Page 72 of Sultry Nights

Then he heard Margo reply, “And just about as faithful as a hungry dog.”

His steps faltered. Ouch, that hurt. He wasn’t a dog. He was a single man and enjoyed his single life. Why on earth would she be so disrespectful? Pulling his shoulders back he hurried inside, entered the kitchen, and saw Amy, one of his servers, wiping her hands on a towel.

“Amy, do you mind taking these two orders to Table Fourteen?”

“Not at all.”

Amy smiled, slid her hands into hot plate holders and carried the two remaining plates out of the kitchen.

Jace took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He’d never been called a dog before and that rankled.

Rotating his head on his shoulders, he moved out the back door and sidled the tables on the beach until he reached his friends sitting near the newly constructed stage.

“How’s your dinner, folks?”

His friend Sid looked up from his meal and stared into his eyes. Sid’s smile fell. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing.”

“Not nothing, Jace. I can tell you’re tense and irritated. What’s up?”

Quinn leaned back in his seat and stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “May as well fess up, Jace. We know you well enough to know something’s up.”

Jace shook his head, lifted his right shoulder, and let it drop. “That table over there called me, and I quote, ‘About as faithful as a hungry dog.’ It got to me.”

Grace tilted her head up to him. Her smile was sweet, “That’s not true. So why does it bother you so much?”

“I don’t know. It just does.”

Hanna turned in her seat and glanced toward the table he’d mentioned. She took a deep breath. “That’s Margo Price and her sisters. Today was Margo’s husband’s funeral. You know he died of cancer a few days ago. She’s probably just grieving.”

Jace turned his head and glanced at the women at the table. “That explains the black attire out here in the heat on the beach. Why on earth would they eat here after a funeral instead of somewhere more private?”

Hanna shrugged. “I don’t know. But don’t let something said in grief bother you, Jace.”

He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat at his friend’s kind words.

“Thank you.” He rotated his head again then took a deep breath. “Anyway, is everything here, okay?”

Hanna smiled. “Everything is delicious. Thank you so much.” She set her fork on her plate and then turned toward him. “If it means anything, I was at the funeral today and something big went down just before it started. Margo and her sisters were huddled up and they weren’t crying. They were angry. Very angry.”

Jace’s jaw clenched. “Okay. Well, that’s no reason to be a bitch about me, but, for the sake of a fellow businessperson, I’ll let it go. This time.”

Grace smiled at him and nodded her head. “That’s really the best thing.”

Jace nodded and turned toward the kitchen once more, careful to keep a distance. No need to let them set him off again because they’ve been having a bad time of it. But he’d be lying if he said he wondered what on earth had gone down at a funeral. Margo and her husband, Logan, had owned the real estate office here in Blossom Springs for years, as far as he knew. They’d both always been upstanding in business practice. Of course, he knew nothing of them personally.

As he passed Table Fourteen from afar, he saw the women watch him walk by and his heartbeat increased.

Seductive Nights draws inspiration from the real-life experience of a close friend. It's a captivating tale that twists reality and perception, revealing shocking truths just when you think you truly know someone.

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