2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Rayna
I have been in Mercury Ridge for exactly six days.
Six.
And I have already dropped an entire pizza order onto a man.
Not just a man.
A man’s man.
The kind of man who’s all lean muscle and tanned skin and oh-so-kissable lips.
And I hurled a pizza at him.
I press my forehead against the cool tile wall just inside the back door of Mercury Slice and close my eyes.
“Please tell me you didn’t just concuss yourself,” Jenna, my cousin and fellow server, says.
“I wish I had,” I mutter. “At least then I’d have an excuse.”
She snorts and hands me a stack of paper towels. “You’ll survive. He’s shirtless right now, by the way.”
My eyes snap open. “He is not.”
“He is,” she says cheerfully. “Take a peek before he finishes changing his shirt.”
My cheeks blaze even hotter, a feat I wouldn’t have thought possible. “No, that’s okay.”
“Don’t miss the show, girl! Half-dressed men are the biggest perk of working at the lake.”
So, against my better judgment, I turn to peer out the door. His hands are raised in the air, tugging a t-shirt over his head, with every muscle in his arms and chest on full display.
Holy. He is ripped. The man could star in a Marvel movie, for real.
I take a breath, then another, trying to get my heart rate back to something resembling normal. It doesn’t work. Because as soon as he’s properly dressed again, my brain begins replaying the embarrassing moment on the dock again and again and again.
I blow out a breath and drag the towel over my face. “I can’t believe that just happened. I’m never going back out there.”
“Yes, you are,” Jenna says. “You’re on dock duty.”
“I can’t, Jenna. I’ll drop dead from embarrassment.”
“Please don’t. That’d be really inconvenient for the rest of us.”
I drop the towel and glare at her. “Can I at least wait until he and his friends leave?”
“Not a chance. Besides, they’re regulars. They basically live here in the summer.”
“Regulars?” I say weakly.
“Yep. Ace, Liam, Trent, Forrest—”
“And Joel,” I say before I can stop myself.
Jenna’s mouth curves into a grin. “And Joel. He’s single, you know.”
“So?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
She laughs. “So, I’m pretty sure you’re on his radar now. Don’t waste the opportunity.”
Jenna pushes off the counter. “Their order is up. Go take it to them.”
I shake my head. “I can’t.”
“You can.”
“Please, Jenna. I cannot face him again. You take the outside tables, and I’ll take the inside.”
“Nope,” she says, already sliding a fresh set of pizza boxes toward me.
I stare at the boxes like they might bite me.
“You’ve got this. Just… maybe carry fewer things this time.”
“So helpful,” I mutter.
“I try.”
I take the boxes, shooting one last look at her before I push open the door and step back onto the dock.
Joel is sitting at the table with his friends, a clean shirt now replacing the one I destroyed. His back is to me at first, broad shoulders filling out the fabric in a way that should probably be illegal in public places.
He turns before I even make it halfway down the dock.
Like he felt me come out.
Our eyes meet.
And just like that, my brain forgets how to function.
Cool. Cool, cool, cool.
I walk slower this time, careful with every step, hyper-aware of the boards beneath my feet. The last thing I need is to wipe out again.
“Look who’s back,” one of Joel’s friends says as I approach.
“And handling those pizza boxes masterfully,” another adds.
All five men look up at me. They are all too good-looking for their own good. But I can’t stop looking at Joel.
I take a deep breath, pasting a smile on my face. “I’m so proud of me.”
I set the pizza boxes down on the table.
“As you should be,” one of the men says. “No casualties this round.”
“Shame,” another says. “I wanted to see a repeat performance.”
“Don’t tempt fate,” I tell him. “It may be your shirt I ruin next time.”
My eyes meet Joel’s. He still hasn’t said anything. “Hi, again,” I say.
“Hey,” he says.
That’s it. Just hey.
But the way he says it, low and steady, sends a shiver of pleasure through my body.
“I, um…” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I put in an order of Ooey Gooey Cinnamon Roll Sticks for you. They’ll be up soon.”
He smiles. “Thanks.”
I shift my weight, suddenly aware that I’m just standing here, lingering, while his friends watch us like hawks. For once, none of them say anything.
“Well,” I say. “Enjoy your—”
“Sit,” Joel says.
I blink. “What?”
He nods toward the empty chair at the end of the table. “Sit for a minute.”
I glance around the pizzeria, then back at him. “I’m working.”
“Just for a minute,” he repeats. He’s not smiling. Not really. But there’s something warm in his eyes, something so damn inviting that I want to say yes.
Which is ridiculous. I do not sit down with customers in the middle of my shift.
“Okay,” I hear myself say.
I slide into the chair, telling myself it’s just for a minute.
Just long enough to get my heart rate under control.
Just long enough to prove that I can be normal around him.
Just long enough to remember that I am only in Mercury Ridge for the summer and absolutely, under no circumstances, can I fall for this sexy-as-hell fisherman.