Page 37 of One More Time

As if on cue, Adam came through the side door behind the bar and made a beeline for us.

“Your timing is perfect,” Quinn offered with a grin.

“No Kenan?” Fiona prompted just as Adam stopped beside Wyatt.

Adam chimed in, “He’s meeting us too, last-minute addition.” He glanced toward Quinn. “He said you left him alone for the night.”

I let out a laugh at the twinkle in Adam’s eyes.

Quinn shrugged. “He’ll survive.”

Wyatt placed his hand on my shoulder, the casual squeeze reassuring. My brothers departed, and I happened to be glancing toward Tessa and noticed her gaze practically burning holes in Adam’s back.

I wasn’t thinking when I asked, “Uh, what did Adam do to you?”

Tessa snapped her eyes to me. “Nothing.”

I didn’t know what undercurrent I was missing, but clearly, I needed to get up to speed.

A short while later, we had finished paying when Blake and Kenan came out and swooped in to depart with Quinn and Fiona.

As we all stood beside the table for a moment, putting on our jackets, I glanced from one couple to the next. My eyes collided with Tessa’s. She looked as resigned as I felt. I was happy for my brothers, truly. Yet I couldn’t imagine having the kind of love they’d found.

A tiny voice in my thoughts piped up in a high-pitched whisper. There’s Jack.

My far more developed cynical voice retorted quickly. Jack is hot. He’s pretty nice, but that’s it. Don’t go wishing for things you can’t have.

I said my goodbyes and turned to walk home. The night air was crisp and icy cold, and my boots crunched on the sidewalk. It was clear of snow with a few icy patches. The rock salt on the road and sidewalk glittered under the moon and streetlights.

I had a habit of going to the harbor docks whenever I walked at night. It was beautiful and felt both invigorating and soothing. As I strolled along the docks, I could feel the movement of the water underneath and hear the soft lap of the water slapping against the sides of the boats. I took a breath, savoring the salty air. I looked up at the dark mountain ridges forming a jagged line in the night sky, the moon behind them glittering on the inky-black water in the quiet town.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets, shivering slightly as I turned to look from the harbor toward town. My hometown was nestled into the foothills of the mountains. The winding roads were illuminated by the lights from houses.

I started walking home, my hair blowing in a spin. A moment later, I let out a startled squeak when footsteps approached.

“It’s just me, McKenna.” Jack’s voice reached me as I turned back to see him.

I took an unsteady breath. “Oh.” He stopped beside me. I didn’t like being startled. Not at all. “Where did you come from?”

“I was just coming out of the grocery store.” He gestured to the store at an angle across from us on the other side of the street.

“Oh.”

I felt a little silly, maybe a lot silly, but I didn’t suppose I could do anything about my startle reflex.

“I’ll have to remember it’s easy to scare you. I didn’t mean to.”

I looked up at him, trying to tell myself that my heart had taken off like a horse out of the gate at a race because he startled me. Maybe that was what started it, but it wasn’t slowing. Three entire nights had passed since my night with him. I wanted to lie and tell myself I hadn’t thought about him. My thoughts had turned to him during any moment when I wasn’t preoccupied.

“Can I walk you home?”

We strode through the quiet darkness. My entire body hummed with a subtle electricity. I told myself that Jack was just accompanying me home and that there was nothing more to it.

Because I don’t want anything more. Right?

We stopped in front of my steps. Just say good night.

When I looked up at him and felt the heat on my cheeks, I hoped it was too dark for him to notice.

---