Chapter 11 #2
“Wait, when did you—” Griffin cuts off abruptly then flashes me a cunning, devilish grin that has me wondering if there’s a small-town mayor calendar we could submit him to. “Oh, that’s right, at Sam’s the other night.”
Everyone looks at me, expressions alight with expectation.
I place my palm on my stomach. “What’s a girl have to do to get a drink in this place?”
Maddie immediately snaps into hostess mode, and the next thing I know, the women are swallowing Hailey and me up, dragging us toward the house while they ask questions about the move and our jobs.
While Hailey attempts to answer the question of where her ideas come from, I do a quick scan of the other small groups of people loitering around the backyard.
Where is Charlie?
How can I prove to him that I’m cool if he’s nowhere to be found?
Then I walk into the kitchen, and my entire body goes into overdrive.
My heart starts pounding.
He’s standing there, in profile, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, talking to Sam Roberts, his hip cocked against the counter.
His head shoots in my direction. Those midnight eyes lock in on me.
I freeze.
There’s no air left in the room.
A hush that falls over the kitchen.
Oh my god, I’m nervous. I never get nervous.
My mouth is dry.
His gaze roams over my chest, hips, and legs before sliding back up to meet my eyes.
Beads of sweat break out at the base of my spine.
He gives me the slightest of nods. “Jessica.”
My body takes my name on his lips as approval.
I nod back. “Charlie.”
I feel…tongue-tied.
I can’t think of one thing to say.
My mind is a complete blank.
My mind is never blank.
His attention shifts to my sister. “You must be Hailey.”
I suck air into my burning lungs.
“And you must be the sheriff,” she says.
“Charlie.” He turns to face the group of women, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. “It’s a party, so there’s no reason to be formal.”
Maddie walks to the huge island centered in the middle of the room and raises a big bottle of tequila into the air. “Every good party starts with shots.”
There’s movement around the kitchen as Ryder and the rest of the guys come in from outside, followed by a few more partygoers I haven’t been introduced to yet.
Maddie starts lining up tiny glasses on the expensive-looking marble countertop as we gather around.
Through the crowd, Charlie’s gaze meets mine.
I avoid him and stand next to Hailey as I attempt to remember how to form words with my mouth.
Charlie sidles up to the island to stand across from me.
Since I’m suddenly tongue-tied, I ignore him to address the bartender from the other night. “Hey, Sam.”
“How’s Revival treating you so far?” He blinks at me like an innocent lamb, as if he’s trying to convince me his angelic appearance isn’t a facade.
“I haven’t experienced much of it, but so far, so good,” I say.
Gracie sidles up next to me. “I see you met my baby brother.”
“Your brother?” I assess them. Same blond hair, same clear blue eyes and good genes, but where he’s tall and lean, she’s all sinful curves. “I see the resemblance.”
Sam cocks a smile. “She’s the dramatic one.”
“Guilty.” Gracie flashes a sly grin at Charlie. “Speaking of which, I heard you made quite an impression.”
Charlie sighs but remains silent.
“I have no idea what you mean.” I do what any good lawyer would and turn my attention to information-gathering. “So, how does everyone here know one another?”
From the other end of the island, Maddie clears her throat. “Since it’s my house, I’ll do the honors.”
Charlie’s gaze meets mine.
Lots of men have lusted after me, treating me as a prize to be won, to be conquered. They concoct a fantasy about who they think I am and then try to mold me into it.
But that’s not how Charlie looks at me.
When he looks, he’s looking at me. My skin flushes hot.
Wait… Do I like him?
No, that can’t be.
It’s the orgasms. That’s all.
I jerk my attention away from him to focus on the introductions I’m supposed to be listening to.
Maddie points to James and Gracie. “James is my brother and, as you heard, a professor, and Gracie owns a bakery in Chicago and has just opened a storefront in town. They split time between Chicago and Revival, but James is on sabbatical while the kinks are worked out of the new operation, so you’ll see them a lot. ”
Maddie gestures to a small, dark-haired woman who looks like a tiny fairy princess. “This is Harmony Jones. She’s Gracie’s manager at the bakery but mainly works here in Revival.”
The woman nods and smiles, but Maddie moves on before she speaks, turning to a tall, extremely good-looking guy with light golden-brown hair and matching eyes. “This is our fire chief, Cole Montgomery. He’s new in town too.”
“Pleasure.” The man in question nods at Hailey, then says to me in a deep baritone that should narrate audiobooks, “You’ve got great timing. I’m revamping the entire department from the ground up.”
I give him my most playful, teasing smile. “Oh, fun. I do love a project, but before you get too excited about my arrival, I’d suggest you reserve judgment until after our first meeting.”
“A warning, huh?” His warm brown eyes flash with appreciation.
I shrug one bare shoulder. “At my old job, they used to call me The Crusher behind my back.”
My brother speaks up. “She’s trying to scare you.”
I grin. “I’m, like, way intimidating.”
“I will consider myself intimidated.” He winks at me.
I wink back, before glancing over to find Charlie scowling at me.
I’m pretty sure he’s grinding his teeth.
Maybe Project Way Cool isn’t a lost cause after all.