Page 64 of Slash & Burn

She laughed. “Too late for that, sport.”

Sighing, I rested my forehead on hers, craving her touch like a balm. “Then we better get some drinks to help calm me down or this is going to be a long ride.”

With a beer in hand, Jill and I made our way to the rows of bench seats that filled the middle of the upper deck. Most of the crowd was milling about, a few loud outbursts of laughter breaking into the otherwise pleasantly quiet ride. The mountains rose up along the northwestern horizon, and I kept my eyes fixed on their spiny peaks anytime they weren’t on Jill.

After a few minutes my pulse had leveled off and I turned to scan the deck again. Still no sign of Adam. I wondered if he’d seen me join Jill and was going to do the smart thing and stay the hell away from us. But I wasn’t going to let the guy fuck up this chance for her any more than I was going to let her babysit me here on the benches.

“Ready to mingle?”

“We don’t have to. We can hang here.”

I shook my head at her, pushing off the bench. “No way. We’re not missing this chance to show you off toyouradoring fans.” I winked at her when she looked up at me skeptically. If I had the chance to throw this back at her the way she had when I got swarmed for autographs, I was going to take it and run.

“On your feet, gorgeous.” I held out my hand and when she took it, I pulled her up beside me. I leaned in close, so only she could hear. “I’ll be right there with you, unless you want me to stay back.” I wasn’t going to offer to let her go off on her own with Adam somewhere in the crowd. But I could give her a little space to do her thing.

She looked around us, assessing the smiling faces and full wine glasses. “I think you said we were a team once, right?” I nodded, unable to fight the smile that took over my face. “Then we stick together.”

Part of me wondered if she was saying that because she didn’t want me to be alone either. But even if that was the case, I didn’t mind. Wewerea team, and I loved that she wanted to act like it.

Maneuvering through the crowd was easy. It was a gorgeous night and the funds being raised were for a good cause. The more Jill was asked questions about the literacy program, the more she shined. One after another, folks gravitated toward her, until I was nothing more than a smiling body at her side, my eyes on the crowd as she commanded their attention. In these small groups she was fine, her confidence unwavering. It was just when the crowds got too large that she flinched and retreated.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Cleo called from the front of the boat, clinking her glass to get the crowd to quiet down. “We are so glad all of you could join us tonight. The library is here to support our community, but in order for us to do that we need the supportofour community. The money raised today will go directly to our new technology initiative, aiming to bring innovative and timely resources to our region that so desperately needs them.” She waited for the crowd’s applause to die down, but when she started up again, her eyes were locked on Jill and I.

“We’ve already seen just how much good our library can do, thanks to our friend in the back, Mr. Grady Holloway.”

The crowd got loud again and I gave a brief wave, my face plastered with the smile I’d learned to wear years ago. It made me feel numb at first, but then when Cleo went on without mentioning Jill, I felt worse.

“With partnerships like that, and your generous support, we can give the region the leg up it needs to provide the education and access to change lives. All of our lives. So, thank you for being with us.” She held up her glass and the crowd followed, a round of cheers filling the air before everyone went back to their conversations.

I downed the last of my beer, the warm dregs in the bottle souring on my tongue. “That was a load of horseshit,” I whispered, turning toward Jill, my hands finding the rail behind us as my gaze coasted down to the water below.

“It’s fine,” she said, spinning in place beside me. “I’m not the draw. Never was.”

“That’s bullshit,” I hissed, working hard to keep my voice down even though I wanted to tell every one of these fuckers just who had made that program a success. “You’re the only reason that the whole program hasn’t devolved into a romper room reading hour with kids climbing the walls and parents leaving with nothing more than some signed hockey pucks. I’m not the one doing this.You are. And I know you don’t like attention, but damn it, you deserve the credit for this, babe.”

Jill’s eyes flicked up to meet mine, her bottom lip caught in her teeth even as it curled up into a smile. “You’re kind of cute when you’re like this,” she whispered, leaning conspiratorially into my chest.

“You’re kind of cute every fucking second,” I whispered back, reaching to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. “I wish we weren’t on a boat so we could blow this popsicle stand.”

She laughed, nodding as she sighed and leaned on the rail. “I think trapping people on a boat and liquoring them up is the legally acceptable version of extortion.”

I laughed. “They won’t turn the boat around until people hand over their checks?”

“Exactly.”

Only the boathadturned around. We were only a few minutes from docking back in Holden Cove and I was probably giddier about that than a grown man should have been.

“Two excursions in one month? Good for you,” a voice came from behind us. Before I even looked, I knew who to expect. Adam was standing with his glass of white wine in hand, eyes fixed on Jill with a slick grin that matched the condescension in his tone. “You really are making progress.”

Jill straightened beside me and I slipped my hand along her back, wrapping my fingers around her hip and squeezing.

I was convinced this guy had gotten bullied as a kid, and that he’d deserved it. Whatever arrogance I might have been guilty of, it was nothing compared to the air of superiority that wafted off this asshole. But what was worse was the coldness in his eyes as he looked Jill over from head to toe and back up again, as if his assessment alone could unseat any of the confidence she’d felt tonight.

“You, on the other hand, seem to have a hard time with basic comprehension,” I said, keeping my voice low as I twisted and brought Jill against my chest. “Maybe you’re one of those who learns through hands-on experience, though, huh?” I let the menace I was feeling for this guy seep into my words.

“I’m sure this is hard for you to understand, being the center of attention in most of the circles you travel in.” He sighed, his gaze sliding over to assess me this time. “But I wasn’t talking to you.”

The boat horn went off, startling Jill, who tensed even tighter into me. We were so close to getting off this fucking boat and away from this asshole, I needed her to hold on just one more minute.

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