Page 20 of Island Homecoming

Her cheeks turned pink. “I thought you would stand me up.”

“Good grief.” He paused to assess. He wasn’t mad. Not quite offended. But something in between. “Did you never have a good opinion of me?”

“No.” She nipped her full lower lip. “That’s not it. I—You were my best friend. But I left badly,” she said. “To put it mildly. And when you asked me out, you yourself admitted it was a form of blackmail.”

“The friendliest form.” He sounded defensive and didn’t much care right now.

“Is there such a thing?”

He gestured toward her. “You’re here.”

“True.” She laughed and the color in her face returned to normal. “Yes, I’m here.”

She turned the topic to family and they chatted over mom-goals and general changes around town while they polished off the appetizer.

“This was a great choice,” he said. “Definitely takes the edge off.”

“Glad to be of service.”

It was his turn to chuckle. “Why are you back, Jess? You haven’t visited in years.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Have you been keeping track?”

No harm in admitting it. “Yes, actually. As you said, you left badly. More specifically, we left things badly.” He blamed the blackmail guilt for choosing to share the burden of that fiasco. “That doesn’t mean I stopped caring about you.”

Though she didn’t seem entirely convinced, she didn’t argue. He’d take the win.

She carefully placed her appetizer plate at the edge of the table. A sign of nerves, he recalled.

“You know.” She smoothed the tablecloth in front of her. “My mom mentioned that you’ve been dating Gwen Nelson.”

“How do I answer that without calling your mom misinformed?” he asked. “Especially since it’s probably my mom who told her.”

“I remember Gwen,” Jess sipped her water. “Short, blonde. Adorably perky cheerleader, right?”

“You’re right. Every guy crushed on her. She was always at the top of the pyramid.” He leaned forward. “Also, I’mnother type.”

He watched her face as that sunk in. Her immediate frown gave way to surprise. “Oh! Seriously?”

“Believe it.” He lowered his voice. “Her girlfriend lives in Charleston. And while I have been out with her, it was only about a landscaping job. Here on the island and in town. My mom jumped to conclusions.” He shook his head, resigned. “Got her hopes up. Gwen and I had a good laugh about it. It didn’t help that her girlfriend likes to shag so Gwen practiced with me for a few weeks.”

Jess tilted her head. “I can see where the rumors would be just racing away. You two must’ve been a gorgeous couple on the dance floor.” She sat back in her chair. “And you’re hoping to start new rumors tonight. Locals don’t come to the Inn to be inconspicuous.”

“Rumors don’t faze me much,” he confessed. “And yes, this is where folks celebrate special occasions. And that’s what tonight is.”

“Is it?”

“Come on.” He gave her his best smile. “You can’t tell me that seeing you again after the better part of a decade isn’t a special occasion. You even dressed up.”

“For the venue,” she stated. “And so did you. You look great,” she added with a sparkle in her blue eyes.

“Thanks.” He ignored the effect of that sparkle and the almost-flirty tone. His sister wasn’t wrong that Jess had slipped through his fingers, but there was no guarantee that she’d stay. And if Jess was temporary, he had to protect himself from disappointment, or worse, another heartbreak.

As much as he’d like to deny it, she still held the power to wreck him and he wasn’t sure he could survive that a second time. “The last time I saw you in a dress was our senior prom.”

Her eyebrows dipped low over her nose once more. “That can’t be true. There were formals in college.”

“None that we attended together,” he reminded her. Different schools had been more of a challenge than either of them had expected.

---