6. Jude
six
Jude
“It’s too loud. We should have stayed in bed,” I grumble as Kat snaps a picture of us for her social media.
“You’re such a party pooper.” She presses her ass against me, swaying her hips to the music.
Somehow, Kat talked me into taking her to the High Tide Pavilion outdoor stage for one of the Summer Nights Concert Series so she could post about it to her followers, since that’s why she was in town, promoting Sunbreak Harbor.
Spending the day in bed together didn’t accomplish much for her job but we enjoyed it.
“Stop being such a brat, or I’ll swat your ass in front of everyone.”
“Fine.” She turns around to face me and sticks out her tongue at me, like the brat I called her. “Just a few more pictures, then we can go back to the cottage.”
“Alright.” I wrap her back in my arms again and rest my chin on her head, not believing it could feel this perfect.
We’ve been too busy having sex to talk about our future, but I plan to do that tonight when we get back to the cottage.
“There you two are.” Kayla from the tourism department steps up beside us.
“I’ve been trying to call you for the past three hours.
” I feel Kat stiffen in my arms. “The police caught your intruder. Well, more like the kid turned himself in. It seems he’s a wannabe influencer.
When he turned himself in at the police station, he said he only broke into your rental house as a prank.
He said he thought you would post about it and that he would become famous.
When you didn’t, he decided to turn himself in. ”
“How old is he?” Kat asks, and I think about the two teenage girls who are part of her fan base.
“Sixteen,” Kayla answers. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Since he’s only sixteen and has confessed, I was hoping you wouldn’t press charges.”
“No, of course not,” Kat says, her body trembling in my arms, but I can’t figure out why.
“Thank you, Kat. He really is a good kid—he just got caught up in the dream of becoming famous.”
Famous for breaking into someone’s home, stealing their underwear, and scaring them half to death. I want to shout at Kayla.
“It’s okay. I understand.” Kat nods, but I can feel her pulling away, both mentally and physically.
“I saw the two of you online. Your cover was perfect. You looked like a real couple,” Kayla says. “If I didn’t know it was all an act, I would have believed it.”
“Right, an act.” Kat steps out of my arms, leaving me feeling hollow.
Oblivious to the tension in the air, Kayla continues, “I already talked to Sloane and told him we don’t need you anymore, Jude. He said he would reassign you.”
Reassign? Hell no!
“Come on, Kat.” Kayla takes Kat’s hand. “I want to introduce you to the lead singer of the band going on stage next. He’s single and super-hot. He was asking about you.” I stand there, unable to move or speak, as Kayla leads Kat away from me.
My thoughts are a jumbled mess. Didn’t last night mean anything to Kat? How can she just walk away from us? Doesn’t she want to fight for us?
No, you dummy. You never told her how you felt. My inner voice scolds.
The war inside my head continues until the song the band is playing cuts through my tangled thoughts. The lead singer is singing Hey Jude. It must be fate. I take a step toward Kat just as she turns around—she must have heard the song, too.
I’m not sure who moved first, but somehow we end up in each other’s arms in the middle of a crowd singing Hey Jude at the top of their lungs. Our lips crash against each other in a desperate kiss.
I pull away first. “I love you, Kat. Our relationship, as short as it was, was never fake to me.” I tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, memorizing her face in case she doesn’t feel the same way about me, and this is our last time together.
“It might sound crazy since we barely know each other, but I love you too, Jude. Take me to the cottage.” She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down for a kiss.
Without missing a beat, I lift her into my arms, bridal style, and carry her out of the concert and back to the cottage, unaware that the two teenage girls from the mall caught the whole exchange on video and posted it online, tagging Kat with the caption, Come find love in Sunbreak Harbor.
Something tells me Kat has some competition for her job.
Good thing I have a plan to keep her busy for a very long time.