“Well, where did Mr. Hunter take you so early this morning?”
I sigh. “He took me fishing.”
Midge starts coughing. “I almost choked on a piece of ice. Did you just say he took you fishing?”
“It was really…peaceful. It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“I think I would’ve rather gone to church.”
I smirk, shaking my head. “Yeah, well, the lake was really nice this morning, and it wasn’t too hot. It was fine.”
“Uh-huh. What’re you doing now?”
“I’m about to run.”
“Running away from Hunter? Good idea. If we go now, we might be able to catch up to Merrick and become groupies for their band. Let me grab a bag.”
As much as I try to keep it in, a loud laugh escapes my throat. “Stop. Hunter is nice.”
Midge sighs. “Whatever you say. I’ll let you go. Text me later.”
“Okay. Bye.”
I click on my favorite playlist to run to—a mix of Linkin Park and Eminem, put my earbuds in, and leave my apartment.
Truth is, I was kind of disappointed when Hunter drove up to the lake. I wasn’t really sure what I expected, but hours on a boat in the middle of the lake was not my idea of a good time. I didn’t catch a single fish, but I also didn’t want to catch anything. When Hunter pulled in his first catch, I felt awful watching that fish fight for his life. I don’t even eat fish. I’m not sure what made him think this would be fun for me, but I didn’t voice my complaints. He was trying to spend time with me, and I can appreciate that.
My feet thump against the pavement as I keep running, my ponytail swinging back and forth behind me. I get to a stop sign and run in place while I wait for a car to cross. Mr. Pilsner waves from behind the wheel of his old Ford Escort. I raise my hand and wave before jogging across the road and continuing my run into town.
I live about three and a half blocks away from downtown Gaspar. When I hit the shopping district on Main Street, I finally allow myself to walk. The streets are filled with college kids enjoying their weekend.
The smell of coffee hits my nostrils as I pass Nae’s Gourmet Coffee Shop, then I’m attacked with the wonderful aroma of fresh baked pastries as I walk by Flaky Vicki’s. I may need to pop into both places before I head back home.
I pick up my pace again, passing restaurants and candy stores. I glance up at the marquee when I run past the old movie theater to see what’s showing. Nothing interesting. My legs move faster as Eminem raps a quick cadence in my ear.
As I’m about to cross the road and turn back to make my way down the opposite side of Main Street, I get stuck at a red light. I back up to the corner of the building and bend over, stretching my legs again. A door opens up behind me and someone walks right into my backside, making me stumble.
My face plummets toward the concrete before large hands grab my waist. My ass is pressed up against the unmistakable body of a man, so I right myself as quick as possible and whip around, ripping one of my ear buds out. “Excuse me.”
It’s Royce, and as soon as he realizes it’s me, he gives me a lopsided grin that makes him look both boyish and mischievous. I don’t dwell on the fact that the grin highlights a dimple in his cheek, or how the sun shining down on his messy, golden brown hair makes me want to run my fingers through it to see if it’s as soft as it looks. And I definitely don’t care about how the sun really showcases how beautiful his eyes are.
“Hey, Sunshine.”
I try to just roll my eyes, but my traitorous lips pull up into a grin, so I turn around and start to put my ear bud back in. “Thanks for almost knocking me over.”
“You’re welcome for saving you from scraping your head on the concrete. I didn’t expect someone to be rubbing their ass against my door,” he says with a laugh.
“I wasn’t rubbing my ass against the door. I didn’t even notice a door.”
“Yeah, it’s the one that leads to my place above the bar. Only I use it.”
“All right, well, I guess I’ll see you later.”
The light changes and I begin crossing the street with the other pedestrians, leaving Royce behind me.
I’m not trying to be rude to him, but let’s be honest here, he’s gorgeous, charming, funny, and he seems like a genuinely good guy. A bit cocky? Sure. A little annoying? Yes, but only because he’s so damn perfect. And I’m in a relationship.
