CHAPTER 12
“Whoa, hot mama alert!” Ali exclaimed as Brynn entered the bar area at Lanterns.
Jess put her fingers between her lips and whistled.
Brynn felt her cheeks heat up at her friends’ attention. Considering her fair complexion, that probably meant that her face resembled a lobster.
“Have you guys been here long?” Brynn felt odd for not being the first one to arrive. She normally was.
After rehearsal, she’d rushed home. Showered. Straightened her hair. Watched a YouTube tutorial on how to contour and highlight, then contoured and highlighted, finishing it off with a smoky eye and a nude lip. She’d even splurged and bought a new shirt for the occasion. It was a white, long sleeved, wrap shirt that tied in the front and showed a hint of skin above the waistline of her dark, skinny jeans. She’d completed the look with strappy heels, hoop earrings, and several spritzes of her favorite perfume.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d changed out of her work clothes before grabbing a drink with the girls for happy hour. Probably because she never had. But tonight, she’d gone all out in hopes of distracting herself from the constant Axel-narrative that had been running through her mind for the past month. Tonight, she was going to have an Axel-free night.
“We just got here.” Ali gave her a quick hug. “We ordered you a Let Down Your Hair.”
The spiked lemonade drink was Brynn’s go-to ladies’ night cocktail. Jess always went with the Mother Knows Best sparkling cran and vodka. And Ali loved the Smokin’ Smolder, a whiskey drink with a cinnamon stick garnish set on fire. All of the specialty cocktails at Lanterns were now Tangled themed.
A lot of the businesses really played up the fairytale themes since the reality show Fairytale Love was filmed in Whisper Lake. If there was one thing this town knew well, it was how to capitalize on tourism.
“I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m ready to get bibbity-boppity-buzzed,” Jess announced as Liam, the bartender, set three drinks down in front of them with a wink and a smile, revealing perfect teeth and a deep dimple in his left cheek.
Brynn took a moment to look at him, really look.
His sandy hair was a little longer than he normally wore it, and the extra length suited him. His light locks contrasted with his deep brown eyes, dark lashes, and sprinkle of stubble. He was attractive, funny, and smart. He was currently working on his MBA with ambitions to open up his own restaurant consulting business. More importantly, he’d previously shown an interest in her.
Liam had asked her out twice. The first time she’d told him she was busy. The second, she’d expanded on her answer with a blanket statement that she didn’t date because she was too busy.” Now, she was wondering if she should tell him that she wasn’t so busy anymore.
The selection of eligible bachelors in Whisper Lake was limited, but she was determined to put herself back on the market. Last week when she’d gone out to the garage to get Ryder for dinner she’d heard her son tell Axel that he was worried about her being alone. It had broken her heart a little (okay, a lot) but she was glad she’d heard it.
It seemed Ryder was more than ready for her to start dating. And all this time she hadn’t dated for him.
She’d been touched by Axel’s response to Ryder’s fears. He’d said the nicest things about her to her son. He’d said that she was strong, funny, smart and that any guy would be lucky to be with her.
She also heard him say that he didn’t date a lot. And that he didn’t have a girlfriend.
She’d had a flash of hope that he might be interested in her, but that hope had been squashed like a bug under a windshield wiper. Evidently his opinion of her was a moot point considering how he’d avoided her all week.
The real doozy of a take-away from that evening though, was the epiphany she’d had a few days later, that the reason she hadn’t dated might’ve had less to do with her son and more to do with her.
Brynn had been thinking a lot about what her mom had said and she realized that she may have dismissed her mother’s theory too quickly. After taking a fearless inventory, she’d come to the conclusion that she wasn’t emotionally clogged, but she was closed off. And she didn’t have anger or abandonment issues, but she definitely had trust issues and, as much as it pained her to admit that her mom might’ve been right, some resentment as well.
It made sense. When she was a little girl, she’d wanted a family. One with siblings and two parents. Which was exactly what her dad had, just not with Brynn and her mom. So what had she done when she learned that information? She’d tried to go out and get it for herself. But unfortunately she’d tried to get it with Max. He’d had sex with more partners in the year they were married than Brynn had in her entire thirty years.
So yeah, between her dad and Max she definitely had some trust issues. But she’d decided that she was going to try and work through them. And the first step to do that was to stop being closed off and try and put herself out there.
Ali pulled out her card to pay, but Liam shook his head. “This round was picked up by the gentlemen over there.”
Brynn glanced over her shoulder and saw Kade, Ali’s husband, and Ethan, Jess’s fiancé, as well as Chris the vet, Sam the football coach, and Keaton who ran the MMA gym seated at a booth along the wall.
Kade lifted his water and Ethan lifted his beer.
Ali beamed as she smiled and blew her hubby a kiss.
Jess’s lips curled in a private smile as she locked eyes with her betrothed. “Someone’s getting lucky tonight.”
“He didn’t have to buy you a drink to get in your pants,” Ali pointed out playfully.
“No.” Jess winked at her fiancé. “But it doesn’t hurt.”
Brynn smiled at her friends, ignoring the twinge of envy that pricked in her belly. That’s what she wanted. That connection. That the-rest-of-the-world-disappears-when-we-lock-eyes phenomenon. And of course, the only man she’d felt that with was the man she was trying not to think about tonight.
After grabbing their drinks, the ladies migrated to a round high-top that sat three people. The table sat at the edge of the indoor and outdoor portion of the bar separated by a roll-up glass-paned bay door. It was prime table real estate on a Friday night because Lanterns had live music on the back deck that overlooked the lake.
Ali fixed her purse so it hung on the back of her chair and when she turned back to them she lifted her drink and began their ritual toast, “To good friends.”
“Good drinks,” Brynn recited her part.
