Chapter 8
JUNIPER
I am not going to let that man get into my head. I am not going to let that man get into my head. I keep repeating it to myself as I sit and wait for my next date to approach the table.
I can see Cindy still talking to Rafe, and it’s irritating the heck out of me.
I know Cindy because she often comes to Salty Pages to buy different books.
And while we’re not exactly friends, I feel like I know a lot about her, considering the fact that she’s always asking for books like the Kama Sutra and How to Please Your Man.
She is the last person I want to see flirting it up with Rafe.
“You’re not jealous, Juniper. You don’t care,” I mutter to myself.
“Sorry? Were you talking to me?”
I look up into the dark eyes of a handsome man that I’ve never seen on the island before and shake my head quickly.
“Sorry, I was just giving myself a pep talk,” I lie because I don’t want to admit that I was giving myself a pep talk about a guy I used to have a crush on.
“Oh, I feel you. These things are always slightly intimidating, aren’t they?” He holds out his hand. “I’m Travis.”
“Hi, Travis. I am Juniper.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“This is a slightly informal event, isn’t it?” he says. “I’ve never been to a speed dating event quite like this. Would you like a drink?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you,” I say, holding up my half-drunk glass of pinot noir.
“I suppose you wouldn’t want to take a drink from a strange man anyway.”
“I guess that’s right,” I say, smiling. “So, have you been to these events often? Are you from Coconut Beach or …”
“No, I’m actually just in town for two weeks with my buddies. I thought it would be fun to come out here. I actually live in Atlanta.”
“Oh, cool. Hotlanta, huh?”
“No one calls it that anymore,” he says, shaking his head.
His dark eyes are warm as he gazes at me, and I notice there’s a very distinguished look to him. I suddenly realize he’s wearing a suit, and he has on a tie and a Rolex watch.
“You’re a bit overdressed for this event, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I just came from a wedding,” he says, shrugging nonchalantly and looking down in a slightly embarrassed fashion.
“Oh, cool. Was it fun?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He laughs. “If you call the groom’s ex-girlfriend standing up and objecting to the wedding and saying that she’s pregnant by the groom and then the bride calling off the wedding and a lot of fighting and name-calling going down, then yeah.
” He shrugs and looks at me. “Sounds like a little bit of a hot mess, doesn’t it? ”
I lean forward. “Damn, I’m so sorry. So, were you there because of the groom or because of the bride? Who did you know?” Eagerness is dripping from my tone because who doesn’t want to get the dirt on a wedding gone wrong?
He stares at me, looking uncomfortable in a weird way. Like he doesn’t really want to say more. “I’ll admit it. I was on the groom’s side.”
“Oh shit. And did you know he was cheating with his ex-girlfriend?”
He nods slowly. “I did.”
“Holy shit. And you thought the wedding would still go forward?”
He smiles and chuckles lightly. “I did.”
“Shit. So, what ended up happening?”
“Well, the wedding got called off. The ex-girlfriend laughed with glee, said she was going to take the groom to court for child support. He’s not sure if the baby is his though because she’s a bit of a ho.”
“Wow. And the bride?”
“I don’t know. I think she’s on the next plane out of Coconut Beach. Probably headed back to Atlanta or something.”
“Dang. So, where’s the groom right now?”
He stares at me for a couple of seconds, and I watch as he runs his hands through his dark hair. He reminds me slightly of an overgrown frat boy—a really rich, really good-looking one, but still a frat boy.
“You’re kind of staring at him,” he says. There’s a glint in his eyes that makes me feel like he’s proud of the fact.
My jaw drops. “Wait, what? You’re the groom. You were meant to get married today.” I don’t know if my brain is computing everything he’s just told me because I can’t stop staring at him in shock and awe, instead of disgust.
He cocks his head to the side. “Does that mean you’re not going to want to go on a date with me later?”
“Wait, seriously? You were meant to get married today, and you’re at a speed dating event?”
“You can’t say I’m not honest,” he says, shrugging.
I burst out laughing then because how ridiculous is the situation? It’s so ridiculous that it’s hilarious, and I can’t wait to tell everyone I know. I wonder if every man in the world is an idiot.
Apparently though, I’m laughing a little too hard because the fun police is suddenly next to the table.
“Yes, Rafe, what can I do to help you?”
“I was just making sure everything was going okay.” He stares at me, a frown on his handsome face. He looks at me, and then he looks at my date. “I’m Rafe.”
“Okay. And is that meant to mean something to me?”
“Well, I’m just letting you know I know Juniper here, and I’m very protective of her, and …”
“Dude, okay. We haven’t gotten back to the hotel yet. We are not near a bed. If you want to cause some drama in my life, today is the wrong day to do it because I honestly don’t give a fuck what you have to say.”
I press my lips together because Rafe looks infuriated, but he has no idea just how serious this dude is.
“Well, here’s a word of advice: Don’t go back to Juniper’s place because she has bedbugs.” Rafe looks over at me and licks his lips. “Or did you say it was crabs? I did notice you scratching a lot.”
“Oh my gosh, really, Rafe?” I glare at him.
“What? I was at your place last night.”
“You didn’t come inside,” I say quickly.
“Wait, he was at your place last night?”
“He was, but only because he was giving me a ride home because …”
“And whose shirt did you wear into your apartment?”
“Well, I wore your shirt because my shirt was wet,” I explain. “Because …” I pause. It’s not really going to look good if I say I was in a wet T-shirt competition that didn’t actually happen.
“And whose lips were sucking on your nipples last night?” Rafe says, and all color leaves my face as my jaw drops.
“Holy shit. And I thought I was a dog.” My date jumps up and shakes his head.
“Look, you’re a pretty girl, but I dodged one bullet today.
Actually, I dodged two bullets today, and I’m not looking for a third one.
I just want some hot fucking sex and to bounce up out of this town.
And, well, I don’t know what you two got going on, but I don’t want a part of it. ”
And with that, he disappears.
I glare at Rafe, who bursts out laughing.
“Did he just say that?” He pauses as he notices that I’m glaring at him with absolute hate in my eyes. “So, you’re looking a little bit pissed off at me right now, Juniper.”
“A little bit?” I say loudly. “I’m more than a little bit pissed off. How dare you?”
“How dare I what? Tell the truth?”
“You should not have said that.”
“Why? We haven’t discussed it, which I thought we would’ve discussed because that was a pretty big thing to happen.”
“You’re not interested in me, Rafe.”
“Okay. And where’d you get that from?”
“History,” I say, folding my arms. “I remember the past, you know?”
And just like I expected, he says nothing. How could he? We both know that he turned me down pretty completely that night. And our relationship has never been the same since then.