Page 49 of Chasing Lynda

We notice that the guy is standing next to a group of men, talking animatedly. I meet Carter’s gaze. “Car, can you text security? Let’s just make sure that guy doesn’t cause any trouble.”

The incident is soon forgotten when a few extra security staff appear in the VIP lounge and we relax, telling Lynda about the Battle of the Bands we have planned for tomorrow night.

“Can I get you anything to eat?” One of the waitresses comes by the table.

“Are you hungry?” I ask Lynda and she hesitates for just a second.

“Yeah, I didn’t have time to have dinner because of the photo shoot. But I left my purse in my room and—”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Lynda. It’s on the house. Meals are included in your stay,” Dodge explains.

“Thank you, Dodge.” She smiles. “Do you have a menu or something?”

I intervene, showing off a little because I overhauled all the menus in the weeks since Dodge took over the resort. “The chef has a delicious lobster mac and cheese. Best thing I’ve tasted in a while.”

I’m surprised when she scrunches up her nose. “Hmm, I don’t know. I love mac and cheese but ... I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of seafood.”

I’m about to tell her that we can ask the chef to make some mac and cheese without the lobster, or whip up anything else she wants, but Dodge is faster than me.

“What about some sliders? We can order a selection. The beef ones are awesome, but I tried these chicken, bacon and avocado ones that are like a mystical experience.”

Lynda immediately agrees. “That sounds great. I’d love to try both.”

Her enthusiasm for the sliders makes me like her even more. I love a woman who gets excited about food.

I also order some mac and cheese minus the lobster, because there’s nothing like cheesy pasta, especially after a few drinks.

“So, you said you don’t know anyone in town.” I begin when the waitress walks away with our orders. “Where are you from? I don’t really detect an accent on you.”

She looks uncomfortable at my question.

Fuck.

I suspect that when it comes to this girl, I’ll have to forget everything I’ve learned about women since Chrissie. I wasn’t joking when I said that what immediately attracted me to her was that she’s different than the women I normally hang out with.

And usually, my fool proof way to get them interested is to have them talk about themselves.

“I grew up a few hours away from here, down the coast,” she provides, not sounding particularly fond of the place. “But what about you guys?”

I indulge her, thinking that we have time to find out more about her. “Bridgeport, born and bred. All four of us. The guys and I grew up together.”

She smiles, her blue eyes suddenly bright. “Zane mentioned that. I think it’s really cool to have a tight circle of friends. I miss mine.”

I was about to crack a joke about the guys being an acquired taste, but I stop in my tracks when I notice that spark of light immediately dimming at the mention of her friends.

Something must’ve happened to her friends and I panic, especially when Zane and the others glare at me. “I’m sorry, I—did your friends ...”

I don’t even know how to finish that sentence, stricken by the sadness in Lynda’s gaze.

Her small hand suddenly covers mine. “Hey Bennett, don’t worry, nothing bad happened to them. It’s actually really good; they moved to Hawaii, it’s what they wanted. I’m just sad that I couldn’t follow them because I really miss them.”

I have it on the tip of my tongue that if they left her behind, they weren’t as good friends as she thinks, but I abort mission when Zane clears his throat. He always tells me that I have a perennial case of foot in mouth and to count to ten before I speak my mind.

I opt for a more diplomatic, “I bet they miss you too,” thinking that if the guys moved too far to hang out with them on a regular basis, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.

Lynda offers me a sad smile and I take her hand that’s still on mine, to give her a comforting squeeze.

“I don’t know if they miss me.” She muses more to herself than to me or the others. “It’s amazing how quickly you get used to other people’s absence.”

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