Page 19 of Passions & Peonies

I shrug. “Thanks. It’s life, right?”

He nods with sympathy. “What can I get you?”

“Any Frenchtown beer you have on tap.”

“You got it.”

With my hip against the side of the bar, I rest my elbow on top. Lacey’s face is lit up as she chats away like she did on the plane. But then she stops to take a sip of her martini and glances in my direction. Her eyes spring open, and she almost drops her glass on the bar; red martini splashes on her hand. She knows it’s me, not Josh. She licks her finger innocently, and every nerve in my body lights up.

The guy next to her follows her gaze and scowls at me, then whispers something in her ear. She doesn’t respond and leans away from him. Skylar looks over her shoulder and acknowledges me by lifting her chin.

“Here’s your beer. Try to stick around awhile. Jimmy’ll be right back. He’d love to see you.”

“Thanks.” I place some money on the bar. I don’t have to pay for drinks here, but I always leave a tip.

I remain in my spot for a while. We glance at each other several times. A smile here, a giggle there. I guess she’s not mad or embarrassed anymore.

Josh claps me on the back. “I should’ve known why you wanted to come here. I wouldn’t mind hanging out with Skylar, if you and Lacey want to run off somewhere.”

“I have a feeling Skylar won’t fall for your bullshit, so watch out.”

“You know me. I’m always up for a challenge. Did you talk to Lacey?”

“No. I’m fine where I am. She knows I’m here.”

“The guy next to her seems pretty determined. Arm around the back of her chair.” He stretches his neck. “He just put his hand on her knee, and she brushed it off.”

Jealousy kicks in again. “I guess he hasn’t noticed her looking over here the entire time rather than at him.”

She hops off her chair and hooks arms with Skylar. They say something to the guys and walk away. Lacey looks over her shoulder and gives me a sexy smirk. She angles her head faintly and motions for us to follow. I chug the rest of my beer, and we catch up to them just as they reach the bathroom doors. They press against the adjacent wall, hiding themselves.

“What are you doing?”

“Those guys were cramping our style, so we said we had to go to the bathroom. Girls always travel in pairs,” Skylar explains. Like men don’t know that by now.

“Want to help us escape?” Lacey begs.

I reach out my hand for her to take it. “Come with me.” She extends her arm, then hesitates. “I don’t bite.”

“But maybe I do. We’re not on the plane anymore. This is a whole new ballgame.”Feisty.One more thing that makes her even more attractive.

“Let’s see who wins.” I waggle my eyebrows, then snag her hand. “Let’s go.”

We bolt out the door and follow a path lined with sparkling solar lights. Skylar and Josh are chatting away behind us, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.

“Hey, guys,” Skylar says. “Josh and I are going to the bar by the lobby. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he behaves.” She punches him in the arm playfully. He rubs the spot with his hand, then pretends he’s going to hit her back.

Lacey gives Josh the evil eye.

“I’m just kidding,” he says. “I’ll behave. I’ll try to anyway.”

Skylar gives Lacey a hug. They don’t say anything, but they don’t have to. We all know they’re doing it so we can be alone. We wave to them as they walk away.

I take both her hands in mine. “Lacey, are you okay with this? Are we okay? We didn’t part on the best of terms this morning.”

She rocks on her heels and flashes me the smile I love. “More than okay. I was hoping they’d leave us alone.”Me too.

“What would you like to do? Walk on the beach? There’s a small bar with couches and tables at the end of this path.”

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