Chapter 4
Where the heck is Beau?
The entire reason why I did this stupid fake-choking thing was so he could wrap his arms around me. Not some stranger. But no, Beau fled the scene.
So much for being a first responder.
In hindsight, this fake-choking thing was a bad idea, especially when the stranger hits my stomach with such force it knocks the wind out of me—I literally can’t breathe. My eyes widen, and the squishy piece of chicken I’d tucked under my tongue to magically puff out at the perfect moment rolls out of my mouth in an anticlimactic fashion.
“She’s still choking!” Marlyss points at me frantically. “Her face is red!”
“Shouldn’t it be blue?” someone else asks.
“Maybe it goes red, then blue.” Their side conversation continues as the stranger nails me in the stomach again.
Beau rushes back inside with some kind of vacuum apparatus that’s supposed to go over my mouth.
This is not how I saw any of this going.
It’s the least romantic moment of my life.
“Here, lay her down.” Beau’s voice is surprisingly calm as he moves some chairs back.
But I’m not about to be suctioned by something that looks like a breast pump.
“No.” I grab the stranger’s forearms, forcing speech despite the absence of air in my lungs. “I’m okay.” The words don’t have a lot of punch, but at least I got them out.
Beau stares into my eyes. “Are you sure you can breathe?”
I give the A-OK sign as I catch my breath.
The stranger’s grip around my waist loosens, but he doesn’t let go completely, like he doesn’t trust that I’m okay. His hands settle on my waist as I straighten. Is it crazy that, amidst it all, I noticed how good he smells?
Yeah, it’s crazy.
So am I.
I’m the crazy fake choking lady.
I want to crawl into a hole and die.
Beau’s eyes flick behind me. “Walker, you saved her life.”
Walker?
My breaths stall once again.
I know only one Walker.
But there’s no way he’d be in Sunset Harbor, right?
RIGHT?
His hands drop from my sides, and I slowly turn around.
Forget about heart flutters. A freaking earthquake shakes my entire body.
It’s been nine years since I’ve seen Capri’s older brother, Walker. It’s pathetic that that information is dialed up in my brain, but it is. Technically, I see him on TV all the time, so I shouldn’t be this awestruck. But Walker Collins was made to be admired, and I hate how much I’m admiring him right now.
He stands inches above me in a t-shirt and shorts. Dark curls wisp out the sides and back of his hat.
Dang, those dark curls.
They’ve been rendering me speechless for as long as I can remember.
The school-girl crush from my teen years roars to life. It’s like I’m sixteen-year-old Sandra Dee, sitting on a swing, singing “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” That’s the kind of hold Walker had over me when I was younger.
His brows lower in confusion as recognition settles in. “Jane?” There may also be a slight smile mixed in with his confusion, but I’m not paying any attention to that.
“Walker! Hey!” I throw my hand up in a wave. “Long time no see.”
“Seriously, it has been a long time. I’m shocked to see you.” Beau extends his arm to him. “What are you doing in Sunset Harbor?”
“I’m just in town to save Jane’s life. But now that she’s breathing again, I guess I’ll be on my way.” His gaze darts to me as he shakes Beau’s hand. There was a time in my life when I would’ve charted the different shades of blue in Walker’s eyes. Maybe I did. I’d have to check my diary circa seventh grade.
I laugh, trying to play off my embarrassment. “Sorry about the whole choking thing. I’m sure thrusting me is the last thing you wanted to do during dinner.”
Walker’s lips pull into an amused smile, and it’s that smile that makes me realize just how bad my last sentence sounded.
A blush burns my cheek. “I meant Heimlich Maneuver motions.” I’m refusing to say the word thrust again. “Where you hit my stomach with your fist.” I even demonstrate, just in case he’s stupid.
“Relax, Jane. I know what you meant.” There’s a smirk on his face, the teasing kind he used to give me when we were younger. I could never tell if he was making fun of me or flirting with me. I still can’t.
Beau looks back and forth between us. “If the Heimlich didn’t work, I had the Life Vac ready to go. A lot of people waste time trying to dislodge food items themselves before they try the Life Vac, but I always reach for that first while someone else does the Heimlich. You really can’t waste a minute. I cannot tell you how many lives have been saved because of this apparatus.”
“Thanks for being prepared.” If I had really been choking, I would appreciate his fast thinking, but not so much in this situation.
