Page 11 of Firecracker

Tyler looked at her across the small room. There it was—the smile. The one that had made his knees weak and his heart stutter. It lit up her eyes and transformed her face from girl next door to glamour queen.

And goddammit…it still made his heart stutter.

Chapter Three

Arden looked around the upscale, beachside restaurant and bar. She’d never been to this place. A group played live music on the patio at one end, and people wearing skimpy swimsuits and casual clothes lined the bar. The hostess led them past the bar and tables arranged on the outdoor deck to a white-canopied cabana. Dark wicker furniture with bright cushions formed a U-shape around a long, low table. They had a perfect view of the beach over the low railing.

“I’m impressed,” she said to Jamie, dropping her tote bag on a chair. “This looks fun and way too cool for a nerd like you.”

“Pfft.”

Arden caught Tyler’s quick grin.

Oh yeah, Tyler’d been a nerd too.

Not anymore, though. He looked like he fit right in here, wearing a pair of black board shorts and a T-shirt that hugged his broad shoulders and chest and draped over his flat abs. His thick dark hair gleamed in the sun. His sunglasses hid his eyes, and yet she had the feeling he was looking at her too. She was glad she also had sunglasses on, hoping they hid the fact that she was totally checking him out.

Other women at the bar weren’t hiding that fact. Arden couldn’t help but notice the looks he was getting. Although some of the looks were for Jamie, as at the airport yesterday.

She had to admit her little brother and his friend had grown up into chick magnets. What was happening in the world? “I need a drink,” she announced.

“Hell, yeah.” Mila nodded. “Me too.”

“It’s National Daiquiri Day,” Arden said, picking up a menu card.

“How the hell do you know that?” Jamie asked.

Arden shrugged, studying the card. “I just do. Do they have daiquiris?”

“They have great daiquiris,” Mila said. “I love the peach one.”

“Perfect!”

“Is Garth coming?” Jamie asked.

Mila wrinkled her nose. “No. He’s working.”

“On Sunday?”

Mila looked down and plucked at her beach coverup. “Yeah. They’re really busy right now.”

Arden felt the faint tension emanating from Mila.

“He works all the fucking time,” Jamie said with a snort.

“You’re one to talk.” Mila lifted her chin. “The guy who works sixteen-hour days.”

Jamie shrugged. “Not every day. I like to have fun.”

“Sixteen-hour days?” Arden gaped at her brother. “Jamie, that’s not healthy.”

“I love it,” Jamie simply replied. “Work is fun for me.”

“With the Fourth of July holiday coming up, Garth will take some time off,” Mila said confidently.

As they ordered beers and settled into the comfortable chairs, the breeze off the lake teased Arden’s hair, and she turned her face into it, enjoying the pleasant temperatures. Unlike Phoenix, where sometimes you needed mist sprayers to sit outside, this was so pleasant. And that big expanse of blue, blue water…she’d missed that too.

With a sigh, she leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. This was nice and relaxing. She hadn’t slept well last night. She hadn’t slept well for the last year.

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