.”
Eli grinned. “Age ain’t nothin’ but a number, Shel.”
“Obviously.”
Charlotte interrupted. “I think it should be boys versus girls. Me and Shelby against whichever of you want to take us on.” She threw an arm around Shelby’s shoulder and tossed her hair over her shoulder, lifting her chin in challenge. “So? Who thinks they can take us?”
Declan might have heard Eli mutter something like “Oh my God,” as he placed his cue on the table and held up his hands. “I’m out.”
Charlotte grinned. “Smart man. Cowardly, but smart.”
Jimmy looked less enthused about his doubles idea since he’d lost his chance to team with Charlotte. Todd had pulled out his phone and seemed intent on whatever he was typing.
Cocking an eyebrow, Charlotte pinned her stare directly on Declan, making him a little uncomfortable. “So, what about you? Think you could handle us both on your own? Or should I just let you and Shelby go at it?”
“Lottie . . .” Shelby scolded. “Be nice.”
“I thought I was.” She winked at him. “What do you say, Declan?”
“I’m game. If Shelby is, of course.” The sharp arching of Shelby’s brow as she opened her mouth to speak warned him of a protest. “But she says she’s off her game tonight,” he added before she could make that protest. “I wouldn’t want to take her on if she’s feeling less than her best.”
“Shelby is the best,” Charlotte said lightly, even though he could feel the weight of her words.
“Enough. Both of you.” She slid out from under Charlotte’s arm. “Look, it’s getting late, and I have an early morning tomorrow. I think I should head home.”
“It’s only eight thirty,” Charlotte protested.
Belatedly, Shelby remembered that it was Charlotte’s turn to drive tonight, which would cut her evening short. “You stay, though. I’ll get Eli to run me back.”
“I was actually going to take Jimmy up on his doubles idea, and Todd and Eli would make a better match for our skills,” she protested. Then, with the most angelic smile he’d ever seen, Charlotte said, “Maybe Declan could take you.”
He covered his laugh with a long drink from his bottle. Charlotte wasn’t even trying to be subtle now, and the looks Shelby was giving her would slay a lesser creature. “Declan might not want to leave just yet.”
“What makes you think Eli does?” Charlotte shot back.
He saw a muscle clench in Shelby’s jaw. “Eli won’t mind. Trust me.”
“I don’t mind, either. Really. I need to get up early in the morning, too,” he added, even if it wasn’t technically true, “so an early night isn’t a bad idea. Just give me a second to settle up at th
e bar.”
He left Shelby whispering furiously at Charlotte, but by the time he paid his tab, Shelby was waiting by the door, a sweater draped over her shoulders and a serene smile on her face. She waved at someone as they made their way out into the parking lot.
She looked a little surprised as Declan opened the door for her, but she didn’t say anything as she settled in. Once he was in the driver’s seat, though, she turned to face him. “It’s very nice of you to drive me home, and I’m sorry that Charlotte is such a pest and caused you to cut your evening short. I know they will all be there for a couple more hours at least, so if you want to drop me off and go back, they’d be happy to have you join them.”
“It’s my pleasure. Charlotte is amusing, and I have no need to go back. Even though your friends seem like very nice people,” he added so as not to give offense. “Honestly, I only came out tonight to see you.”
The look Shelby gave him had him reconsidering everything that had happened this evening in a completely different light, because he’d obviously read something very wrong and was now stepping all over it. “I mean, you wanted me to get out and meet people. This way you know I did.”
Shelby nodded. “I think you’ll find that people in Magnolia Beach are quite friendly, and we’re used to tourists. They’ll talk to you and make sure you have a good time. You don’t need me around to break the ice.”
“Good to know,” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say.
The marina was on the outskirts of town—not that Magnolia Beach was big enough for even that to be much of a trip—and the traffic at eight thirty on a Monday night was nonexistent. He couldn’t justify going slowly, even if he wouldn’t mind drawing out the drive.
“You need to slow down,” she warned. “There’s a speed trap right around this corner.”
He eased off the gas, coasting to a nearly crawling thirty miles per hour, but sure enough, they passed a police car that had been hidden by the curve. “Thanks.”
“Just in general, you should assume they mean the limits they post on the signs—especially in small towns.”
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