He doesn’t say anything about it, however. Instead, he looks around, his gaze flicking from the restaurant to the scenery around it.
“This is my favorite restaurant in the whole Bay Area,” Iexplain.
It’s a small place that looks more like a shack than a restaurant, but it overlooks the water, and the seafood is to die for.
“I’ve never even heard of it.” He sounds surprised as he passes me my shoes.
“It’s a locals’ spot. Secret for a reason.”
“And you trust me with this knowledge, Miss Riley? You do know the influence and connections I have.”
I roll my eyes, unable to help myself. “You’re kind of an arrogant ass, aren’t you?”
Clapping a hand over my traitorous mouth, I moan at my true colors beginning to show without my permission. Usually, I don’t have a problem playing the role I’m supposed to and abandoning who I really am. This time, though, it slips easily.
“And you’re not as zipped up as you appear,” he shoots back at me, but the glint in his eye gives away his playfulness.
I put on my heels and step out of the car without answering. Before I know it, he’s at my side, scanning the small wooden building in front of us. The blue and white paint is slowly peeling, revealing the graying wood beneath. There’s no sign hinting at the name of the restaurant, and I don’t offer it as we step through the creaky, wooden door.
I smile as we approach the old, wooden bar inside, its body worn and faded from almost a hundred years of use.
“Jax!” I shout.
He turns, a towel and a bar glass in his hand, and his eyes widen in surprise, as if he’d seen a ghost. A second later, he’s around the other side of the bar, wrapping me in a rough hug that I return in earnest. I missed him while I was overseas, and my heart squeezes at the sight of him.
“Still in one piece, I see,” he comments, stepping back to assess me.
I cringe. Jax knows what I do, even if I can’t ever tell him the details.
Seeing Owen’s eyebrows raise, I immediately explain. “I travel a lot.”
Realization dawns on Jax’s face, and without giving Owen a chance to say anything, I answer Jax. “I’m home, safe and sound. This is my new boss, or possibly my new boss, Owen Mills.”
Jax’s brow furrows. The name must sound familiar to him, but I am relieved when he clearly can’t place it. “Nice to meet you, mate,” he says in his Australian accent, extending a hand to Owen, who assesses him far too intently.
Jax is your quintessential Australian surfer. He has tanned skin, long blond hair pulled back in a man bun while he works, and he’s wearing a Hawaiian button-up shirt, paired with khaki shorts and flip flops. Like me, his looks suggest he has little in the way of brains, but also like me, he’s secretly very intelligent.
“Jax is doing research for the marine mammal center along with running this place,” I explain to Owen, who grabs Jax’s hand and squeezes firmly.
“Nice to meet you,” Owen says, and Jax smiles at him before returning his attention to me.
“The usual, Nova?” Jax asks, and suddenly I’m panicking at his use of my real name. A second later, Jax’s eyes widen.
Fortunately, Owen doesn’t seem to notice. With Jax’s accent, it sounds similar enough.
I remind myself to bring up this little complication to Declan and Jax tonight when I get back to my apartment.
I nod. “The usual, except double it.”
Jax eyes Owen for confirmation, and he nods in return.
Leading Owen to my usual table by the window, he slips into the chair across from me. The sky is foggy and gray, and the ocean is calm today. The atmosphere in the dimly-lit restaurant is cozy, and the exhaustion from the last few months hits me without warning.
Owen observes my wide yawn without comment, instead asking the question I knew was coming. “How do you know Jax?” The question is casual, but there’s a hint of something else under his words.
I decide to be truthful since it’s likely that Owen would find out if I’m lying. “I’ve known Jax a long time, actually. He came to the States when he was fourteen, and we went to high school together.”
“High school sweethearts?” he asks, once again far too relaxed.
