Josh
As pathetic as the Eagle’s Cove Dock Party was, it was something to do. Not to mention an opportunity to arrive in style. By boat. A sleek, five-star luxury vessel the locals were free to look at, but not touch.
God, he was in a bad mood. New Girl might have balls, but she didn’t have brains.
Not with a move like that. She’d soon learn that you never cross a Regis.
Britney had been pissed when she’d heard about it.
Baloo had been strangely silent, but for the most part the guys agreed Teagan was out of order.
He held out his hand to Britney, who wouldn’t make it down the stairs let alone the dock in her stilettos. Baloo bashed past, pounding down the dock like the Incredible Hulk cheerily bellowing, “Camembert! Boat-rocker!”
And now he was giving Teagan Tao a bear hug?
Traitor.
She was public enemy number one.
“Because of you, I got upgraded,” Baloo bellowed, volume turned to eleven.
“I didn’t change the seats,” she protested, laughing as he swung her around.
“Maybe not, but you spoke truth to power.”
Baloo knew Josh was right behind him, right?
“Don’t think that’s what that means,” Teagan said to Baloo, smile turning wary when she spotted him.
Baloo tried to drag her into their group, pouring out tequila shots, but she wisely refused.
When Baloo got to him, Josh gave him a meaningful look. “Not really into tequila right now.”
“What? Because we have practice tomorrow?”
“No.” He waited for the light to dawn. It did.
Baloo looked crestfallen. “Hey, c’mon, man. Don’t be sore. The boat was faster with me. Fair and square.”
“It’s fine,” Josh said. It wasn’t anything close to fine. Josh was the team stroke. End of.
Baloo looked him in the eye. “C’mon, man, get in my face and tell me you’re mad at me.”
Everyone was watching. Josh glared at Baloo.
“Yup,” Baloo said, all serious, like he was a doctor diagnosing him. “You’re mad.”
He stepped closer to Josh, his huge form towering over him menacingly.
“Well, there’s only one way to end this…” said Baloo. He grinned. “BEAR HUG!”
Everyone was circled around them so there was no escape. Baloo scooped him up and spun him around until Josh started laughing. “Enough!”
Baloo dropped him to the ground.
Britney hooked her arm into Josh’s and whispered, “Let’s dance. I’ve got Amber doing a little fact gathering to see if we can remind our newest Eastonian how things work here.”
“Stay out of it, yeah?” Crew was his thing. He didn’t need his girlfriend fighting his battles. He spotted Teagan talking with Cam and some other townies nearby.
What’s your deal, New Girl? he thought. What makes you think you can stick your fingers into pies you have no business touching?
Britney grabbed his chin, turned his face to hers.
“Why are you staring at the new girl?”
He shook her off. “I’m not.” He was. He needed to understand why she’d said what she had and what made her think she was right.
Brit gave a huff of irritation. Before she could launch into one, he held up a hand. “Look. I’m not… It’s not you. I just need some space.”
Britney stormed off. He saw her go over to Amber. Their heads were together as they whispered, looking at something on Amber’s phone. No doubt planning a takedown.
Maybe he did feel like having some tequila…
Too many shots later, Josh and everyone protested when the music stopped. Britney wrestled the microphone away from the DJ.
Shit.
Britney in a bad mood was as full-on as one of her brother’s bear hugs. Not in a good way. Josh had looked at another girl. So what? It wasn’t because he liked her. It was because she’d hit a nerve and he wasn’t exactly going to admit that, was he?
“Attention, everyone. Attention,” said Britney into the mic. “This is a public service announcement. I just wanted everyone to be aware that there is a thief in our midst.”
Okay. Not exactly what he’d been expecting.
A screen flickered to life behind her. A news anchor was talking about some nationwide hunt the FBI was doing.
He leaned in. What was she up to? Britney wasn’t a public service kind of girl.
“David Tao,” the newscaster said, “the owner of a boutique chain of hotels in California, allegedly defrauded his investment group of millions.” An image of the fugitive, with his wife and daughter, flashed onto the screen.
Teagan.
Teagan Tao was the daughter of one of America’s most wanted fugitives.
Josh took it all back. Brit was a genius. He’d dance with her for the rest of the night if she wanted.
The newscaster continued, “The fund was believed to have been embezzled to pay for Tao and his family’s lavish lifestyle. To date, authorities have been unable to locate him.”
Britney tapped the mic, her smile triumphant. “Where’s your dad, Teagan? Where’s the money?”
Everyone was staring at the new girl, backing away like she had a contagious disease. She might as well have. Living large at someone else’s expense did not go down well with the locals. For people like him? They all lived large at someone else’s expense. But they hadn’t been caught.
Teagan froze like a deer in headlights. Then, looking horrified, she fled the scene, stealing a bottle of vodka from the bar on the way out.
Like father, like daughter, apparently.