I might be new to Star Cove, but the one screaming is definitely Genevieve.
“Asshole!” she shrieks loudly enough to be heard all the way inside the bar.
My mouth pops open when she throws the contents of her glass at the guy.
A few of the girls in our group and some of the guys sitting at the table intervene to defuse the situation.
The bartender Tucker just called Lorna, rolls her eyes and gathers a bunch of sheets of thick kitchen paper towels. “Sandy,” she says to the waitress who served the first drink Tucker bought me to break the ice. “Help clean up, please.”
Before the waitress can move, Genevieve strides past us as she storms out of the bar, followed by the two girls who were with her earlier today.
“Good riddance.” The bartender murmurs under her breath. “Thank goodness not all customers are as rude as that one.” She adds when Tucker shakes his head.
“Yeah, Mack dodged a bullet by getting out of that relationship.” The other hot blond guy who was sitting next to Tucker earlier comments as he approaches the bar.
Tucker lets out an uncomfortable chuckle. “What happened?”
“This girl came over to ask Mack for a selfie and then she started flirting. Mack offered her a drink and invited her to sit on his knees since there were no empty seats at our table.” The guy explains. “Gen had a problem with that. She came over and called the girl a slut, demanding that Mack go for a walk with her. When Mack refused to fall in line, she threw her drink in his face.”
Tucker shakes his head. “Typical Gen. But I’m glad that Mack stood his ground.”
The bartender sets our drinks on the table.
“Taryn, have you met my teammate and best friend, Colsen? Colsen, this is Taryn.”
Something really strange happens when Colsen offers me his hand to shake.
My body reacts the same way it did earlier when I linked arms with Tucker. I feel heat spreading to every nerve ending in my body, including my face, and I know I must be blushing.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Taryn.”
Colsen keeps my hand in his for a long moment, way longer than it would be appropriate when you meet someone for the first time.
But I don’t care. I like the feeling of his strong, big hand swallowing mine. These guys are so tall and big. And with their blond hair, Tucker and Colsen wouldn’t look out of place on a Viking ship. Especially if they grew their hair and beards.
But I prefer their clean cut, all American looks.
While Tucker’s eyes are a dark, intense blue, I notice that Colsen’s irises are green, but they have an amber ring around the pupil that makes his gaze feel warmer.
We stare at each other for a long moment, the air between us becoming charged with electricity.
“So,” Tucker clears his throat, breaking the spell his friend, and I were under. “Taryn and I were gonna get some funnel cakeand check out some of the rides on the pier. What are you up to, Col?”
Colsen rubs the back of his neck when he answers. “I was actually coming to tell you that I was thinking of heading back. Nash has already left, and I realized that I’m tired after moving all my stuff today.”
“What?” Tucker sounds concerned. “Wasn’t I supposed to be your designated driver tonight? How are you getting home?”
“I called a ride. It’s five minutes away, see?”
He shows the rideshare app on his phone, with the driver’s progress indicating the car is almost here.
“Are you sure you don’t want to cancel it and hang out with me and Taryn? You love the pier’s funnel cake.” Tucker argues.
Colsen’s face lights up when he smiles, his hand going to the flat plane of his stomach. “Yeah, I love it but I’m sure Coach would give me one of his scariest glares if he saw me eat some. Maybe next time. Taryn, it was nice to meet you. Will I get to see you again?”
“I hope so. My best friend and I are trying out for the new cheer team. If we don’t get in, it all depends on how fast we can get jobs in town.”
Colsen’s eyes light with interest. “So you’re a cheerleader?”
