Page 50 of Take Me with You

We set the cooler down and took a breather halfway to shore. “You’re the hottest guy this town will ever see, baby. Whether you’re in a tux or not.”

“You sure you want me to go inside looking like this?” I asked.

“We don’t go in. We knock on the backdoor, so don’t worry about it.” We lifted the cooler and headed the rest of the way. Once in an alley behind the restaurant, Bo rapped on a steel door as hard as he could and we waited.

“Who do you meet with, again?” I asked, sitting on the concrete steps below the door.

He stepped by me and pounded on the door again. “Marcus, the chef. A good friend and really nice guy,” he said, leaning against the railing in the bright sun.

The door opened, the bottom of it dragging across the concrete and making a god-awful sound. “Bo,” a young guy said after opening it wider. His eyes went to me when I stood up and faced the door.

“Jamie,” Bo acknowledged.

It took me half a second to make the connection. Bo hadn’t told me where Jamie worked when he was in town. Now that I knew, I was faced with the impossible task of acting normal in front of the infamous ex who broke Bo’s heart.

Jamie studied me carefully and then returned his gaze to Bo. “Marcus is in a meeting right now. He should be finished in five or so.”

“Cool,” Bo said. “We’ll wait for him here,” he added. Jamie returned his gaze to me and looked like he wanted to say something before Bo interrupted him. “That’s Hayes,” he introduced.

I lifted a hand toward him but didn’t step forward to have it shaken. “Hey,” I said.

He stared three seconds too long. “You look familiar,” he said. “Have I met you before?”

“Doubt it, “I answered. “I’m from out of town,” I added quickly, looking for support from Bo.

“He’s visiting me from Charleston,” Bo said, nervously shuffling his feet.

“Didn’t know you had friends in Charleston,” Jamie quipped. “How long have you been in town?” he asked, intent on investigating things further.

“A couple of weeks,” I fibbed.

Jamie continued staring at me, occasionally glancing toward Bo like he didn’t quite believe our story. “I’ve seen your face somewhere,” Jamie pushed. “You sure we haven’t met recently?”

I laughed uneasily. “Don’t think so. I’ve never visited Beaufort.”

“Hmm?” he mumbled. “You’re probably right but I swear I’ve seen you before.”

Bo stepped between us. “Just tell Marcus I’m out back, will ya?”

“Yeah, I’ll let him know.” He turned to me before closing the door. “How long you plan on visiting . . . Hayes, was it?”

“Not exactly sure,” I admitted. “Nice to have met you, Jamie.”

He gave me a look that said he wasn’t convinced of our story. Another quick glance toward Bo and he nodded. “I’ll get Marcus.” He stepped back and the door shut behind him.

“That wastheJamie?” I asked.

He nodded and stepped down from the door, putting his hands deep into his jean shorts. “One and the same,” he muttered. He looked uneasy about seeing his ex.

“You okay?” He nodded but didn’t make eye contact so I stepped closer to him. “Seeing him still hurts, huh?”

“Sure, but not like it used to.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, reaching for and touching his hand after carefully looking around for prying eyes. “It’s okay to feel sad about what you lost.”

“That’s not what this is, Hayes,” he said, leaning closer and speaking quietly. “I know Jamie. He suspects something isn’t quite right.”

“You think he’s jealous?”

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