Let’s rewind a little bit. A year ago, I moved from an apartment on the outskirts of the town to the one I’m currently living in. I wanted to be closer to my job, and I love the look of downtown Gaspar. It’s got history. The buildings are historic, and I love the quaint feel of the area. Midge told me about King’s Tavern, so I knew that would be the place I’d be frequenting when I wanted a drink. She also told me about Royce Kingston not only being a bartender there, but the owner of the place as well.
I’d seen Royce a few times before, and heard whispers of the Kingston brothers, but I didn’t really know any of them. Midge insisted I get to know Royce, because she just knew I’d love him, but before I was able to get to King’s Tavern, I ran into Hunter. We met as I was at the store buying things for my new place. We ended up talking in the middle of the aisle for thirty minutes, and that ended with him asking me out to dinner.
We were dating for two weeks before I went to Royce’s bar, and maybe if I wasn’t with Hunter when I met Royce, things would’ve turned out differently. Then again, maybe not. Royce is an avid bachelor. He seems to enjoy the variety.
A toddler up ahead is playing with a couple of toy cars near the storefront of a drycleaner as his mom talks to another woman. As I approach, the kid pushes the car into my path, and my foot lands partially on the red vehicle, and I lose my footing and pitch forward. My ankle rolls, sending instant searing pain exploding up into my shin.
“Shit,” I mutter as I catch myself against a parked car.
The mom whips her head in my direction, and I follow her gaze as she eyes the car on the sidewalk, and then her son, who has turned around and put his face against the dry cleaner’s window.
“Marshall!” she scolds.
“It’s okay,” I assure her. “I’m fine.”
“Sorry,” she says, giving me a little frown
“Damn, Sunshine. It doesn’t seem to be your day.”
I look over my shoulder and spot Royce. He has one ear bud in, and the other dangles over his shoulder.
“What? Are you following me?”
He laughs. “No, I’m jogging. You’re not the only one who does it, you know?”
I make a face at him and then bend down to rub my ankle. “I didn’t realize you were behind me.”
“Well, I could’ve passed you, but I was enjoying the view.”
I purse my lips and shake my head. “Anyway.”
“How’s your ankle?” he asks, kneeling down and inspecting it himself.
“It’s fine. I’ll probably just walk the rest of the way home.”
“You want a ride? My car’s parked about a half block away. You can stay here, and I’ll swing by and pick you up.”
I shake my head. “Nah, that’s okay. Thanks, though.”
“Well, I can at least walk with you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m going in this direction anyway. Whenever you turn off, I won’t follow you. Don’t worry.”
“Well, considering you were already following me, I don’t know if you can be trusted,” I say, looking over and giving him a small smile.
He chuckles. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“Then I guess I’ll allow it.”
“Well, I appreciate it,” he replies, humor lacing his tone.
“What’re your plans today?” I ask, keeping the conversation casual.
“Figured I’d go for a run, have a late lunch, then meet up with my brothers a little later. What about you?”
“I don’t have much planned. I guess I’ll go home and take a shower, e
at, and lounge around the rest of the day,” I say with a shrug. “Typical Sunday stuff.”
“Do you wanna grab some food with me before you go home?”
His tone is innocent, and as much as I want to join him, it’s probably best that I don’t.
“Ahh.” I give him a quick once over, and he stares back with beautiful eyes full of hope. My eyes trace his strong jawline all the way down to his throat where his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. The gray shirt he’s wearing is snug around the muscles in his chest and biceps, and the overwhelming urge to reach over and touch him is almost more than I can bear. I want to run my fingers through his unruly hair, pushing the strands off his forehead. I want to run my tongue across his bottom lip while my hands get to know the muscles underneath the shirt, and that’s why I can’t go. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t. I mean, can’t. I forgot Midge wanted me to text her, and she’ll probably come hang out.”
“Okay, that’s fine,” he replies, giving me the tiniest smile.
