Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tucker
“Good morning, Tucker. Get in here and have a taste of my sweet buns.”
I nearly trip over the bottom step of the staircase as Miss Ginny, the owner and operator of the Errant Heart Bed & Breakfast, greets me with that not-so-sly innuendo and a sassy smirk to match it. The woman has to be eighty if she’s a day, but her bright green eyes sparkle with vibrancy and youth.
“I’d be delighted, Miss Ginny,” I say, pivoting to head toward the dining room.
The scents of freshly baked bread, cinnamon, and coffee spark my senses as I walk inside, and Miss Ginny takes the initiative to start filling a plate for me before I even slide into an empty chair.
“So, I heard about your little performance with Kate last night,” she says, attempting to keep her tone nonchalant .
But I can hear the eagerness lacing the words. The woman wants some gossip, and she wants it straight from the source.
“It was fun,” I say, keeping my words intentionally vague. “We all took our turns singing.”
“But you didn’t take the stage with that Blaine McKenney gal,” she says.
“What are you really asking, Miss Ginny?” I ask, hoping the direct approach will make her back down.
No such luck.
“A lot of people think Logan McKenney’s little sister is quite beautiful,” she says, obviously fishing for my opinion on the matter.
I take a bite of the cinnamon bun she sets before me, pretending to put some deep thought into her statement before responding. As I chew, I nod slowly.
“I suppose she is beautiful, in the classic sense,” I say finally.
“In the classic sense, eh?” she asks, taking the chair across the table from me. “Not your type, then?”
“Definitely not,” I admit, blowing the steam off my coffee before taking a sip.
“And what is your type?” she asks, almost startling me with her straightforwardness.
“I prefer brunettes,” I say, then look up to meet her bright gaze. “I’m attracted to women with more natural beauty. And she must have a sense of humor. To be able to laugh at herself and make me laugh with her. And a nice, plump ass doesn’t hurt.”
If I thought my blatant honesty would throw her off her game, I was sadly mistaken. She snickers like a school girl before giving me a knowing nod .
“Sounds a lot like a certain maid of honor I know,” she sing-songs.
I lean back in my chair. “Are you trying to play matchmaker, Miss Ginny?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she says, her tone turning so haughty, I can’t hold back my laugh. Then she leans forward and pins me with a steady gaze, all humor gone. “Kate is a good girl. It would be a shame if someone hurt her and had to be dealt with by all the townsfolk who love her.”
The warning is clear, and her sudden shift in demeanor sends a little shock of fear down my spine. Leaning forward again, I meet her gaze head on and give her a single nod.
“Noted.”
“Good,” she says, shapeshifting back into the sassy little old lady she was a minute ago. “Now, eat up. You’re going to need your strength for today’s game.”
“You know what it is?” I ask.
“Now, don’t go batting those eyelashes at me, Mister. I’ll never tell,” she says, then pushes up from her chair and leaves the room. Then she pokes her head back in, saying, “And feel free to use my golf cart today, if you need it. The key is in the ignition.”
“Thank you, Miss Ginny,” I say, and she winks before disappearing again.
She’s feisty and protective, and I kind of love it. Bush Monkey Isle is full of characters like her. I can see why Logan wanted to move back here after college. It wasn’t all about Penny. It was this place, too.
It’s really starting to grow on me.
Miss Ginny is nowhere to be found when I finish eating, and though it feels wrong, I leave my dirty dishes on the table like she explicitly told me to when I checked in on Sunday night. Heading outside, I find her golf cart parked in the drive, the key in the ignition like she promised. Hopping in, I back out and start my drive to Logan and Penny’s house, where everyone is meeting this morning.
I have no idea what we’re doing today, and my only hints were orders to wear swim trunks or shorts and a t-shirt I wouldn’t mind getting wet and dirty. So, I’m wearing my trunks and an old graphic tee with a pair of flip-flops and a baseball cap.
It actually feels good, to be so casual when most days back in San Francisco, I’m buttoned up in a three-piece suit every damn day. I had no idea how badly I needed this vacation, and I’m truly grateful Logan asked me to be his best man.
Rizzle will be fine without me for the week. Hell, the place runs so smoothly, I could leave for a month without it affecting business. Maybe even longer.
My thoughts turn to Kate as I near Logan’s place, and I wonder if she’ll be wearing a swimsuit today. I know I shouldn’t daydream about her like this, but by God, I can’t help it. I remember her leaning into me last night after she’d had too much to drink, the way my fingers sank into the flesh of her hips while I was helping her keep her balance.
I wasn’t as unaffected as I pretended to be, that’s for sure.
I shake my head to clear it. I really shouldn’t be thinking about her like that. For all the reasons I’ve already gone over in my head a dozen times or more .
We’re friends. That’s all.
When I get to Logan and Penny’s and walk inside, I realize I’m the first to arrive. Apparently, last night’s activities have everyone else dragging ass this morning.
Logan closes the door behind me, and before I can say a word, he holds a finger to his lips and waves me forward. I follow as he leads me into his home office, then quietly closes the door behind us.
“Headache?” I ask as he digs his fingertips into his temples.
