Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Kate
As hard as I try, I can’t stop the periodic spurts of laughter that burst out of me as we drive around the island, collecting photos of our scavenger hunt items. It’s official. Images of Tucker landing flat on his back before scrambling back to his feet in sheer terror will forever live rent-free in my head. I wish I’d had the foresight to record the whole thing on my phone.
Who knew Mr. Ladies’ Man was so gullible?
Clutching the steering wheel of the golf cart with one hand, I rest the other in my lap. I jump when Tucker’s arm shoots toward me, gripping my wrist and pulling it toward him. I don’t fight for release as I glance over to see him staring at the faded scars on my skin.
Rubbing his thumb over the slightly puckered flesh––which totally doesn’t send a ripple of goosebumps up my arm…totally––he asks, “So, how did you really get this?”
“Kitchen accident,” I say, flinching at the slight waver in my voice. Clearing my throat, I add in a much firmer tone, “I tripped and accidentally caught myself on a hot grill.”
“Ouch,” he breathes, rubbing the spot again.
Something tumbles in my gut, and there’s a tightening in my core I’ve never felt from another’s touch before. I don’t know how to handle it, so I end up gently extracting my wrist from his grasp. Pulling my arm back to my lap, I surreptitiously rub the spot against my leg in an attempt to erase the remaining tingles from his touch.
Feeling an extreme urge to change the subject and break the tension, I pump the brakes and throw out an arm toward a nearby bush, shouting, “Monkey!”
Startled, Tucker flinches toward me before sighing audibly and straightening back to his former position. When I snicker, he looks my way with an annoyed expression.
“How long are you going to milk this?”
I shrug, humming the universal sound for “I don’t know.” Meeting his eyes, I offer, “All week, maybe? But I promise I won’t make you screech and run at the wedding. Can’t do that to Penny.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate your consideration,” he grumbles, making me laugh again.
“Oh,” I say as I pull the golf cart to the side of the street. “Here we go. The last one.”
Tucker meets me by the front bumper, looking as I point to the small, two-story yellow house. Lifting his phone, he snaps a picture, then slides the device into his pocket.
“So, this is where Penny lived when they first started dating in high school?” he asks, referring to the last clue we had to solve.
“Yep,” I say, pointing to a window on the second floor. “He used to keep a step ladder hidden in the bushes so he could reach the porch roof and pull himself up to sneak into her bedroom after her parents went to sleep.”
“Scandalous,” he murmurs, making me chuckle.
“Very,” I agree. “Of course, her parents found out. It’s hard to keep a secret in this town. You want to know how Penny’s mom let her know they were onto her?”
“How?” he asks, looking over to meet my gaze.
“She left a very special gift on Penny’s bed. Penny got home from school to find a basket filled with condoms and an appointment card for a doctor’s visit to get birth control pills.”
A bark of laughter bursts from his lips as he shakes his head. “That’s one way to get your point across.”
I chuckle. “Penny was mortified.”
“I bet,” he replies, then moves to climb back into the golf cart. “Come on. Let’s go see if we won.”
The drive is a short one, and after we park and head into Miguel’s, it only takes a second to realize we’re the first ones here. I let out a little shout of victory and, without thinking, lunge for Tucker, wrapping him in a tight hug. His arms move around me automatically, hugging me back as the woodsy scent of his cologne wafts up my nose .
And now, he’s not letting go, surpassing the general time limit for a “friendly” hug.
And I’m not letting go, either, because being held by Tucker Gibbs feels too damn good.
Warning bells sound off inside my head along with Penny’s voice screaming, “Hands off! Hands off!” A nervous chuckle rumbles in my chest as I carefully extract myself. Offering Tucker what I hope is a nice, friendly smile, I nod as he offers to buy us a pitcher of beer while I head for our reserved table.
The more distance I put between us, the more like myself I feel, and by the time I reach the round table with a placard identifying it as reserved for the bridal party, I’m laughing at how close it is to the karaoke stage. Penny made sure the winners of the scavenger hunt would have a front row view of the losers when they pay up.
I shake my head as I slide into a chair. I have no doubt Penny assumed she and Logan would be the victors today. I was technically on my own since there was no chance Tucker––who’s never been here before––would know the answers to any of the clues. Blaine and Sam would most likely bicker all day…
Well, Blaine would bicker, and Sam would remain stoic, frustrating Logan’s sister and making her angrier and harder to work with as a team.
In actuality, the happy couple should’ve won, but I’d bet money on the fact that they got distracted along the way, wasting valuable time. Or not wasting, as the case may be.
Whatever the reason, Tucker and I won, which means we get to enjoy a free dinner while the others make fools of themselves on stage.
