Page 42 of Blue Moon Love

She straightened up, and I could see the tinge of pain and rejection my attitude had caused her. I felt a niggle of guilt. I wasn’t trying to be a dick, but I wasn’t in the mood for pointless flirtation. I didn’t want to lead anyone on.

“Oh, good.” She nodded. “Well, see ya around.”

“See ya.”

Miranda walked away, and when I turned back to the bar, Kenna was behind it, glaring at me.

“Why are you here?” she snapped.

“I hope that’s not how you treat all your customers.”

“You’re not here to drink, and you’re clearly not here to hook up.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because Miranda was throwing herself at you, and you shut her down.”

“Maybe I didn’t want to go home with her.”

Kenna crossed her arms. “Since when have you ever been discerning?”

“I haven’t hooked up with anyone in over a year.”

“That’s impossible.” She shook her head. “Yes, you have.”

“No. I haven’t.”

“What about Molly Calhoun?”

“Nope.”

“Rebecca Spence?”

“No.”

“That brunette that you took to Kane and Ruby’s wedding.”

“Camile? No. Nothing happened.”

She stared at me for a beat, and I could see that she was having a difficult time believing me. But before she could press the issue further, a rowdy group came through the front door and headed straight for the bar.

I watched as Kenna greeted the men and took their orders. Two of the guys out of the half-dozen were clearly into her. They were laying it on thick. Kenna handled it like the professional she was. She was friendly but not flirty, which was a tightrope walk that she’d mastered. I’d witnessed her balancing on it for years.

Tonight, however, I saw her encounters through a different lens. Instead of being dudes who wanted to hook up with her, they were men who might be her first. That thought set off alarm bells in me. It made me want to go behind the bar, throw her over my shoulder, and carry her out of there like a caveman.

That was wrong. This whole thing was wrong. All day I’d been trying to pinpoint what I’d been feeling, but seeing Larry, Moe, Curly, and the frat boy dickheads drooling over her brought it into clear focus.

None of those guys loved her like I did. If anyone was going to be her first, it should be me. It had to be me.

19

KENNA

“The best way to learn to swim is by jumpin’ in the deep end.” ~ Archie “Witty” Whitlock

“Night,” Bryson called out from the entrance of the bar. He always made sure I got safely to my car.

“Night.” I waved before climbing inside the driver’s seat as a yawn claimed me.

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