Page 10 of Hooked on a Feeling

Fine. He could buy her a drink today. “Tomorrow, I get to buy your drink.”

He raised a sexy eyebrow at her. “So we’re meeting again tomorrow?”

Heat flushed her cheeks. “Well, no. I mean, we could. I just meant that next time, it would be my turn to buy. Whether that’s tomorrow or next week. Or…” Her voice trailed off. That was really all the time she had. She had to get back to her yoga studio.

The barista handed them their drinks, and they went back outside where there were a few empty tables and chairs. “This is so nice. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy being here.” She plopped into a chair that was facing the marina and the ocean, while John sat opposite her. “She’s so beautiful.”

“She really is.” John’s voice was low, seductive. It made her pause. She looked at him, and he wasn’t looking at the blue ocean like she thought he might be. No, he was looking at her. “She misses you too. I just know it.”

Starr smiled. “The ocean? You don’t know that.”

He took a sip from his straw, and once again, those deep blue eyes of his seemed to be reading her. “If I were her, I’d definitely miss you.”

Chapter Five

What was up with him? Had his mom put some kind of magical spell on those store-bought doughnuts? John hadn’t openly flirted with a woman in so long, he wasn’t even sure he was doing it right. Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t even concerned that she was a Young.

Not anymore.

He could handle anyone who had a problem with that. If anyone did, it would likely be his father, but his dad could mind his own business.

She gazed out at the ocean. The red in her cheeks was gone, but he enjoyed telling her things that made her blush. Why was she getting under his skin the way she was?

It was like a magnet drew him to her. So intense. So forceful. It made him question how two people could be so drawn to one another. John protected his heart, and there was no future with Starr. Not when she was only here temporarily. But hell if he could stop himself from finding her so attractive. “So, do you like the idea of doing a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to improve the marina?”

She turned away from the ocean. “It sounds promising. I like the idea. But here’s the thing, even if the project raised enough money, who would run this place?”

“Who inherited the property?” Okay, genius. Way to sound like you’re totally fishing for information. Maybe he should give her a serious offer to buy the property outright.

She took a long pull from her straw. The green mixture moved up slowly. Kale and cucumber? He shivered.

“My parents. Wow. They are a piece of work, let me tell you. They don’t care about the property. Not like I do. They just want money.”

John nodded. Her parents were financially unstable. Got it. “So why don’t you just sell it and be done with it? I’d buy it in a heartbeat.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “I may be crossing the line by becoming your friend, but there is no way I could sell you the marina. My grandfather would roll over in his grave.” She gave him a fake smile. “Nice try.”

“Maybe I’m not the ideal person. But I’m the right person.” He waved a hand, trying to steer the conversation back to her parents. “So, who owns the property? Your parents?”

“Yes. My dad inherited it. Well, not technically. Technically, my grandfather put the property into a trust, and it comes out of the trust soon and will be eligible to be sold.”

“Which would get your parents the money they need.”

“Exactly.” She folded her arms across her chest. “But there is value here. I can’t let this place go to hell like they have. Right now, it’s still in the trust for fourteen more days, and I have access to it because of that.”

John shook his head. “I’m not really sensing a problem.” He put a hand up when she went to open her mouth. “Let me get this straight. It’s in the trust and your parents gave you permission to oversee stuff. You could fix it up—if you had the funds—and turn around and sell it. You could fix it up and keep it for your parents and allow it to flourish, if you hired staff. Or when it comes out of the trust, you could simply sell it as is and wash your hands of it. Get your parents that big check.”

“You make it sound so simple. But it’s not. How much do you want me to dump on you? You don’t even know me, and I don’t know you. I don’t want you to run scared once you hear about all of my baggage.”

“I have six brothers and sisters. I’m the oldest. Nothing can scare me at this point.” He leaned back in his seat and straightened his legs so he was stretched out on the little chair. “But I respect your privacy too. So I understand if you’d prefer not to delve further into the dirty details.” He couldn’t deny how badly he wanted to hear the dirty details. He wanted to hear everything about Starr Young. He also wanted to touch her again.

The ocean breeze blew a strand of hair into her face, and she puffed it away. “My parents are not very bright when it comes to money. Business. Anything that’s worth anything, they manage to find a way to suck all the money out of it—every last penny. The only reason the marina is still here is because of the trust.”

“Thank God for that.”

“Right? Anyway, sure they could sell it—because they aren’t ever going to come down here. They want me to list the property. I could sell it as is, but where does that get us? What about my grandfather’s legacy? My grandmother’s beloved Hyper Blue paint? All of their hard work that they put into this place. This was their life. And I’m sorry, but I can’t just let it go.”

“I don’t expect that you can. But what about option one? Raising money to fund the project?”

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