Page 9

Chapter Nine

Beau

“Are you being serious right now?” Jack’s eyes bore into the side of my head. “A duck? That has to be one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard.”

I nod, my grin widening. “And yet, it works. Every. Time.”

“Really?” The skepticism in his voice and on his face reminds me of the first time I was told this little trick.

“Really!” I say firmly. “The key is to let everything, whatever it is, roll off. It’s not easy, and takes practice to executes it. But once you get it, it changes everything.”

“Hmm,” Jack says, his finger on his chin. From the corner of my eye, I notice his shoulders shaking. And then, for the first time since spending time with him, he laughs. Not just any laugh, but a full belly laugh. I would be offended except I take the advice I gave him and let it roll off—like water off a duck’s back.

“Hey!” I say, pretending to be offended. “One day, you’ll realize that’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten.”

He’s holding his stomach, struggling to breathe. “But every time I try to use it, I’m going to think of you!”

“Awwww. You love me.” I give him a soft shove on his shoulder and am rewarded with my new favorite behavior—the eye roll. “I had the same experience with the person who gave me this advice. Surprisingly, that made putting it into practice easier.”

“It did?” Jack’s fully invested in this tidbit of information.

“Yup! Any time someone said something that would normally hurt me or make me angry, I would think of my dad. I’d end up laughing at how silly the whole ‘duck’ thing was. Once that happened, whatever it was that bothered me didn’t anymore.” And the smile breaks free across my face as I remember this exact conversation with my dad. I was younger, but it went a lot like this one. “If it works as well for you as it has for me, I’m fine being the butt of your joke.”

When I turn toward him, he rolls his eyes…again, and I can’t help but snicker.

My humor fades when I park in front of the clinic and see Kit with Scott.

Jack’s gaze follows mine, his brows furrowed as he picks up on the tense exchange, too. “Is she okay?”

Kit’s shoulders are up to her ears, and her arms are wrapped protectively around her body.

From here, I can see Scott glaring at her. My hands tighten around the steering wheel, and my jaw clenches. I glance at Jack while reaching for my door handle.

“I’m gonna go check. Stay here until I tell you to come up, okay?” I don’t wait for an answer before getting out of the car. As I pass by the front of the hood, I point through the windshield. “Wait for me to call you.”

Jack stops reaching for the door handle, his forehead pulls, and he nods. Hopefully, he stays put.

With Jack taken care of, I turn back to the porch and notice when Kit sees me. I watch her shoulders drop. Immediately, the tension in my chest starts to ease.

Taking the steps three at a time, I position myself between Scott and Kit and stay close to her side. Sliding my arm around her waist, I kiss her on the cheek.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late.” I search Kit’s face for a sign that she’s okay. Her eyes flare with surprise before giving me the slightest of nods. I unclench my jaw. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.”

Without removing my one hand from her back, I reach the other hand out to Scott. “Hey, Palmer. How are you?”

“Beau? Beau Matthews?” Scott’s jaw drops out as he shakes my hand. “What are you doing in town?”

A wry curve crosses my face. “Me moving back seems to be the best-kept secret of the year. Which for a town like Starhaven is completely unexpected.”

“You’re back?” His shock-filled expression would be comical if I didn’t have an overwhelming urge to toss him from the porch. “In town?”

“I’m back.” I give him an overly bright smile before glancing back at Kit and winking. Her brows shoot past her hairline, and a delightful shade of pink colors her cheeks. “Just around the corner in Mrs. Maple’s old house.”

Keeping my gaze on her, I feel Scott’s eyes bouncing back and forth between the two of us, trying to figure out what’s going on. Meanwhile, hers are shooting daggers at me. My smirk broadens, and my blood hums, excitement surging through me.

The smile on her face is tight, and her glare screaming, ‘What are you doing?’

I pull my brows together and silently reply, ‘Helping.’

Her eyes narrow, and the corners of my mouth curve higher. I love it when she gets that fire in her eyes. Being the one who causes it is one of my all-time favorite things.

“Is that how the two of you started talking again?” Scott questions, pointing at me. I forgot he was here, witnessing our silent exchange. A sense of satisfaction fills me, knowing I’m the reason behind his agitation.

“Nope.” I pop the ‘p,’ Letting my smirk get impossibly bigger. “We just happened to run into each other over the past weekend in Las Vegas.”

Scott’s mouth falls open before forming an ‘O’. He snaps his head toward Kit and scowls at her. A muscle in his jaw ticks. Watching his reaction, one would think he was the victim of a runaway bride instead of being the runaway groom.

Is that even a thing?

“Right, Kit?” I give her one last squeeze before removing my hand and nudging her. “Seeing each other that night caught both of us by surprise.”

Kit lets out a tight chuckle, and her jaw tightens. “Total surprise! I mean, what are the odds that I’d run into Beau?” She nudges me not so gently with her elbow, and I rub my side. “Crazy, right, Scott?”

“Wait.” I can see the wheels start spinning in his head. “ He’s not the new man Genevieve was talking about?”

Glancing back at Kit, her face is a delightful shade of red. I probably shouldn’t be having so much fun with this, but I am. “There’s a new man in your life, eh?”

“I wouldn’t say that exactly,” she grinds out through clenched teeth. Glaring back at me. The sparkle in her eyes is doing funny things to my gut. I have to use every inch of control to keep my eyes from dipping to her lips.

“Well, what would you say?” At Scott’s tone, I shift my gaze to his face and immediately my fist clenches.

His eyes move up and down Kit as if she’s something that crawled out from under his shoe. Heat creeps up the back of my neck, and my body inches closer to Kit as if having a will of its own.

“What’s going on between me and Beau is none of your business,” Kit says angrily. “Especially after what you did.”

I forgot that Kit can take care of herself. She’s made bigger men regret getting into it with her, but Scott isn’t that smart. He doesn’t back down. “What do you mean it’s none of my business? I’m your—”

“My what?” Kit dares him to continue. A sense of pride flares up in my chest. And I want to high-five her. “We’re over. I can date anyone I want. Even Beau Matthews.”

“You’d never date him. The two of you hated each other back in school.” This time, when Scott’s gaze bounces back and forth between us, he glares at us with pure loathing.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I interrupt. Glancing over at Kit, I allow the affection that has been swirling since seeing her again show. “There’s a fine line, my friend. I never hated Kit. It was my attempt to cover that I had a massive thing for her.”

Kit’s head whips in my direction, her expression confused and her mouth slightly parted. This time, I can’t stop my gaze from dropping to her lips. When I glance back at her, there’s a stunned look on her face.

“Running into her was probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Kit’s surprised expression has turned to one of annoyance. I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m playing a game. And I am. Just not the one she believes.

The game I’m playing is for keeps.