“I was telling Rob here that I wasn’t checking out June, but only commenting on her beauty, which isn’t a crime.”
“It’s not.She is beautiful.June has a natural beauty.She’s very expressive and honest.I appreciate that about her.”Zoe nodded.
Rob turned back to June.She wore a floral summer dress that stopped at the top of her knee with off-the-shoulder straps.It was white with red and blue flowers.Her hair was slightly curled as it cascaded down her back.
Jack sidled up next to her, his hand sliding behind her back.Rob suddenly saw red.He was going to break every bone in his friend’s hand for touching her.
Carson stood in front of them and leaned forward to whisper something in June’s ear.Both men seemed smitten with her.
“Rob, you, okay?”Zoe asked.
Rob whipped his head back around to look at her.“Yeah, why?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re jealous.”
Jealous?Him?Of what?June was just a friend.He didn’t have reason to be jealous.She was a pretty woman, he supposed.He had never thought about it before.“No, I’m not jealous,” he insisted in a purposefully bored tone as he took the burgers off the grill.
Rob heard June laugh from across the yard.He could pinpoint her without looking.He didn’t remember being hyperaware of her before.
“Have you guys tried this lasagna?”Jack asked, coming up to them with a plate stacked with lasagna slices.“It’s to die for.”
“I’ve been manning the grill, so I haven’t tried it yet.”Rob had wisely snuck a piece before the others had started digging into it.Jack was right though; it was amazing.
“I might consider settling down and asking June to marry me if she always cooks like this.Dude, no wonder you’ve been hiding her away.She’s incredible.I’m only shocked some guy hasn’t snatched her up yet.”
“Ah—” he started to say, but Jack cut him off.
“I mean she’s beautiful, funny, smart, and she can cook,” Jack mused before shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth and chewing silently for a moment.
“We were just discussing the same thing,” Greg said.Rob heard humor in Greg’s voice that he didn’t like.He knew they were saying these things to get a rise out of him, or at least to get him to admit he had feelings toward June, but he wasn’t going to be goaded so easily.
“I’m glad you’re all getting along,” Rob stated dryly.
“You like her, don’t you?”Jack asked, coming closer and talking low.
“Yeah…” Where was Jack going with this?
“But just as a friend, right?”he pressed.
“Why are you asking me this, man?”Again.
“Because I don’t want to cause issues between us.”
Rob turned sideways to look at Jack fully.“Why would my friendship with June cause a problem with us?”Jack wasn’t making any sense.Didn’t he just get done saying that he liked June?Why would their friendship cause an issue?
“I’m going to ask June out, and I don’t want there to be any awkwardness between us.”
“What?”He balked, sure he wasn’t hearing Jack right.Date June?“No,” came out of Rob’s mouth before he realized he was speaking.
Jack scowled.“Why not?”
“Because—” Rob didn’t have a ready reply.
“What, you don’t think I’m good enough for her?”Jack set down his plate of food.His normal jovial face turned angry.
No Rob didn’t.Jack wasn’t a relationship kind of guy.He was a hit it and quit it.June deserved better than that.Jack talked a big game now, but he would leave her with a broken heart and broken promises.June deserved better than that.
“Guys, cool it.”Drew appeared out of nowhere and stepped between them.
