Page 19 of The Sandover Beach Billionaire

“Maybe for you. I didn’t drink in high school, remember?”

That had been one of the points of contention between them back then. Steve had gone to church the same way that Jenna did, but any faith he had was confined to Sunday mornings. Not that he was a bad guy, just maybe a stereotypical one. For Jenna it had always been more. Faith colored her decisions. Which meant, among other things, no drinking until she was twenty-one, something Steve constantly pushed her on. Just like her stance on waiting for marriage to have sex.

Anna had no problem going to parties and drinking whatever was on tap from a plastic cup. She also had no problem stealing boyfriends. Probably not having sex either.

“One for you?”

Jenna held up her McDonald’s cup. “I’m good. I’ve got coffee.”

Steve made a face. “Doesn’t that keep you up all night?”

“Nope.”

She watched Steve tip back his wine, eyes crinkling up at the sides as he caught her staring. It wasn’t fair that guys like Jackson and Steve somehow managed to look just as good now as they did in high school. Better, even. The two of them could almost have been brothers with their thick, dark hair and brown eyes. They also shared a mutual animosity. She wondered if that had settled down over the years, especially with them both staying On Island.

Something was different about Steve’s eyes, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was yet. He now sported a tiny white scar the length of his eyebrow and just above it. She could have asked him a million questions and probably should have started with what happened to him and Anna that led to him not wearing his ring, but she zeroed in on the scar.

“How’d you get that?”

“This?” He traced over it with a fingertip. His nails were clipped short and his hands looked rough and calloused. “I run charters now. Mostly day trips, fishing for tourists. Sometimes sunset cruises. You know, romantic dates for couples.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Jenna felt herself start to blush. “It was just one of those timing things. The boat pitched as I was getting something out of the cooler. Busted it on the boat. Five stitches. Sexy, right?”

It was. She wished that she didn’t think so. But thinking that did nothing to ease the niggling sense of worry in the back of her mind about him. Jenna gave him a fierce stare. “The question is: how does Anna feel about it?”

Steve sighed and took another drink of wine. He drank in long swallows, like it was water. “I’m not sure how Anna feels about anything anymore.” When he was done, he set the cup on the counter and waved his ring-less left hand at her.

So, they weren’t together. There was still a tan line from where it had been. Recent breakup, maybe? Especially since his mother still had a framed picture of them in her house.

“You’ve changed,” Steve said.

Let’s hope so.Steve’s words had Jenna feeling suddenly self-conscious. She looked down at her shoes. Converse, just like she wore in middle school. They kept coming back in style and she never stopped liking them, so bought a new pair a few months ago. These were turquoise, not bright pink like the ones she had when she was thirteen.

“I’m not sure how you can tell that after five minutes, but okay. I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Nothing needed fixing. But I don’t mind Jenna 2.0 either.”

He smiled, and Jenna felt a rush of memories moving like a slideshow playing on high speed through her mind, warming her. She saw that same smile when they were exploring the wildlife refuge behind their houses and came across a baby rabbit. She saw his eyes crinkle up when they carved their initials into the beech tree out back. He had smiled that way before he brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her.

She saw that same smile, directed toward Anna as they walked down the hallway together, holding hands.

That image sobered her, stealing the warmth that had started to form in her chest as she’d thought about the good times. Maybe he and Anna weren’t together now. But that didn’t erase what he had done to Jenna or all the history in-between. She had given Jackson such a hard time about something he had done to her sister. Why was it so much easier to want to let Steve get a pass for how he had hurt her? And why did she suddenly wish it was Jackson, not Steve, across the kitchen from her?

Steve turned to the counter behind him to pour more wine and noticed the bag from Jackson. “You forgot to unload one. What’s this?” He pulled out her sandals.

“It’s nothing.”

Jenna tossed them toward the back door leading out to the deck. Steve continued to pull things out of the bag: a bottle of wine, a crusty loaf of bread, a half-wheel of Brie, a bar of expensive dark chocolate with sea salt. Wow. Jackson had really gone all out. The realization sent guilt flooding through her, along with a feeling of appreciation. Now she owed him an apology and a thank-you.

“Jackson Wells?” His voice dripped with disdain. He held a note in his hand and began to read it out loud in a mocking voice. “Dear Jenna, I wanted to say again how sorry I am—”

Jenna snatched the note from him, seeing Jackson’s name embossed at the top. “Hey. Stop.”

His eyes looked heated now and his fingers gripped the counter behind him. “Why is Jackson Wells writing you notes? You’re not dating him, are you? I knew he was fast, but … ”

Hot anger burned in her throat. “No. Not that it’s your business. I just left my shoes—it’s a long story. But nothing is happening between me and Jackson Wells. Trust me.” Except that didn’t exactly feel true now that she’d said the words.

He stared hard at her face, like he could read the truth there. Why did she feel like she had betrayed Jackson somehow?

“You know I hate that guy.”

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