Page 31 of When Our Stars Aligned

“She’s not answering.” Jax looks over at Carter.

“Oh, fine. I’ll stop, but the second those tree trunks you call arms start pounding the water, the deal is off!” Now, I’m the one who’s frustrated and for a completely different reason. This man affects me in a way that could make me lose control.

“Fine.” Jax pivots towards the door but stops and turns around. “And don’t you even think about ever touching my goggles.”

I gasp and put my hand over my heart. “I would never do something so sacrilege.” For swimmers, finding the perfect pair of goggles is like finding the holy grail. I’m pretty sure I fell into a small depression when the straps on my favorite pair finally wore out. I might enjoy messing around with Jax, but that’s a line I won’t cross.

The corners of Jax’s mouth begin to turn into a smile, but he quickly composes himself, lets out a huff, and stomps out the door.

“Thanks, Aly,” Carter refills his coffee mug. “I’m going to be working with him later today and working with a pissed-off Jax is not fun.”

I glance over at the girls, who are sharing looks of utter confusion. “This guy”—I point to Carter—“has been holding out on us. Not only does he know what Jax does for a living, but he works with him too.”

“We’re not strippers!” Carter holds up his hands in surrender. “And I really am an electrician. Jax flips houses, and I do the electrical work for him. It’s just always been fun to make you girls guess. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to warn Travis that Jax will be a ray of sunshine when he gets to work today.”

Carter spins around when he gets to the door. “Don’t forget that SummerFest is next weekend. I was asked to participate in a surfing expo.”

“SummerFest?” I ask.

“Yeah, it’s this big thing that Starboard Beach holds. It’s typically on one of the hottest days of the year, so everyone comes to the beach to hang out. They set up food trucks, games, and rides near the pier. It’s a lot of fun!”

“Sounds like it!” I look at Gabby and Michelle. “Are you two going?”

“Of course! Wouldn’t miss it! Especially if Carter is going to show off his skills.” Michelle winks at Carter; his grin stretches from ear to ear.

The moment Carter leaves, Gabby turns to me. “Okay, first, now I see why you get up at the ass crack of dawn to go swimming.”

“I would be swimming whether Jax was there or not.” I hop off the counter where he placed me. “But, I admit, I do enjoy theview.” I’ve been swimming for pretty much all my life, so I’ve been around half-naked, muscular guys before, but something about Jax draws me in.

“And second…” Gabby’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts of a shirtless Jax. “How in the world did you get our closed-off neighbor to show you what he does for a living?”

I sit back down at the table and tell the girls how we ran into each other at Molly’s and how he offered to show me his current project. I also tell them about Travis and his adorable dog, Gus.

“Amazing!” Michelle says. “I have lived here for over a year, Gabby has been here for about five months, and in less than six weeks, you already know more about this guy than the two of us combined.”

“I don’t knowthatmuch,” I try to justify. I do understand what the girls are trying to convey. Jax has apparently been closed off for a long time, yet he’s shown me glimpses of his life. I wonder what makes me different.

21

Jax

It’s been a few days since Aly and I had our little truce. She’s stayed true to her word and has stopped messing around with my things. But now I have a new problem because I miss all my little interactions with her. So here I am, hanging out at the girls’ place, waiting for a pizza delivery because apparently, that’s my thing now. I’ve always had an open invitation, but I was never comfortable enough like Alex and Carter, who consider this their second home. Truth be told, I felt like an outsider until Aly came along.

Somehow, Michelle convinced me to play Uno with her and Carter while waiting for Aly and the pizza to show up. If someone had told me a few weeks ago that my life would be like this now, I would’ve thought they were completely insane.

My heart begins to race when I hear movement coming from the hallway. I focus on the door that is about to open just as Michelle hits me with a Draw 4 card.

“Hi, guys!” Aly places her keys on the hook near the door. She’s wearing that green wrap dress she wore the first time I laid eyes on her. Well, not the first time, since that would be at the pool, but the first time we formally met.

Everyone gives a collective “hey,” including me. I don’t want to seem overly enthusiastic about her arrival. It would make it obvious that I might possibly be attracted to her. Hell, it’s probably obvious anyway since I’ve increased my presence here by like ninety percent.

“Did a package or something arrive for me while I was gone?” she asks as she grabs a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Nope. Are you expecting something?” Michelle asks as she hits me with a reverse card.

“Yeah, it’s kind of strange. Jess texted me and said I had to be home to receive a package at six thirty, but it might be late.”

“You don’t know what it is?” Gabby asks.

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