Chapter 17
Derek rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Jayna as she sauntered past.
Without turning around, she lifted her right arm and flipped him off.
Typical Jayna. Annoying and argumentative. Nothing he said was right, and everything he did was wrong in her eyes.
Yet, she had great-smelling hair, always a different scent. Not that he went around sniffing her, of course. The first time was purely accidental when she’d fallen off the truck and into his arms, smelling of strawberries and cream. Tonight, she smelled like a tropical vacation. And that dress—wow. The woman had curves. He frowned. Was he seriously checking her out? Impossible.
Jayna had attitude and way too much of it. And she hated him. Mutual, sure, but it still bugged him. Women didn’t hate him. Well, most didn’t. Just two: Jayna and Leighton. The rest found him funny, even charming. But Leighton had preferred Tommy, and Jayna outright disliked him. She’d even said it to his face, “Derek, I don’t like you.”
That had to be the reason he was standing at the bar, nursing a whiskey sour and checking her out. The reason why he’d pulled her closer while they danced, inhaling her sweet scent. She was a challenge, nothing more. Just like Leighton had been. His feelings for his brother’s girl had been more about competition than anything deeper. He really was messed up. Luckily, he had zero interest in a relationship, so his skewed feelings didn’t matter.
His eyes stayed on Jayna as she joined the women on the dance floor for the bouquet toss. Why was she participating? She was as dead set against relationships as he was. Wasn’t she worried that there might be actual magic in a flying bouquet of peonies?
The balcony door opened, and Leighton hurried in, looking extremely upset. She swatted at her eyes. Had she been crying? Even with tear-streaked cheeks, she was beautiful. She wore the same dress as Jayna, but it looked completely different on her. She wasn’t as curvy. When he first saw Jayna, his jaw had dropped. Leighton, on the other hand, looked classy, as always. And as untouchable as ever. After their talk on the roof, he realized he no longer wanted to touch her.
The door swung open, and Tommy stormed in, his mouth set in a hard line. He must have been on the patio with Leighton and caused her tears. Derek shook his head, letting out a heavy breath. Leighton didn’t deserve Tommy’s anger. It should be all directed his way. More guilt surged.
Tommy should just haul off and punch him, like back in their teens. Then they could put this all behind them, and Tommy could finally forgive him. This silent animosity was worse than a bloody nose or a fat lip. The guilt was eating Derek alive. Why hadn’t he just kept his hands to himself?
“Keep apologizing,” Ian had said. That’s what he’d told Leighton the other day on the roof. Well, to hell with that! If Tommy wanted to hold on to his anger, so be it! Next month, he and Ben were leaving for the TL Village in Sierra Leone to help install wells for Jovanny’s charity. That day couldn’t come soon enough. He needed to distance himself from his twin and this small town.
A cheer erupted as Piper threw her bouquet, and it landed in Jayna’s hands. Hopefully, it was pure fiction that the woman who caught the bouquet was the next to marry, because he felt sorry for the poor schmuck who’d end up as Jayna’s groom.
Jayna met his gaze from across the dance floor. She mouthed something to him. Pretty sure she’d called him an asshole. The day he left for West Africa couldn’t come soon enough. He was desperate to escape, not only from his twin, but from Jayna as well. The woman was everywhere.
He let his mind drift, picturing the unmatched landscape of Sierra Leone.