Page 17 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

“It’s just that it seems whenever you’ve got plans with us, Kellan sweeps you away to be with him.”

“Kellan doesn’t sweep. He’s more of a planner than that, and I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. He doesn’t do it on purpose.”

“I’m sure,” she said in an unsure tone.

“Watch it. Coffee is hot,” I said as I passed her with the two cups.

“Ready to order?” I asked as I placed the hot coffee cups down.

“Think we’ll have a couple of burgers.” The second man hadn’t said a word yet, and he seemed to be nursing a bad headache because he kept closing his eyes. I was sure it had to do with the big lump on his head. I could only imagine where he got it.

Tattoo man, as I was calling him in my head, patted the empty chair again. “Offer still stands. You should join us.”

Officer Tuttle cleared his throat behind me. He pushed out his chair and stood up. “We treat women with more respect around here.” His voice was slightly wobbly, but I applauded him for his courage. The two men outweighed him by fifty pounds each, and they looked like the kind who were easily provoked. “By the way, either of you own that tugboat out on the marina?”

Tattoo man looked up at him with a mean grin. “That’s not our rust bucket. But you really should do something about it. Looks pretty sketchy to us, like maybe the owner is—I don’t know—up to something illegal.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Now, behave or you’ll have to leave without your lunch.”

Tattoo man lifted his hand for a mock salute. “Yes, sir, officer. We’re not trying to start trouble.” He said it in a way that sounded like nothing but trouble.

Owen adjusted his belt again and returned to his lunch. Behind me the front door opened and shut. “Take any table,” I called over my shoulder. I glanced back and swung around. It was Dex. His jaw was set hard, and his hands were jammed deep in his coat pockets. He stared straight at the two men as he walked to a nearby table and sat down. I could practically see the waves of tension stretching between the two tables as they glared at each other. The man with the bump on his head looked flustered by Dex’s presence.

Owen looked flustered too. He was outnumbered before and now there were three menacing-looking customers in the café. Dex, however, managed to look annoyingly handsome in his state of menace.

ChapterThirteen

Dex

Iwas starting to get tired of these two bozos. I’d decided to go back to town for a few supplies, mostly cans of sardines for Gus—he’d earned them today—and I glanced into the café. My motive there was to catch another glimpse of Aria. She was a splash of beauty in an otherwise gray existence. When I saw the two thugs who’d trespassed on my boat and then threatened all the people I cared about, I knew I had to go inside. I hadn’t planned on another meal, and my meager budget wouldn’t allow for more than a plate of fries or a piece of pie, but I saw them sitting at the table, and the idiot who’d left his spitty sunflower seeds all over my cabin was leering at Aria as if she was something edible. My fists curled instantly, and before I knew it, I’d pushed open the door.

Aria didn’t look too pleased to see me. She probably figured she already had enough trouble sitting in her small café. She said sit anywhere, so I chose a table right across from the men. The clown I’d crowned with the frying pan was sporting a big bump and a sort of lost look. He probably should’ve gone to an urgent care, but that wasn’t my concern. My concern was that my arrival to the cove had brought these two thugs to town, and I was going to make sure that trouble didn’t spill over into the community—especially not to Aria.

She marched over with a menu. “Didn’t expect to see you again today.” She dropped the menu in front of me.

“Did ya miss me?” I couldn’t stop myself with her. I guess I just wanted to keep our chats going, no matter how much it made her chin lift.

Her brown eyes shifted sideways briefly. “Friends of yours?” she asked with barely moving her lips.

“Friends? Nope. I’ll just have a plate of fries,” I said before she could walk away. “Well done,” I added with a smile.

“I don’t normally serve them raw.” She walked away. There was less lift in her chin, and I was sure I caught a glimmer of a smile. I realized I hadn’t really seen it yet, but I was sure it wouldn’t disappoint. I pulled my eyes from my main targets for a second to watch as Aria stopped to talk to a woman at the counter. The other woman was fairer with blonde hair, but the same cocoa brown eyes. If they weren’t sisters, then they were two friends who looked alike. The other woman snuck a peek at me over her shoulder and then immediately faced forward when she realized I was looking at her.

I leaned back, crossed my arms and let the two goons know that I was watching them. The guy I hit with the pan tried to avoid eye contact, but his buddy turned around completely to glare at me. We didn’t say a word to each other, but if looks could kill, we’d both be dead.

A throat cleared next to me. I dragged my gaze away from their table and looked up. It was the officer with the shiny badge and clean-shaven face. “Do you own the tugboat moored in the marina?” I knew walking in that this would be a problem, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me from entering the café.

“Yes. I know. The registration is overdue. I’m working on it. Can you give me a week?”

He pulled out his ticket book.

“Really? You can’t give me a week?”

“I’m just writing you a warning, and I put a date for a week from today. I’ll be back out to the marina to check that registration.” He ripped off my copy. “And this way, we’ll both have a record that we spoke about this. One week.”

He walked away, seemingly pleased with himself. He dropped some money on his table. “See you later, Aria.” He paused and gave a special smile to the woman at the counter. “Ella, it was nice seeing you.” He gave me an admonishing head nod, and I lifted the paper to let him know I’d taken his warning seriously. Then he walked out. Even though he wasn’t exactly Clint Eastwood, “make my day” material, it was nice having him there as a buffer between me and the thugs at the next table. I had no intention of starting anything with them. I’d just wait them out. I wasn’t leaving the café until they left.

I noticed that Aria’s only server was carrying food out to everyone, but when it was time to deliver their lunches, Aria carried it out herself. She held herself stiffly, even her face, as she set their plates down. As she lifted her hand, the jerk with the overload of tattoos grabbed her wrist.

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