Tucker arrives, setting the pitcher and two pint glasses down on the table as he slides into the chair next to me. I watch as he fills the two glasses, impressed by the lack of foam on top. He’s had some practice.
Tucker lifts his glass in my direction, so I mimic the action, and he says, “To our victory, and not having to sing tonight.”
I chuckle and clink my glass against his before we both take a long drink. The cold, effervescent brew bursts on my tongue, cools my throat, and warms my belly, making me relax. That hug was just a hug. No sense in reading more into it, right?
The door swings open, catching my attention, and I look over to see Sam holding it for Blaine as she strides in and looks around. Sam spots us first, and I wave. He laughs and points us out to Blaine, who snarls at the sight of us before smoothing out her expression and approaching with a flirty grin. She chooses the chair on Tucker’s other side, and something pinches in my gut.
“Boo. You beat us,” she simpers, crossing her arms like she’s pouting when, in reality, she’s simply pushing her breasts up to enhance her cleavage.
The devil picks that very moment to jump into my body and take over. It’s the only explanation I have for cocking my head, pointing at Blaine’s chest, and saying, “Be careful there, Blaine. You don’t want to accidentally have a nip-slip in here. Miguel would ban you for life.”
Unfortunately––or fortunately , depending on how you look at it––Tucker happened to be mid-sip when Lucifer decided to speak through me. If this were a movie, the scene would shift to slow-motion as Tucker pulls his glass away and spews beer across the table like one of those fountains in Las Vegas.
Blaine shouts and slides her chair backward, but not before receiving a not-so-fine mist of pale ale across that ample chest she was showing off two seconds ago. Tucker’s hand slaps over his mouth a year too late, and he swallows the beer he managed to hold inside before turning to Blaine to apologize.
Problem is, he’s still laughing, so the apology sounds a little less than sincere. Huffing out an angry breath, Blaine slams to her feet and marches toward the ladies’ room. Tucker looks helplessly at Sam, who simply chuckles, then turns his gaze to me.
Shrugging, I say, “Now’s the perfect time to make your escape.”
Tucker’s eyes narrow, and I realize he thinks that was a dig at his little disappearing act last night, which it wasn’t. Not really.
Or if it was, it was totally unconscious, and that’s the story I’m sticking to.
“Kate Reid, will you marry me?” Sam asks, laughter still sparkling in his eyes.
“Not today, Sam,” I say. “Ask me again sometime.”
Did I just quote Luke Skywalker? Yes. Yes, I did.
But when I look over at Tucker to see if he caught it, I find him staring intently at Sam as my would-be fiancé mimes stabbing a dagger into his heart. I nudge Tucker with my elbow, and his expression turns blank before he looks over at me with a smile.
That was weird .
I startle as Penny seems to materialize beside me, propping her hands on her hips with a huff. “I can’t believe we came in last.”
Arms circle around her waist from behind, and Logan props his chin on her shoulder as he grins at the rest of us. “We might’ve gotten a little…distracted along the way.”
Nailed it.
Penny elbows him playfully and pulls out of his grasp, sliding into the empty chair beside Tucker. The one previously occupied by Logan’s sister. And the innocent look on her face doesn’t fool me. I know her too well. Her choice was a calculated one, an attempt to rescue Tucker from Blaine’s machinations.
“Where’s Blaine?” she asks while sliding the chair closer to the table, proving my suspicions.
“Bathroom,” I offer. “There was a little mishap with the beer.”
Sam snickers at that, and I swear Tucker’s cheeks turn a bit ruddy. Is he…blushing? No way. It must be a trick of the lighting in here.
Clearing his throat, Tucker pulls our list of clues from his pocket, along with his phone, and proceeds to show Penny, Logan, and Sam the pictures we took as we solved each one. When he gets to the wildflowers, his head snaps in my direction with a stern expression that shouts, “Don’t you dare give any more details about that.”
I try to hide my wide grin behind my glass as I sip my beer, and Tucker’s gaze narrows before he returns his attention to the rest of the group. Penny claps and officially declares us the winners .
Blaine emerges from the bathroom, looking like a pissed off angel who’s trying to appear serene and failing. Her expression turns darker as she eyes Penny, who’s taken her seat, then she sighs and slides into the last empty chair between Logan and Sam. Penny’s eyes dart in my direction for a fraction of a second, just long enough to give me a mental high-five.
God, I love her.
“What’s wrong?” Logan asks, leaning closer to his sister.
“Nothing,” she says, offering the weakest, fakest smile ever . “Everything is fine.”
Miguel appears beside our table with the biggest platter of tacos I’ve ever laid eyes on. “I know I offered a free meal to the winners, but I can’t let the happy couple pay for their own food. So, with my heartfelt congratulations…”
His words trail off as he sets the platter down in the center of the table, adding, “ Buen provecho.”