Beau’s work cell goes off, pausing the conversation as he reads the text. “It looks like there’s an emergency at the retirement home.” His eyes lift to me. “Jane, can I take a raincheck for our date?”
“Yeah, of course. You should go.” It was a disaster of a date anyway. I don’t think we can recover from the choking escapade.
I know I won’t ever get it out of my mind.
“Okay, we’ll talk soon.” Beau leans in like he debates kissing me on the cheek but decides to pat my shoulder instead. Probably a smart choice. But as he walks away, an unsettled feeling fills my stomach.
I’m alone with Walker.
By this point, the rest of the bar has returned to their own conversations.
My eyes slowly drift to his. He’s staring.
“What?” I tug the side of my dress, feeling insecure under his scrutiny.
“Nothing.” That old familiar smile creeps onto his lips.
Walker was always a charmer, skirting through junior high and high school with winks and smiles, trapping every girl in his spell. That’s the reason I promised Capri I’d never fall for him. Every other girl told her how hot her older brother was and was only nice to her to get to him. Capri wanted one person who liked her more than they liked him. That person is me. And no matter how good-looking the grown-up version of Walker is, that person will always be me.
I shift my weight, putting a hand on my hip. “I know that look. You’re making fun of me.”
“There’s no look.” Amusement fills his voice. “I’m just surprised by how adult you are.”
“Did you expect teenage acne and braces?”
“No.” He shakes his head, donning another smirk. “It’s just been a really long time since I’ve seen you. You’re all grown up now.”
“That sounds like something a creepy uncle would say to his teenage niece.”
“Really? I wasn’t going for the creepy uncle vibe. More like the slimy next-door neighbor that watches girls get off the bus.”
I reluctantly laugh at his joke. “Either way, I was grown up the last time you saw me.”
“And when was that?”
Of course he doesn’t know.
“Capri’s graduation nine years ago.” I probably should’ve pretended like I didn’t know.
“I’m sure we’ve seen each other since then during some holiday party or another.”
My stare puts him in his place. “You would’ve had to come home to visit your family for that to have actually happened.”
“I probably should’ve. Then I could’ve seen you.”
“Wow, you haven’t changed at all.”
“Oh, come on. I think I’ve gotten a little better looking.”
“That’s not what I meant.” And yes, he has somehow gotten better looking. “Speaking of your family…” I change the subject because that’s what you have to do with Walker. You have to control the tempo, or you’ll never survive. “I saw your grandma and Tala last night at book club, and they didn’t mention you visiting the island.”
I wish they had. My heart could’ve used a little heads-up.
“That’s probably because my grandma and sister don’t know I’m here.”
“What about your other sister, Capri? Does she know you’re here?” She tried calling me today, but we played phone tag until I had to leave on my date. I wish I had tried harder to connect with her if it meant learning Walker was in town.
“Nope, I haven’t talked to Capri in over a month.”
Not surprising. Walker has never been an integral member of the Collins family. When we were teens, he was never at home—always at the golf course. But when he did come home, he was quiet and removed. Nothing like the cool-guy persona he put on at school.
“Well, you should go visit Grandma Deedee while you’re here. She’d be happy to see you.”
“Are you happy to see me?”
I tilt my head, giving him a pointed look. “Walker, go visit your grandma.”
His lips part into a smile as his blue eyes gaze at me. “You’re just the same, Jane. No matter how hard I try, I can never get you to flirt back.”
“And you never will. You’re like a brother to me.”
That’s the story I keep telling myself.
I grab my purse, pulling out my wallet. The folded pink papers of tropes and single men fall to the ground. Walker bends like he’ll pick it up for me. All I can think about is how mortified I’d be if he saw what was on those papers.
“I got it!” I quickly lower to grab them first, but before I can get there, my forehead smacks into the top of his head.
“Ouch!”
We both stay crouched, grabbing our heads, abandoning the papers altogether.
“Am I bleeding?” I wince in pain as I lift my fingers to show him the spot.
“No, but I think you’ll have a bump there.”
His eyes stay on me, glancing over my face. We’re inches apart, thanks to the events of the last five seconds, but neither one of us moves. I should move. I will move. But for one split second, I stay and stare back. It’s been years since I’ve had feelings for him. Even then, it was just the typical teenage crush driven by my obsession with romance, but there will always be a corner of my heart that’s affected by Walker Collins.
He’s my first and only love.
His lips lift, and then he does the unexpected.