“Not for the reason you’re thinking,” he sighs before dropping his hands and meeting my gaze. “I need to talk to you. About Kate.”
My head rears back a notch. “What about her?”
He arches a brow as his lips tighten into a straight line. “You know what I mean.”
“I don’t think I do,” I say with a shake of my head.
“Come on, man,” he says on a sigh. “You may show up at public events with blonde supermodels on your arm, but I know you. Women like Kate are your kryptonite. But you need to resist the urge, man.”
Even though I’ve already decided I have to do just that, hearing the words from my best friend is like a slap to the face.
“Why is that?” I ask, unable to keep the bite out of my tone. “You don’t think I’m good enough for her, or something?”
“Of course not,” he says like it’s his turn to be offended. “You know I love you, man. But let’s be honest. You’re not the commitment type, and Kate is. She’s not a one-night stand kind of girl.”
Of course, I’ve figured that out, too. But that doesn’t stop my hackles from rising as Logan stares at me, waiting for me to agree not to touch her. Like he’s her father, or something. Kate’s a grown-ass woman, and she can decide what she wants for herself.
And if she wants to walk on the wild side once––with me ––I honestly don’t know if I’d have the will to stop it. Regardless of what Logan thinks is best.
Logan must see the obstinance in my expression, because he sighs again, this time louder. Leaning forward, he stares right into my eyes and utters words I’d never expect. Not in a million years.
“Kate doesn’t know what kind of fire she’s playing with here, J.T. She’s a virgin .”
I stumble back a step like he actually slapped me, my eyes flaring wide as my mouth falls open. “What?”
“You heard me,” he says, rubbing his temples again.
“But…she’s almost thirty years old, isn’t she?” I ask lamely, my brain misfiring as it tries to comprehend this revelation.
Logan shakes his head. “Small town. Very few options. And, according to Penny, she always wanted her first time to be with someone she really cared about, and it just never happened.”
“I––” I start, but whatever I was about to say gets cut off as the doorbell rings.
Logan shakes his head, mutters something about remembering what he said, and walks out of his office. I follow behind him at a slow pace, my mind racing.
She’s a virgin? Despite Logan’s explanation of how and why, I still can’t wrap my head around it. It’s inconceivable, especially knowing the woman. She’s the whole package. Gorgeous, funny, smart. Mischievous. An amazing friend to those she cares about.
I’ve known her for two days, and I can see everything she has to offer. This island is full of idiotic men who wouldn’t know a good thing if it hit them in the face.
Logan opens the door, and there she is, walking in like a bright ray of sunshine when she should be at least a little haggard after all the booze she put down last night. She looks at me and smiles, but she must see something in my expression, because her smile falls as she steps forward.
“Hey,” she says after Logan announces he’s going to see what’s keeping Penny and leaves the room. “Listen, I’m sorry about the forced karaoke last night. I had too much to drink, and I wasn’t thinking.”
I shake my head. “No need to apologize. It was actually a lot of fun.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, studying me like she doesn’t believe a word that came out of my mouth.
I force a smile. “I’m sure. Don’t give it another thought.”
“Then, what’s wrong?” she asks, reading me like a book despite the front I’m trying to put on.
I’m saved from answering when the doorbell rings again. Kate gives me a worried look before spinning around to go answer the door. As she greets Sam and Blaine, who walk in together, Penny and Logan emerge from the depths of the house with excited smiles.
“Okay, did everyone wear or bring their swimsuits, as instructed?” Penny asks after we gather together in the living room. Everyone nods, and she claps her hands. “Great. Today, we’re headed down to the beach to build sandcastles. Each team will have until five this evening to finish their masterpiece. A few citizens of Bush Monkey have volunteered to judge at that time, blindly, of course, and they’ll pick the winners.”
Blaine whines about sand and how it gets everywhere, but when I look over at Kate, she’s vibrating with excitement. She meets my gaze, and when I raise a brow in question, she shrugs.
“I love the beach,” she murmurs, then picks up the bag she dropped on the floor earlier and heads to the bathroom, presumably to change.
I’m already wearing my trunks, as is Sam, so we take a seat on the couch while our partners take turns in the bathroom. We’re chatting about sandcastle strategy when Kate reappears, and my words trail off while my mouth fills with saliva as I push to my feet.
Her bathing suit isn’t all that revealing, in actuality. The top is a halter-style tank that bares her shoulders and accentuates her cleavage. The bottoms are a pair of shorts that end a few inches above her knees. She’s tied her long, dark hair up into a bun on the top of her head, and her toes wiggle freely in a pair of flip-flops.
She looks amazing, and my tongue feels thick in my mouth as my gaze roams over every inch of bared skin.
Logan, who seems to have materialized beside me out of nowhere, nudges me with a shoulder. I tear my eyes away from Kate to look at him, and there’s a warning I can’t miss in his narrowed gaze. I clear my throat and give him a nearly imperceptible shake of my head, letting him know it’s all good. I won’t forget what he told me just because Kate waltzed in here looking like my favorite snack.
I can behave.
I think.
Fuck me .
This is going to be a very long day.