Penny gushes and thanks him as Logan shakes his hand. We pass around the plates a waitress provides, and everyone digs into the tacos. Everyone except Blaine. That one orders a small salad with the dressing on the side, no croutons, and no cheese.
I look down at my own plate, filled with no less than four greasy, cheesy tacos, and I suddenly feel a bit self-conscious. But before I can backtrack and copy Blaine’s order, Tucker leans in and places a fifth taco on my plate next to the rest. When I look over at him, he smiles gently and nods toward my food.
“More for us,” he whispers, and I can’t stop my lips from twitching upward .
We eat. We laugh. We drink way too many cervezas .
And that’s before the shots of tequila start showing up, courtesy of the townsfolk dining around us tonight. Everyone knows what we’re celebrating, and I guess they want to be a part of it. Who am I to insult them by rejecting their offerings?
So, against my better judgement, I toss back every round that appears in front of me. I don’t want to be rude, right?
When the karaoke guy gets his equipment set up and announces that he’s now filling slots, Penny holds up her hands to get our attention.
“We may all be eating for free tonight, but Kate and J.T. still get the rest of their prize. Who’s singing first?”
“Might as well get this over with,” Blaine mutters as she stands, then walks over to the karaoke booth to put in her song with the master-of-ceremonies.
She’s the first one, so she hops right up on the stage after accepting a microphone from the host. It only takes a few beats to recognize the song she’s picked, and I have to fight hard not to stick my finger in my mouth and make gagging noises in response.
And to make matters even more uncomfortable, Blaine blatantly eyes Tucker while singing every line of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye in a husky, slightly off-key voice. I glance over to see his reaction, and there’s no denying his discomfort as he shifts in his seat and avoids looking up at her.
I catch Penny’s eye and subtly nod toward him, and she rolls her own eyes in response. As much as she loves Logan, she’s never been a huge fan of his sister. She only asked Blaine to be a bridesmaid for Logan’s sake. He wants so desperately for the two of them to get along. To one day be sisters, for real. But he’s also not blind to his sister’s attitude and antics, and really appreciates the effort Penny has been putting in to make his dreams a reality.
I’m doubtful it’ll ever happen, but Penny’s a good sport for trying.
Penny pulls Logan up onto the stage next, and they both dance while singing “Tequila” by The Champs, if you can even call it that. It literally has three words, and all of them are tequila .
“Cheaters,” I call out, slurring the word as they laugh and head back to our table.
Woo. How many shots have I had?
I have no idea, but I do know getting up there and singing sounds like a great idea right about now. I push myself up, and Tucker’s hands land on my hips to steady me when I sway in his direction. I wrap my fingers around his wrists and tug them upward, zero strength behind the move, but he pops up out of his chair like I’m Thor, or something.
“Come on,” I say, the words slow and drawn out. “I wanna sing with you.”
To Tucker’s credit, he doesn’t even attempt to deny me the request. He simply offers me his arm, and I take it since I’m still feeling a bit unbalanced. Putting in the song, I join Tucker on the stage and stand behind the microphone.
“This one is for Penny and Logan,” I say a little too loudly into the mic as the opening strains of “I Got You Babe” start to play. “May you always be as happy as Sonny and Cher when they sang this song. ”
Tucker covers the microphone with his hand to muffle his words as he hisses, “Sonny and Cher got divorced, Kate.”
I shush him, and he moves his hand so I can sing the first line. The words are sloppy and slurred, but Penny cheers and sways like she’s front row at a sold-out concert. I grin and shoot finger pistols at her, then freeze when Tucker’s deep, resonant voice rings out with his first line of the song.
“What the hell?” I mumble, looking over at him with wide eyes.
This is so not fair. How can he be so beautiful and sing like an angel?
Then it’s my turn to sing again, and by the time we hit the chorus and Tucker wraps an arm around my waist, I’ve decided we should take this show on the road. I belt out the lyrics as Tucker grins in my direction, and another loud cheer from Penny draws my gaze back to our table.
Oh, Blaine is pissed.
She’s frowning without even attempting to hide it, and the devil repossesses my body in an instant. I smile and shoot her an exaggerated wink before leaning closer to Tucker.
Childish? Sure. I’ll admit it.
But that doesn’t make it any less satisfying when Blaine visibly huffs and angles her body slightly away from the stage.
After the song, Tucker keeps his arm around me as I drunkenly navigate my way down the steps. As we approach the table, I catch Penny frowning at Tucker’s grip on me .
Oh, yeah. I shouldn’t be letting him touch me like this. I’m supposed to be keeping my distance.
Whatever. I’m drunk.
And drunk Kate does whatever the hell she wants. And what she wants is Tucker’s hands on her as much as possible.