Page 3 of Jett in Jeopardy

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but whatever it was made Brody laugh. His shoulders shook, and Daniel grinned when he turned away. Alistair had once said he thought Daniel and Brody might have been together, since they only really hung out with each other, but I didn’t think so at all. Or, if Alistair had been right, they were the least romantic and affectionate couple I’d ever seen.

Daniel started for the exit, and Brody was still grinning, shaking his head when he turned to face me. Scowling Brody was hot, but grinning, happy Brody was even hotter, and warmth swelled inside me at the sight of his straight, white teeth and easy expression.

His dark gaze fell on me, and his face turned stony again, like a cloud sweeping over the sun.

“Seriously,” he said, coming my way again. “What’s up with you?”

There was no way I was going to admit that I’d just been fired from another job. No need to give away that I was a loser fuck up—especially since I was fairly certain he suspected it already.

“Just thinking about whatyouthink about when you see me,” I told him, turning on the charm once more.

He rolled his eyes again, then glanced at my glass, already two-thirds empty. “Did you eat?”

“A while ago,” I said.

“Fries?” he asked. It was my go-to when he threatened to cut me off if I didn’t get some food in me.

I nodded, and he slipped out from behind the bar and made his way to the small kitchen in the back.

Brody actually talking to me had to be a sign, a good omen from the universe, proving that planning for the future was the right path.

“Hi, Jett.”

I looked up at the sound of my name. Simon, who’d worked with me at the university bookstore, slid onto the stool next to me. While I’d been sitting at the bar, The Dunes had started to fill up, people crowding around the bar and onto the small dance floor in the back corner.

Priscilla, Cilla for short, one of the bartenders who worked for Brody, dropped off my fries before moving on to take drink orders, Brody joining her without glancing my way.

I swallowed down my disappointment and turned to Simon. He was a few years younger than me, and I’d never seen him at The Dunes before. While in the summer months, when The Square was packed with tourists, the people crowding the bar were a little more diverse, but in the off-season, most of the people at The Dunes were LGBTQAI. Simon had never given me the impression that he was any of those letters in the months we’d been working together.

“Hey,” I said, frowning a little. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

A faint smile touched his mouth, red crept into his boyish face. “I’ve been here before. I heard about what happened at work. Paula told me she fired you.”

I sighed and popped one of the French fries into my mouth. “Did she?”

He nodded and reached out, resting his hand on my forearm. My frown deepened, and I looked down at his hand. I hoped he wasn’t hitting on me, maybe thinking that since we weren’t working together anymore, I’d want to hook up. He was a nice enough guy, not bad looking if you were into that clean-cut, boy scout look with his dark, short-cropped hair, earnest expression, and country-club-style clothes. But he was definitely not my type.

I glanced over at Brody, pulling a beer from the taps. No, my type apparently was hot bartenders who mostly ignored me and could have me melting with one flirty exchange.

“I’m really sorry about what happened,” Simon said, dragging my attention away from Brody. “I can’tbelieveshe fired you.”

“Me either,” I said, before draining my glass. “Hey, did you ever see or hear anyone complaining about me?”

Simon shook his head. “What did they complain about?”

Before I could answer, strong arms wrapped around my middle and warm lips pressed against my ear. “Come dance.”

I didn’t have to look back to know it was Sam. He lived in The Square in an apartment over one of the stores. He went to the same university, and one of his roommates worked at the hotel with Alistair. Sam and I sometimes hooked up when we weren’t seeing anyone else.

I glanced at Brody. His dark gaze was fixed on me. A slow, teasing grin curled my lips. I leaned back into Sam’s solid chest and tipped my head back before nipping at his chin.

“Okay.” I slid off the stool and let Sam pull me to the dance floor. “See you, Simon,” I called as an afterthought. I’d nearly forgotten he was there.

He waved. “Yeah, see you around.”

On the dance floor, Sam and I swayed, grinding against each other. I was pretty sure I was going to end up going back to Sam’s place, so I shot a quick text to Grier, letting him know I wouldn’t be home in case he worried.

As Sam and I moved together, the lights and faces around me blurred, voices and music sounding farther away and muffled. I felt as if I was sinking underwater, and the deeper I sank, the farther away the noise, the light thinning until I was floating in the quiet darkness.

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