Five minutes later, I’m in the golf cart, heading straight for JZS. I tell myself it’s for a drink, and who knows, maybe I’ll run into Emmie. If not, there’s always Melody. I’ve met her a couple of times. She’s a friend of Rayna and Emmie. She’s a waitress there, so I have two strong possibilities of finding a drinking partner or, at least, someone to talk with. And if I happen to run into Zeke, well, I’ll deal with it.
I park the golf cart and head into the bar. It’s not too busy. Perhaps, there’s no fight tonight. Looking around and not seeing any familiar faces, I make my way to the bar and take a seat on a stool.
“Hey,” the bartender comes over, “what can I get ya.”
I’ve seen her a few times. Jax introduced me to her. I think her name is Rusty. She’s a manager or something. Jax speaks very highly of her. She has the whole tomboy look going on. Tiny white tee, tight jeans, and not a speck of makeup—she’s cute. “A light beer, whatever you have on tap is fine,” I say, placing my purse on the bar.
“You got it.” She winks before filling a tall glass from the tap. “Here ya go.” She sets the frothy drink in front of me.
“Thanks.” I grab a twenty from my purse and slide it to her on the bar.
“Oh-ho no,” she shakes her head, “this one’s on me.”
“Why?”
“You see that blonde over there.” She nudges her chin.
I glance over my shoulder and spot a pretty blonde with big, bouncy breasts. They’re practically popping out of her low neckline. “Yeah,” I say.
“What about the one in the pink shirt with the short white skirt,” she says, and I nod finding the other blonde. “And then, there’s the brunette with the long wavy hair. The one dancing, see her?”
I turn back to the bartender. “Yes,” I say, confused.
“Over the past few weeks each of them has hit on Zeke Declan and he shot them all down. And I think that has something to do with you. Soooo,” she places her hand on the twenty and pushes it back to me, “this one is on me.”
I stare at her unsure how to respond.
“He likes you,” she rests her forearms on the bar and leans in toward me, “and I don’t think he knows what to do about it. And I’ve known Zeke for three years, he’s a good friend, but I’ve never seen him like this.”
I pick up my beer and take a sip. If I’ve learned anything, when someone is talking and you want to hear more about what they’re saying, it’s best just to be silent and let them talk.
“I mean,” she stands up and smacks the bar with her hand, “when he saw you here the other night talking to that guy who nearly kicked his ass in the ring—that big bearded guy—I swear, I didn’t think Zeke Declan owned the emotion but hot damn, he so was jealous. He was ready to kill the guy.”
“That was my brother,” I say, taking another sip of my drink, glad she didn’t let me down. She talked and confirmed what I thought, Zeke had been jealous over Token. I try to stay calm over the news, but inside, I’m beaming.
“Really! That’s good, ‘cause between you and me,” her voice lowers, “I think he might’ve wrecked Zeke. In the cage, there are rules, but out of it, well, your brother looks like he knows how to use his fists.”
“Yeah, he’s a boxer.” I set my beer down. “He heard that I was staying here in town and stopped by for a visit but he left last week.”
“You guys are here for the summer, right?”
“Yes, I have to get back to Manhattan before the school year starts. I’m a teacher.”
“Cool,” she says, eyes fixated on something behind me.
I shift to the left and look over my shoulder to see what’s caught her attention. Zeke’s standing in front of the dancing brunette with his hand resting leisurely below her JLo jeans as if it belongs there or something. His fingers spread across her exposed bright-pink G-string. Head bent down, he’s whispering into her ear. His lowered lids lift and he looks directly at me. And I come to recognize Zeke’s not the only one who owns that atrocious jealousy emotion. My insides spark with anger, disappointment, and a bit of sadness. He smiles at me, and I turn back around in the stool.
“Don’t,” Rusty says, pointing at me. “He’s doing it on purpose. It’s easier for him to push you away. If you like him, then don’t you dare make this easy on him, hear me?” Her head tilts closer to me. “And I can guarantee you. He is worth it.” Her eyes shift to my right as she straightens. “Hey, bitchmeat,” she says with a little grin.