Page 23 of Tempting Me

I grab my beer and step outside onto Main Street.

Should I be drinking a beer right now? Probably not, but I’m off work until I meet Shay, so why not relax a little with uno beer?

It’s the town's summer festival this afternoon and evening, and even though I have question after question for Miles right now after he showed up with Quinn, I can’t think straight.

Sure, I want to know more than what he told me the other day at the gym, but right now, I need to have some type of plan for my own life.

How the hell am I going to do a remodel during the night?My tools will be loud. I’ll need to haul some supplies out there to use at some point.

I sip my beer as my gaze sweeps over the people of Lovers.

My dad is walking down the street, talking to Mrs. Whittaker. Hudson, Sadie, her brother Linc, and Brooke are sitting at a table with Miles and Quinn.

Maybe I should focus on my brother. Hell, it’s a great distraction from my own life. My brain is messed up right now. I’m so desperate for work at The Marina that I agreed to do the job in secret all so Shay would put in a good word with her best friend. So I could get a little redemption in the eyes of the woman who turned me down.

Fuck.

That sounds pathetic.

Am I sad that she turned me down, or am I pissed because of her reason why?

“Hey, Luca.”

I spin to my right where, as luck has it, Grace is walking toward me.

“Grace,” I say, but that’s it. Instead, I hold up my drink like I’m cheering her on, and she laughs. She doesn't have a drink in her hand, so I’m sure I look like a fool.

Maybe that’s the real reason she said no.

The door to the bar opens and Shay appears, a mixed drink in a can in each hand. Her steps slow as she makes eye contact with me and hands one of the beverages to Grace.

She looks from me to her friend and back, and I immediately want to screamstop being so fucking obvious. She’s making this weird face with her eyeballs bouncing around like that.

I’m trusting her to help me, and until now, I never thought that maybe she might sabotage me instead as soon as she gets what she wants.

Shit.

Maybe I need to lay some ground rules when we get to work tonight.

“Luca,” Shay says, and there is so much disgust in her tone, I’m surprised she didn’t actually vomit as she spoke.

I don’t even greet her. I just glare and then turn my focus back to Grace.

My lips part to say something, but she beats me to it.

“Wow. Will you two ever grow up?” Grace says. “See you around, Luca.”

And then she walks off, leaving me and Shay alone.

Well … that … was …

“What the fuck, Shay?”

“Me?”

Oh, she’s going to pretend that it wasn’t her arrival to the conversation that lowered Grace’s opinion of me more than it was before. This is not my fault.

“Yes, you.”

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