“Plus, you know…Hunter,” I state with shrug.
“I wasn’t asking you on a date, Sunshine. We’re friends, right?”
“I’d hardly say we’re friends,” I respond with a laugh. “I only see you behind the bar twice a week.”
“Well, I guess that’s true, but it has been a year, and I like to think we’re friendly enough. But okay, let’s get to know each other. Ask me anything.”
I don’t have to think about my first question. I’ve been curious for a while. “Why do you call me Sunshine?”
He ducks his head slightly, smiling, and the sheer adorableness is too much to take. “Well, just remember you asked.” He takes a breath. “When you came into the bar for the very first time, you pushed open that door and a gust of wind swept through. You were laughing at something someone outside said, and you had the biggest smile on your face as you finished your conversation with them. Your eyes were bright, and as you became close enough for me to look into them, I thought of the sky on a summer day. Your golden hair looked like it had been kissed by the sun a thousand times, and your laughter was like music that travels deep into your soul and settles in as one of your favorite sounds in the world. When the wind swept through that day, so did you. Sunshine, even though it was a cloudy day.”
“Oh my,” I exhale.
As soon as I finish, I want to shovel all the words back into my mouth and swallow them down. I shouldn’t have told her that. It was too much.
“Oh my,” she says on a breath.
I try to focus on the space in front of me, making sure I don’t run into anyone, or trip over a child’s toy, but I can feel her eyes burning into the side of my face, so I glance back over at her.
“And that’s why I call you Sunshine,” I say, trying to laugh it off.
She clears her throat and drops her hand from her chest, facing forward once again. “Well, yeah. Okay. Thank you. That was…beautiful. I don’t know that anyone has described me quite like that before,” she says with a giggle.
“Yeah, well,” I say, pausing to figure out how to change the subject. “I think I get to ask you a question now.”
“I guess that’s fair.”
“You obviously aren’t from here, so where did you live before you came here?”
“What do you mean, I’m obviously not from here? How do you figure?”
“Well, I would’ve known about you a long time ago if you lived here your whole life. Plus, it looks like you’re from a city. Not a small town.”
She squints her eyes at me. “I’m from Philadelphia.”
“City. I knew it,” I say with a laugh.
“Oh, whatever.”
“Why did you move here?”
“My parents split up, and my mom wanted to get away from my dad and everything that remotely reminded her of him, so she picked this place. It was far enough, without being too far.”
“And how did you feel about moving here?”
“I was seventeen,” she says with a laugh. “I was moody and hated everything and everyone. I was pissed.”
I let out a small chuckle before saying, “Sorry.”
She shrugs it off. “My turn. Do you have a favorite brother?”
“What? No!” I exclaim, laughing.
“Oh, come on. Everyone has a favorite sibling, favorite kid, favorite parent. We just don’t talk about it.”
“I love them all. They’re my brothers.”
“Typical answer,” she says with a smile, nudging my arm with her elbow. “You’re not closer to one than the others?”
I think about it for a second. “Well, I guess I was always closer to Cillian. We’re closer in age. Elijah was a father figure for a little while, and it’s hard to be close to someone who has the authority to punish you,” I say with a laugh. “And Merrick and I were close, but he’s about five years younger, so it was a little different.”
She nods, accepting my answer. Her mouth opens, like she wants to ask another question, but instead she presses her lips together and gestures to me. “One more, then I gotta head home.”
We stop at a corner and move out of the way of foot traffic. “Well, now I need to make sure it’s a good one,” I say, leaning against the side of a red brick building. She shakes her head, a grin spreading across her face. “Okay, I got it. This one is serious. Are you ready?”
With a weary look, she gives me a single nod. “Okay.”
“Will you,” I pause, making sure she’s staring into my eyes, “break up with your boyfriend for me?”
The tension leaves her face, and she reaches out and pushes against my chest. “Stop. You’re too much. I gotta go,” she says, laughing as she turns away from me.
“What? It’s a legit question.”
