Page 5 of Chasing Stars
Miles groans, and if I’m not mistaken, his ears turn a little pink.Embarrassed? Maybe.“I shouldn’t even bother introducing you to these assholes,” he mumbles to me.
I raise my eyebrows and give him an amused smile, then, reaching across him, I hold out my hand to the nearest guy. “I’m Jenna,” I say confidently.
“Danny,” he says, taking my hand.
The middle guy takes a sip of his beer before answering. “Jack.”
I glance over at the quietest guy nursing a Corona as he watches the baseball game on TV. “Hi, I’m Jenna.” I speak directly to him.
He gives me a tight smile. “Liam.”
I can’t help but notice all these guys are wearing wedding rings. Miles isn’t, though. At that thought, a spark of something flickers in my chest—Hope? Curiosity? I force it back down. I don’t have time to self-analyze. Suddenly, the bartender appears, saving me from inappropriate thoughts about the charismatic stranger perched next to me.What can I say? It’s been a while.
“Hey, Miles. Who’s your friend?” the pretty bartender asks. Her strawberry blonde hair is clipped half back, and she wears tight black jeans and a short-sleeved V-neck shirt with the bar’s name on it. A tattooed sleeve of hibiscus flowers winds down her arm. On her other wrist, a single tattoo of a word I can’t make out.
“This is Jenna.” Miles motions toward me, his voice low. There’s a faint flush to his cheeks but he’s already brushed off his friends' teasing with the ease of a guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously.
“Miles is the property manager for my family home,” I add. “We just met today when he caught me trying to break in.” I snicker, surprising myself. There’s a glimmer of something—relief, maybe?—that catches me off guard. Perhaps it’s the promise of food, or maybe just the sense of normalcy that comes with sitting in a bar with strangers. Whatever it is, for the first time in alongtime, I feel the tightness in my chest lessen ever so slightly. It’s not gone, but I feel myself starting to relax.
“I’m Melanie.” She smiles. “Don’t pay any mind to these schmucks.” She gestures at the three married guys. “They like to give him a hard time, but really, they should be going home to theirwives.” She rolls her eyes, and I instantly like her.
I laugh softly. “Okay.” I glance at Miles who seems a little more relaxed. Melanie puts a draft beer in front of him, and he immediately takes a sip.
“What can I get for you?” Melanie asks, leaning on the bar. “Then, you have to tell me what brings you to Cape May. It’s not often a lady joins these guys for happy hour.”
I hesitate, knowing my funds are tight and not knowing Miles’s intentions for this pit stop.. “Uh…I’ll just have what he’s having.” I gesture to Miles.
“Miller Lite? Okay.” She turns to grab it, giving me the opportunity to ask Miles some questions.
“So, you know everyone in this town, huh?” I squint at him curiously.
He laughs, completely unselfconscious, and my stomach does a little flip. “Well, I grew up here, and it’s a small town. Hence the phone call about a strange woman peeking in the windows of your house,” he says.
I nod slowly. “Gotcha.” Then, to the guys who seem to have already forgotten about us. “And you all live here too?” I ask, cocking my head in their direction.
“We all grew up here, on Perry Street,” says Jack, the guy in the middle. “We’ve known your boy here since he was six years old, scoring in the wrong soccer goal.”
“That was one time!” Miles protests. “I was learning.”
I laugh until my phone buzzes. I glance down and freeze. A reminder for Mom’s next doctor’s appointment—one I forgot to cancel. The air shifts. The lightness I was feeling evaporates
“Surfing is definitely more your sport,” Danny adds, and finally, Liam tears his eyes from the TV and laughs.
“Whatever.” Miles chuckles easily as Melanie sets my beer down.
“So, Jenna. Tell me about yourself, and I’ll tell you if you should steer clear of this guy.” She juts her thumb in Miles’s direction and laughs.
I inhale sharply and take a sip of my beer for courage.How much do I really want to share with these strangers?“Well, my mom died a few weeks ago…” I start.
Melanie cuts me off. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She reaches for my hand, squeezing it with an apologetic smile.
“It’s okay. She was sick for a long time.” I shudder as I take a deep breath, then offer her a grim smile so she knows it’s okay. “I lived with her in an apartment for the past few years so I could take care of her. And my parents bought our house in Cape May when I was a little girl…but when my dad died, I assumed my mom sold it. I didn’t even know we still owned it until last week. So, since the apartment lease was up, I packed my things and headed East. Miles found me poking around the yard earlier.” I shoot him a wry look.
Smirking, Melanie cocks her head in Miles' direction. “What a way to pick up a girl,” she says, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
I shake my head, and a nervous laugh escapes. “Oh…no. That’s not what this is.”
“That’s not what this is,” Miles reiterates, wincing and glancing sideways at me.
