6. Isaac
6
Walking over to the door, I flip the sign from closed to open and then turn to the bar with a smile. “All right, let’s start the day!”
Vienna rolls her eyes, grumbling, “I’m already sick of this song,” as she cues up “Cheeseburger in Paradise” by Jimmy Buffet.
“Blasphemy,” I say with mock horror as Reece giggles and wipes down another glass. “Seriously, this is what sets us apart—what starts us on the right foot and pays tribute to one of the greatest musicians to grace the state of South Carolina.”
Vienna blinks. “There is seriously something wrong with you.”
“What? This is a classic,” I say, doubling down with enthusiasm.
“Garth Brooks is a classic.”
“And he’s always welcome at Love Beach Brews,”—I point to the beach paraphernalia hung on the walls and the classic here for a good time vibe—“but salt water runs in our veins and sunshine is our caffeine.”
“That’s a metaphor. That’s not actually real,” Reece stage-whispers, earning my glare.
“Pretty sure you’d be dead with the salt water though,” Vienna adds helpfully, her dark, wavy hair pulled up into a ponytail as her green eyes sparkle.
I huff, but there’s no real heat behind it. Reece has always pushed my buttons, so it makes sense bringing her best friend here with her would exponentially increase the sass thrown my way.
I definitely don’t hate it.
Already, the two of them had pulled in more tips during the weekday lunch rush than I had myself on a Friday night. I’m sure absolutely none of their middle school students learned anything with the two of them in the front of the class.
If I’m honest, I’ve had more than a few fantasies about Reece putting me in detention. With her dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, I’ve always been a goner for her. My heart lurches with the memory of how things ended between us, how I had to hide how much her leaving destroyed me.
But I’d promised Maddox—we both had—and until she showed up this summer, making Love Beach her temporary home again, I’d been able to keep that promise.
Loving her was easy.
It was her leaving that gutted me like a fish on the pier.
Still, my blood ran hot with every flirty smile Reece sent my way, every brush of her hand against mine, the way she bent over the bar giving me a peek down the front of her tank top with the Love Beach Brews logo on it.
Hell, I shouldn’t want to rekindle things with her, but damn, it was tempting.
She’d always been tempting.
And I almost gave in last week in the storeroom, because boy, did I want to, and if we hadn’t been interrupted, there’s no telling what would have happened. It had started innocently enough. She’d tweaked something in her back trying to get one of the boxes off the top shelf instead of waiting two minutes for me to help her.
She’d gotten it, but I’d come in just in time to see her grimace as she twisted back and forth trying to find some relief. I hadn’t even thought about the consequences of offering to help alleviate the pain—I’d just wanted to help.
But the second my hands touched her body, I’d been transported back to the days that she’d been mine. My fingers kneaded and caressed her, and I’d been out of my mind with only that simple act. Marigold had been a blessing and a curse barging into the storeroom like she had because I wouldn’t be able to resist my ex-girlfriend a second time.
And I didn’t want to.
As the song winds down, Vienna escapes to the back to restock glasses or otherwise make herself scarce for the next twenty minutes. I don’t know if she knows everything about my history with Reece, but she always seems to give us time alone when she can.
I should probably give her a raise.
“Hey Reece?”
“What’s up?” she asks as she pauses slicing lemons to look at me.
“I was just wondering if you’d heard anything about the job at the high school.”
“I haven’t been able to get ahold of Mr. Gomes, but it was just an interview. I don’t have any plans of moving back here.”
It’s a swift reminder of how fragile our relationship is here. I want her, and she’s standing with one foot already out the door. We could joke and laugh about the past, and even if I know how good it would feel to get lost in her, I won’t survive losing her again.
Hell, the hole in my heart never healed from the first time we said goodbye.
Reece’s eyes plead with me to understand and I do.
Truly.
But I can’t help wondering what our life would have been like if I’d gone with her—if I’d said to hell with Love Beach and taken a chance on us instead of running back home with a mangled heart.
The bell above the door chimes, and the moment’s gone, just like my hope of making it through this summer with her here.