Hooked on You (Lake Mercury Lovers #1)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Joel

There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than Mercury Ridge in the middle of summer.

Most people dream about getting away from small towns like this. Me? I built my whole life around Lake Mercury. Around these mountains. Around the kind of place where everybody knows your name and half the town waves when you pass by in a boat.

By the time I glance across the lake, the sun’s climbing higher and the water’s already alive with weekend chaos.

Boats cut slow paths across the water, and kids shriek from the swimming platform near the far cove.

A man in a bright orange life vest is trying and failing to start a pontoon while his wife gives directions from the dock like she’s conducting an orchestra.

Summer in Mercury Ridge. Loud. Hot. Busy. Exactly the way I like it.

I ease my boat toward the dock at Mercury Slice and cut the engine.

The lake location is newer than the main pizzeria in town, but it already feels like it’s been here forever.

I smile as I take in the red umbrellas, weathered tables, and the dock-side pickup window where boaters can grab food without ever putting on shoes.

Then I search the outside tables for the faces of my closest friends.

Ace, Liam, Trent, and Forrest are already at our usual table.

Ace lifts his chin when he sees me. “Look who decided to show,” he shouts.

“I had a call,” I yell back.

“You always have a call,” Trent says.

That’s true enough. Boats break. Docks rot. Overconfident tourists quickly figure out they are in over their heads. Around here, if something goes wrong on the water, I’m the guy people call.

I park my boat alongside the dock, tie off, and step onto the damp boards.

That’s when I see her.

She comes out of the pickup window with three pizza boxes balanced against one arm and a drink carrier in the other.

Her dark hair is piled on top of her head, loose strands sticking to her neck from the heat.

Her black Mercury Slice T-shirt is tucked into denim shorts, showing off every curve as she strides across the dock.

New waitress? I’d know if I’d seen her here before, that’s for sure. A guy doesn’t forget a knockout like her.

“Rayna!” someone calls from inside. “Order for boat slip six is up next.”

“Got it,” she calls back.

Rayna. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.

My eyes follow her as she walks toward a pontoon at the far end of the dock. It’s crowded today, boards damp from swimmers and splashed-up waves, and she’s carrying too much and walking too quickly.

I start moving before I think about it.

Her sneaker hits a wet patch and her foot slips. The drink carrier tilts first, then the pizzas, and her eyes go wide just before she goes down.

I catch her around the waist.

She lands against my chest, soft and warm and startled, while the pizza boxes launch themselves between us. One flips open, smashing the pizza into my chest. My shirt is destroyed, and tomato sauce and melted cheese drip from my arms.

For a second, everything stills. Then my friends burst into laughter.

Rayna stares at my shirt in horror. “Oh my gosh.”

“You hurt?” I ask.

Her gaze snaps to mine. “What?”

“Are you hurt?”

“I… no. I don’t think so.” Her hands are still on my arms, fingers curled like she hasn’t realized she’s holding on. “But you’re…”

She looks down.

So do I.

There is an impressive amount of pizza on me.

“I’m fine,” I say.

“You are not fine. You are covered in cheese.”

I pick a pepperoni off my arm. “No anchovies, so it’s all good.”

Her mouth opens, then closes again. She’s obviously at a loss for words. The corners of my mouth twitch. “I know, right? A fisherman who doesn’t like fish on his pizza? Shocking.”

She gives the tiniest of smiles as she opens her mouth to say something. Unfortunately, my buddy Trent interrupts her.

“Looks like lunch is on Joel today,” he yells, cackling at his own joke. The rest of my friends laugh with him.

I roll my eyes. “Ignore them,” I tell Rayna.

“I’ll try,” she says, a little breathless. “I really am so sorry. I swear I’m not usually this much of a disaster.”

“First week?” I ask.

Her eyes narrow slightly. “Is it that obvious?”

“No,” I say, glancing at the slick boards. “But nobody who’s been here long carries three pizzas and drinks across wet docks during the Saturday lunch rush.”

“That would have been helpful information about thirty seconds ago,” she mutters.

A smile pulls at my mouth before I can stop it. “Live and learn.”

Her lovely eyes meet mine. “At least you were here to catch me.”

I realize I’m still holding her. I reluctantly let go of her arms and step away.

She drops into a crouch immediately, trying to gather the ruins of what was supposed to be somebody’s lunch. I crouch with her, picking up what I can.

“No, no,” she says quickly. “Please don’t. You’ve already done enough.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. You’re literally wearing a pizza.”

“I’ve got another shirt on my boat.”

“Not the point.” She shakes her head. “I really hope I don’t get fired for this.”

A laugh slips out of me before I can catch it. It’s quiet, but it surprises us both.

She looks up at me. “I really need this job right now,” she says defensively.

I wipe the grin from my face. “I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that if Mikki fired everyone who drops a pizza, she’d have no staff at all… including her husband. Jared once wiped out so hard he fell into the lake.”

She frowns uncertainly. “That’s a relief, I guess. But I’m sure this hungry family won’t be happy to wait for their meal to be remade.”

“They’ll be fine,” I assure her. “No one’s ever in a bad mood on the lake. Just throw in some of Mikki’s famous Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Sticks for free, and I guarantee you’ll get an awesome tip.”

“Rayna!” someone calls from inside again. “You okay?”

“I’m fine! But we’ll need to remake that last order.” She glances at me out of the corner of her eye. “And can we throw in complimentary Ooey Gooey Sticks as an apology for the wait?”

I nod in approval.

“Hey, Joel,” Liam calls. “We’re hungry. Think you can salvage enough pizza from one of those boxes for an appetizer?”

Rayna squeezes her eyes shut for half a second. “Your friends will never let me live this down, will they?”

“They’re good guys,” I say, chuckling. “But no… probably not.”

I stack what’s salvageable and stand, then offer her a hand. She hesitates for a second before taking it, letting me pull her up. Her palm is warm, a little damp from the heat, and sends a surge of attraction through my whole body. She lets go a second too fast, like she noticed it too.

Mikki leans out the pickup window, wiping her hands on a towel. “You okay, Rayna?”

Rayna’s cheeks redden at the sight of her box. “I’m fine. Sorry about that.”

Mikki nods. “It happens. Joel, man, I’ll comp your lunch today.”

“Don’t even think about it, Mikki,” I say. “It’s not a problem.”

Mikki waves a hand to shush me. “Rayna, take five while we remake that order.”

“I don’t need a break,” Rayna says quickly.

“Take one anyway,” she says. “Need a hose, Joel?”

My friends all burst into laughter again before chanting, “Get the hose. Get the hose.”

I should probably care that I’m standing on the dock covered in pizza while my friends laugh their heads off.

Instead, all I can think about is the way Rayna looked at me when I caught her. And how badly I want her in my arms again.