Page 26 of Must Have Been Love

“Will you?”

“Sometime.” He gives me a tight smile. “Anyway, she seems nice, huh?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Real nice.”

We’re almost at the dock now. I look pointedly at it and Jesse wrinkles his nose. “Best go tie the ropes. Have a good evening.”

“You too.”

I look at The Salty Dog one more time as I start my engine up. And once the ferry is moored and I drive off onto the main road, I slow down as I drive past the bar.

She’s inside. And I’m becoming stupidly obsessed about a woman I have no interest in apart from a fucking lip piercing that annoys me and a body that reminds me what I can never have.

But I can’t help but wonder whatshe’sdoing inside.

Wishing I was in there, watching her. And yes, that makes me a fucking voyeur, I know that. Even if it is only in my mind.

* * *

SKYLER

“Hi,” I say breathlessly as I walk intoBrewed Awakeningsa few days later, my thigh muscles protesting because I practically ran up the road to the coffee shop, mostly because I have to passEileen’s By The Seaand I felt guilty knowing I’d be talking to her sister.

I have no idea how the people of Liberty have managed to cope with this bloody feud for so long without spontaneously combusting. Last night when I came back from a walk on the beach to clear my head I waved and called out to Eileen when she was passing the bar, only to realize it was Mylene when she pinched her nose between her thumb and forefinger as she passed Eileen’s house.

“The usual?” Mylene asks me as I walk in, which is a bit of a surprise because it’s only the second time I’ve been in here. Are you even allowed to have a usual after one visit?

And yet I love that I have a usual. I’ve never lived anywhere long enough to have one before.

“Um, yes please.” I hesitate, and then add, in case she has me mixed up with somebody else, “An iced latte please.”

She gives me such a beaming smile that I start to wonder if there’s a third twin. Or triplet. Because both Eileen and Mylene have been pretty short with me until now.

“I didn’t realize you were Wayne’s girl,” she says. “You should have said something the other day.”

I blink. “I thought everybody knew.” I put my phone on the card reader, my bangles jingling as the reader beeps. “Who did you think I was?”

“Oh, one of Hudson Fitzgerald’s fangirls,” she says. “We get a lot of women visiting the island who are interested in him. He hates it.”

Laughter bubbles up in my throat. “I’m definitely not one of those,” I assure her. Then I see a photograph of him over her shoulder, along with a lot of others on the wall. She follows my gaze.

“Such a good man,” she says. “He helped me with this place. I thought I was going to lose it, but then he helped me pay my debts and for the renovations. Now look at it.”

I nod, not wanting to hear that he’s a good guy. I much prefer thinking of him as the devil.

“And then there’s what he’s done for the other businesses on the island. He’s our angel investor.” She smiles. “That’s why we make sure he’s not stalked by all those wannabe rich girls. Did you know some of them post on that TickyTock?” she asks. “They’re looking for a guy in finance.”

“I had no idea,” I tell her, trying not to laugh at her name for the video app.

Then I feel a warm hand on my shoulder.

When I turn, a tall sandy haired man is looking at me. His eyes look familiar as they crinkle with a shy smile.

“Skyler?” he says, his voice as shy as his expression.

“Yes.” He has the kind of rugged face you can only get from working outside. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

“On the boat, when you came over.”

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