He reaches for me, a slow movement that kicks my heart into a full-blown pounding. His knuckles graze the side of my cheek. It’s just his knuckles, but it’s a powerful thing. He takes my hair in between his fingers and pulls. I hold still, paralyzed as I watch.
“You have a piece of rice stuck in your hair.” He frees it from the strands and holds it up so I can see.
I’m dumbfounded, weakly blinking back at him with no response. The force of that trope in real life is even better than the books and movies.
“It must’ve gotten caught while you were choking.”
“Yeah, must’ve.” The words come out breathy—it’s a miracle they made it out at all.
He grabs my folded papers and stands, tugging me out of the moment.
“I’ll take that.” I jump to my feet and yank the lists out of his hands, shoving them back into my purse, safe and sound.
“Whoa.” His smile widens. “Is that some kind of love letter to Beau you don’t want anyone to read?”
“A love letter to Beau?” I force a crazy laugh while shaking my head profusely. “Yeah, right.”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“No!” I spurt, unsure why I feel embarrassed.
His dark brows lift. “But you want him to be?”
“No,” I scoff.
Walker eyes my cocktail dress as if he’s on to my plan.
“We’re just friends.” He doesn’t need to know the details of the Summer of Jane Hayes. Talk about embarrassing. “Anyway, thank you for the Heimlich.” A phrase I never thought I’d say. “It was good to see you again.” I put some money on the table and back away.
“That’s it? You’re just leaving?”
“I’ve choked and almost split my head open. I think I’ve done enough damage for one night.”
“I’m leaving too. I’ll walk you out.”
I spin around so he can’t see my annoyance, but by the time I get to the door, he’s there, holding it open for me with another one of his mesmerizing smiles.
Jane Hayes.
She was always a cute girl, but the woman version of her is definitely more than cute. Beau Palmer could do a lot worse than her. That’s for sure.
“So when do you leave?” She stops in front of her golf cart and faces me.
“I’ll probably be here a few weeks. I’m staying at my mom’s house. They’re headed to Eur?—”
“Europe,” she finishes for me. “I know. I talk to your mom more than you do.”
Her digs about my family are warranted. I should’ve been better about visiting Sunset Harbor over the years, but once I started to stay away, it was easier to keep that trend up than to come home, so I did. It’s not like I never see them. My mom and Stan try to hit some of my bigger golf tournaments.
“And Tala just had a baby boy, your nephew named Lucas. He’s three months old.”
“Yeah, my mom sent me a picture. Cute kid.”
“And Capri is working like crazy. She just?—”
I place my finger over her lips, stopping her midsentence. “Jane, you don’t have to give me a rundown of my family. I might not come home, but I do talk to my mom. She keeps me very well informed about my sisters, minus the nephew. I thought the picture she sent was of a girl.”
Jane’s hand wraps around my wrist, pushing my arm away.
“I’m kidding.”
She steps back toward her golf cart like she means to drive off the second pleasantries are over—not surprising since she never liked me much.
Jane is Capri’s friend, and growing up, I was a jerk to Capri—not always, just once my dad died and my life was uprooted to Sunset Harbor. I took my anger out on my little sister. She was an easy target, and I was immature. So I can’t really say I blame Jane for her cold shoulder.
She drops her purse on the bench seat of her golf cart—another sign she wants to leave as soon as possible. “Is your back okay now? The surgery went well?”
My mouth presses into a smile. “Look who follows my career. I wouldn’t have taken you for a groupie.”
“I don’t follow your career. Someone in your family mentioned that you had back surgery. I was just trying to be nice. That’s all.”
“Well, my back feels fine. Even seems to be strong enough to handle thrusting. Thanks for asking, though.”
Her eyes narrow in response to her tailormade joke. “Yeah, I figured it felt fine based on how you pounded your golf club on the ground and snapped the head off at your last tournament.”
“See, you are a groupie.”
“Not a groupie. It was the number one trending thing on Sports Center.”
Am I embarrassed? Yes. But I deflect.
“I like to keep things interesting.” My grin pushes wider.
“Yes, you do.” She stares at me for a few seconds before dropping into the front seat. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in another ten years.” The cart jerks into reverse the second she turns it on.
“Looking forward to it, Jane.”
She gives a little wave, like the one when I first saw her tonight. “Goodbye, Walker.”
I watch her taillights until they disappear.
Jane Hayes.
What a blast from the past.