“Bye, Royce,” she sings, raising her hand as she walks away.
“Bye, Sunshine.”
“You better watch yourself or her boyfriend’s gonna come around and try to kick your ass,” Cillian says after I tell him about my time with London earlier today.
“Ha!” I bark. “I doubt that. I’m not sticking my tongue down her throat or anything. I’m being respectful.”
“By asking her to break up with her boyfriend?” he says, raising a brow.
“Well, I’m asking and not demanding, for one.”
“Fuck outta here,” he says with a laugh. “That dude finds out you’re wanting her to break up with him for you, he’s gonna lose his shit.”
“Well, fuck it. She should know I’m interested.”
“Good luck with that,” he says in a sarcastic tone.
I throw a piece of my dinner roll at him, but he ducks and it flies by and hits the wall instead. Cillian eyes the wasted food that now rests on the floor, and then gazes up at me. With a huff, I get up from my seat and walk around the table to pick it up.
“Dick,” I murmur, shoving his shoulder.
We come to Elijah’s house every Sunday for dinner. It’s actually the house we all grew up in, but the one Elijah inherited. Some days we order pizza, sometimes we come together and make a fairly decent meal.
“Is Zoe coming over?” I ask Cill.
“Yep. She’ll probably be late,” he says, sketching something in his notebook.
Elijah always says we’re welcome to bring people over for dinner as long as we tell him beforehand. For the past six months or so, Zoe has joined us sporadically. I’ve never invited anyone over, and neither has Elijah. Well, not since Jenn. And Merrick, when he was here, would only invite his friends.
“You guys want a drink?” Elijah asks, coming into the dining room from the connected kitchen.
“Nah, I’m good. Need any help?” I ask, nodding my head toward the kitchen.
Elijah shakes his head. “It’s fairly simple this time around. I got it. Everything will be done in about fifteen minutes.”
“You hear Royce talkin’ bout asking London to break up with her boyfriend again?” Cill asks him, leaning back in his chair.
“Yeah, I
heard his ass,” Elijah responds, shaking his head at me.
“Why do y’all care so much?” I question.
“Do you actually like her, bro?” Cill asks. “Like, for more than just a fuck? Because you could, and usually do, have anyone you want. Just wondering why you’re so focused on this one chick. Is it because she’s unavailable?”
I have always liked a challenge, but London being in a relationship isn’t why I’m interested. I’d rather her be one hundred percent available to me so I could do more than just talk to her.
“I like her, all right? I want to get to know her more, but for now, I’ll do that as a friend.”
“Okay, man. Seems like a dangerous game to be playing. Not for her, but for you. I feel like someone’s gonna come out of this getting hurt, and I’m not too positive that it won’t be you,” Elijah says gently.
“Don’t worry about me, okay? I’ll be fine. We’re just gonna be friends.”
They both murmur, “All right.” But I can tell they don’t think everything will be all right at all.
When Elijah goes back to the kitchen, I follow him, leaving Cillian to his sketches. The kitchen was re-modeled a few years back, so all the cabinets which used to be white, are now espresso colored. The appliances are chrome and stainless steel, and the floors throughout the house have had their ugly carpet replaced by dark hardwood.
Elijah’s slowly been turning this house into one that suits him more. It’s taken him a while, but the updates were needed, and he’s definitely transformed the place.
“Merrick texted me earlier,” I tell him, grabbing some plates.
“Yeah, he texted me too. Looks like they’re gonna be done with that album soon.”
“Yep. They’re hoping for some big numbers so they can get the greenlight on a tour. I can’t believe the baby of this family is about to see the world before we do,” I say with a laugh.
“You could go somewhere, you know,” Elijah says, removing the potatoes from the foil. “You just don’t.”
“I know, I know. But I got the bar.”
“And you have managers and workers who could take care of it for a while.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to go, and who wants to travel alone?”
On the Rocks (Kingston Brothers Book 1) Page 3
