6. CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SIX
KINSLEY
I leave the Clubs at Savannah with Ramon’s phone number in hand, promising to call him if I come up with more questions. The whole way to my sister’s house, I have to fight off thoughts of Ethan and his spectacular body. He’s in my past. A person who means absolutely nothing to me anymore.
When I pull up to Tessa’s house and find Derrick waving me into the driveway, I have no other choice than to banish Ethan from my mind.
“Park on this side,” he tells me through my open window. “I drove Tessa to work today, so her car is in the garage.”
“Do you want me to go pick her up?” I ask, ready to shift into reverse.
Derrick’s lips tip down in a confused frown, then he scowls. “She didn’t tell you, did she?”
Stomach sinking, I shoot him a questioning look.
“Did she at least tell you where we’re going?”
Unease worms its way through me at the concern in his tone. “I figured you were having a party at the house. Something about big news.”
Derrick huffs out a harsh breath. “I knew she’d do this.” Roughing a hand down his face, he pulls my car door open. “Don’t hate me. It wasn’t my idea,” he says, “but we’re meeting Tessa at Four Oysters.”
I grab the handle on the interior of my car door and pull it back. “Nope.”
Derrick grimaces. “Kinzie. Please.”
I shake my head so vehemently my hair whips my face.
Four Oysters is a lavish restaurant here in Hope Island. And it just so happens that the owners are two of Ethan’s younger brothers. It’s so well known for its decadent seafood and opulent cocktails that people drive for miles just to take part in its magical atmosphere. Tessa begged me to go with her when they opened last year. I refused, of course. Afterward, she gushed about their food and pleaded with me again, but I held firm.
While I’m proud of Logan and Carter for following their dreams, I haven’t been able to bear the idea of running into them. Not after the way I fell into hysterics after I received Ethan’s letter from boot camp. Like the young, na?ve girl I was, I went straight to their house and cried. And not just once, but every day for a week straight, as if they could convince Ethan to come back home.
Logan’s face still haunts me on bad days. Days when I make a decision I’ll likely regret later. It’s the tortured look of a teenage boy when he has no fucking idea what to do with his brother’s ex-girlfriend except to let her cry until his mom gets home.
No. I have zero intention of ever seeing them again.
“Derrick,” I sigh. “You know I can’t.”
“I told Tessa you’d never agree to it, but she insisted that with your run-in with Ethan the other day, you’d be okay with it. She swears you’ve let bygones be bygones. But if it’s still too much for you, I can call her and tell her to have everybody meet at the Pub instead.”
I grimace. The Pub is a hole-in-the-wall bar that’s great for a quick drink, but they don’t serve food.
Derrick pulls out his phone and scrolls through what I imagine to be his contact list.
“Stop,” I mumble through gritted teeth. “I’ll go.”
He looks up, his expression drawn. “Kinzie. It’s okay. We still have plenty of time to—”
“No. It’s fine,” I say, cutting him off. “I’m a big girl. Tessa’s right. It’s about time I let bygones be bygones.”
A smile spreads wide across his face. Shoving his phone back into his pants pocket, he shuffles closer. “You have one hour,” he says, pulling my door open again. “Tessa left a dress hanging in the guest bathroom. If you need anything, I’ll be in my room.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I grumble when I catch sight of the short, sleek black dress with silver sequin straps hanging over the shower rod. There is no way my sister bought this for herself. She’s way too modest. I snag it from the rod and hold it out, turning it one way, then the other, looking for a price tag, but also admiring the satin finish and the V-shaped neckline. When I don’t find a tag, my chest tightens. Tessa is terrible at keeping promises. Whoever she has her sights set on for me tonight is in for a rude awakening.
I don’t normally fight dirty, but war is ugly. I’ll wear the dress. I’ll even flat iron my hair the way she likes and throw on her favorite shade of red lipstick. But after her big news, my claws are coming out. This is the last time Tessa gets to play matchmaker.