Talia rolls her eyes. “He really isn’t. Like I said, he can be a pain in the ass, but he has a good heart. Mostly.”
Tucker laughs at his sister’s good natured gibe. “Jeez, thanks, sis. Siblings, am I right?” He chuckles, adding a wink for my benefit.
I can’t resist the urge to return his smile. “I wouldn’t know. I’m an only child. But I guess sometimes best friends are like siblings. I know Jo-Jo and I can push each other’s buttons if we want.”
Jodie flips me off, but tries to hide her smile behind the rim of my untouched margarita glass.
“So, may I buy you a drink then?”
Tucker offers me his arm, and I’m tempted to go with him. My eyes flit between his tall form and Jodie.
My best friend widens her eyes, signaling for me to go. “Don’t worry about me, babe. Talia and Sam will keep me out of trouble, right girls?”
“Go, go. We’ll take care of Jo-Jo.”
Reassured by our new friends’ promise, I accept Tucker’s offer and link my arm with his.
The immediate wave of sensation that washes over me the moment our skin touches is something I’ve never experienced before.
His forearms have defined, corded muscles that jump with every movement; his skin there is soft, covered by a very light dusting of hair so blond it’s almost invisible.
He places his hand over mine, as if to make sure we stay linked.
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen bigger, more perfect hands.
“So, what will it be?” He smiles once the bartender comes to take our order.
I tap my bottom lip with my index finger, unsure of what I’m really in the mood for. “I don’t know. What are you having?”
“Soda water with lime and plenty of ice.” Is the answer.
“I’ll have the same then, please.”
Tucker orders our drinks. “Can I have one soda water with lime for me and one for…”
“Taryn.” I offer.
“And one for Taryn. Ice for you too?”
I nod in response.
As the bartender lines up two cups to fill with ice, Tucker stops her.
“Do you mind giving us our drinks to go, please, Lorna? We could walk around the pier. It’s County Fair weekend, and they have the best funnel cake you’ll ever have, and a lot of stands with games and a couple of carnival rides.”
“Sounds fun.” I smile.
A little voice in the back of my head tells me that maybe I shouldn’t go with him so easily. Tucker is a stranger after all, and I just got here. Star Cove is still totally unknown to me.
But Tucker doesn’t give me any creepy vibes. Besides, his sister, Jodie, and the entire group of girls we came here with have seen me walk away with him. So if he tried to do anything bad to me, he wouldn’t get away with it for very long.
A screech coming from outside pulls me out of my internal mini meltdown.
Several full length double glass doors open from the interior side of the bar to the tables outside on the boardwalk, giving us a pretty good view of what’s causing commotion.
The drama seems to be unfolding at the table where Tucker’s friends are sitting.
I spot a tall, willowy woman standing tensely in front of one of the guys sitting at the end of the long table. There’s a different woman on his lap who leaves her spot when the confrontation begins.
