He spins back, grinning like a dick. “Nah. I don’t think so.”
“She’s been glaring at me all night while she drinks gin and tonics. Ordered a lobster roll but hasn’t even touched it,” I explain.
Jake just shrugs. Nova comes through the doors from the kitchen with a clean rack of glasses for the bar. “Almost closing time! Luckily the weather has kept this place dead tonight and clean-up will be minimal. I’m in desperate need of a bubble bath.”
I glance out the window at the whiteout conditions. “You have snow tires, right? If not, I can drive you home.”
“Logan Hawkins, gunning for the Ocean Pines Hero Award,” Jake says snarkily and I level an equally snarky stare at him.
“You donated a kidney to my sister, you get the lifetime achievement award in heroism,” I remind him. It feels crazy that all that went down—Jake donating a kidney to Terra because her Lupus had destroyed hers—only a month ago. He also declared his love for my sister, and she gave in to her lifelong crush on him. My best friend being with my sister is still weird. But the fact is, I love them both and they’re pretty great together.
“He’s got you there, hero,” Nova says and wraps her arms around Jake and gives him a big, strong side hug. She’s such a ball of love and light, it’s almost too much. But I’m a grump, as my family loves pointing out, so maybe I’m not the best judge. She turns to me as she lets go of Jake. “Declan had my snow tires put on yesterday.”
The older couple have finished and are standing up to leave. I head over to their table. They’ve left the money on top of the bill in the center of the table. I pick up their empty chowder bowls and smile as I watch him help her with her coat. “You two drive safely. It’s a mess out there tonight.”
“First Nor’easter of the season,” the man says. “Been living here my whole life, so I’m used to it.”
The lady leans towards me and puts a hand on my forearm. “The only thing that’s worth braving this weather is your chowder.”
I grin. “My mom’s secret recipe. I’ll be sure to tell her you said that. She’ll be over the moon.”
“Will you be entering the chowder in the annual contest at the Seafood Festival? We go every year,” the lady says and lowers her voice to a stage whisper. “I think you were robbed last year. Your chowder is much more savory than Stan’s chowder.”
I smile at that. We’ve been hearing that since Stan’s Seafood on the other side of Saco Bay beat us in the state competition. “We’ll enter again, but our focus is on the Best New Dish contest.”
“Oh! Your momma coming up with something new? I can’t wait!” the lady says with a grin. “She’s a culinary genius, she is.”
“I will definitely tell her you said so,” I reply. “And I completely agree.”
The man crooks his elbow so his wife can take it. Nova is already at the front door and holds it open for them as they go. “See you again soon Mr. and Mrs. Beasley.”
We’re lucky to be such a respected family in such a caring community. If we ever lost that – the respect and the community support – because of my stupidity five years ago, I would never forgive myself.
I can feel the woman in the corner’s eyes boring a hole into me again, so I walk over, still holding the empty chowder bowls as Nova flips the sign in the window to closed. The twenty-somethings start putting on their coats, and Jake walks over to bus their table. He may not officially work here anymore, but he always helps out when he’s around.
“Is the lobster roll okay?” I ask because she still hasn’t touched it.
“This is ridiculous,” she says in an angry tone. “I mean I know we said no strings attached, but that doesn’t mean you get to act like you don’t even know me.”
What the… oh shit. Not again.
“You have me confused with someone else,” I try to explain, but that twists her pretty face with even more anger. Because I look exactly like the person she thinks I am.Exactly. From the long, straight nose with the slightly flared nostrils, the light blue eyes, to the thick, wavy on top, brown hair, and scruff all over my jaw.
She stands up abruptly from the table, her wooden chair scraping aggressively across the floorboards.Fuck.I swallow and try again. “Look, I know it’s crazy but I’m not—”
“You told me you worked here,” she interrupts, and she’s gripping her gin and tonic so tightly her fingers are white. “And now you’re ghosting me to my face? You think I’m the type of girl you can do that to?”
“No. Of course not.” My eyes dart around the room for help, but all I get is an amused smile from Jake, who is probably wishing he had popcorn to eat while he watches the show. Nova seems to have gone into the kitchen again, which is probably for the best. She doesn’t need to see this. The foursome of twenty-somethings is halfway to the exit but have frozen in place like they’re witnessing a train wreck. They probably are.
“We’ve never met,” I say. “I’m not Fi—"
“Lying asshole,” she tosses her drink, dousing my shirt and face and even managing to nail me in the forehead with one of the ice cubes. The other customers gasp.
“He’s really not,” Jake says, rushing up behind me. “He’s Finn’s twin brother.Identicaltwin.”
The blonde blinks. “What are you talking about? He never said he had a twin.”
“I’ve been asking him to have it tattooed on his ass to make sure women know, but he refuses,” I mutter and take the napkin Jake offers me to wipe my face. “Selfish prick.”