Jess clinked her glass to both Ali’s and Brynn’s as she went off book. “And good sex.”
Ali rolled her eyes at Jess’s substitution of the word sex instead of food. “Jess.”
“What? If that doesn’t deserve a toast, I don’t know what does.”
“Not if we’re not all getting it…” Ali not-so-subtly tilted her head toward Brynn.
“About that.” Jess took a drink before zeroing in on Brynn. “What’s the deal with you and Axel? Anymore nudity? Inappropriate groping?”
“I’m afraid not.” Brynn took a sip of her drink.
Jess looked genuinely stumped. “How is that possible?”
I wish I knew.
Brynn lifted her left shoulder in a shrug. “He keeps to himself.”
“Yeah. That’s what I’ve heard.” Jess always had her finger on the pulse of Whisper Lake gossip because she owned the sole beauty salon in town.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” Brynn asked in an effort to change the subject. “Did you guys have a fun date night last night? Did Ethan agree to wait until next summer or is he still pushing for a Christmas wedding?”
“We’ll get to Ethan later.” Jess waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not ready to move on from Mr. Mysterious yet.”
I am, she thought to herself. She understood that it was a slow gossip week, but Brynn was done obsessing about Axel. Or at least, that’s what she was telling herself.
“Actually…” Jess’s eyes narrowed and Brynn recognized the expression. She was devising a plan. When a broad smile spread across Jess’s beautiful face, Brynn knew that she’d come up with something really terrible. “Ethan might be able to help with this.”
“Help with what?” Brynn asked.
“With Axel.”
Brynn shook her head, still not following.
“He’s a U.S. Marshal.” Jess stated plainly, as if it were a full thought and didn’t require any other information.
Brynn stared at her blankly.
“He has connections.” Jess emphasized. “I’m sure there’s someone he can call that can tell him all about Mr. Mysterious.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works.” Ali smiled. “I think you might be watching too many procedurals.”
“Bite your tongue, I love my CSI.” Jess pointed at Ali and glared before sipping her drink. When she set it down she reasoned, “It wouldn’t hurt to ask Ethan to check him out.”
“No.” Brynn held up her hand. “I don’t want anyone checking Axel out.”
“Too late.” Ali elbowed Brynn.
When she turned around she saw that Axel had walked in. And several women had taken notice.
Brynn’s heart thudded loudly in her chest at the mere sight of him. He wore blue jeans that were distressed from hard labor—not manufactured that way—and a charcoal gray shirt that molded to his muscular frame that had her mouth watering. She’d noticed that he’d let his facial hair grow and it only added to his appeal.
He was headed to the bar and she thought about going and saying hi, but decided against it. She couldn’t keep allowing herself to hope that each time they talked it would be like the first day they met. Enough time had passed to prove that wouldn’t be the case.
She turned back to her friends.
“Are you going to go say hi?” Ali asked.
“Nope.” Brynn lifted her drink and took a larger gulp than normal.
The two women looked at each other and both pulled out their phones. Since Jess and Ali had been friends since childhood, the two women shared a silent language. They didn’t need words to communicate with one another. Her mom would say that they were telepathically connected.
“What?” Brynn’s eyes bounced between her friends. “What are you guys doing?”
“Well, since you won’t let me ask Ethan to do an official background check…”
“We’re gonna have the guys do an unofficial one,” Ali finished gleefully.
“You’re what?”
“We’re going to have Kade and Ethan buy Axel a beer and get to know him a little.” Jess rubbed her hands together.
“Aren’t they doing fantasy football?” Brynn argued, trying to come up with a good reason for the girls not to do this.
They both just gave her a look dismissing her objection.
Brynn wanted to tell them not to, but she knew her friends and once they decided something was a good idea, there was no talking them out of it.
She sipped her drink and tried not to look in Axel’s direction. But her eyes had a mind of their own and they sliced toward Axel. It felt like every time she turned around he was there. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was interested in her. But since he hadn’t initiated any conversation or made any attempt to spend time with her, she knew it was just wishful thinking on her part.
A sigh fell from her lips…so much for an Axel-free night.
* * *
Axel let out a breath he’d been holding for the past ten minutes as relief rushed through him. The moment he walked into the bar, he’d clocked Brynn out of the corner of his eye seated at a table with Ali and Jess.
She was out with her friends.
Not on a date.
He’d been doing his best not to let his imagination run wild as he waited outside the restaurant. He allowed enough time to pass so it didn’t seem like he was following Brynn. Which, of course he was.
When he’d seen her leave her house, his first thought was that he should roll his tongue back in his mouth, because it had rolled out like Jim Carrey’s in The Mask.
He’d been temporarily stunned by her beauty. Her hair was straightened, falling just past her shoulders. It reminded him of the most beautiful golden-red sunset. Her shirt revealed just enough skin to drive any red-blooded man crazy. The front was cut to tease a hint of cleavage and it ended about a half an inch above her jeans, exposing a flash of skin. The fit of her jeans hugged her sensual curves. Not that he’d needed to imagine what was beneath them. Thanks to Lucy, he’d seen the whole “kit and caboodle,” as Brynn put it.
And what a kit and caboodle it was. Her naked form was branded into his consciousness. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop envisioning the dip of her waist. Or the gentle curve beneath her breasts. Or the tiny heart-shaped birthmark that sat on her creamy left thigh, just below the curve of her butt cheek.
Brynn was beautiful, that was an indisputable fact. But she was so much more than that. Her appeal wasn’t just sex-based. He wished that was all it was, then maybe he’d have a shot at making it through this without her driving him fucking insane.
He hadn’t been blowing smoke when he’d told Ryder that any man would be lucky to have her. They would. She was the total package. The most magnetic and alluring woman he’d ever come into contact with. Each time he saw her he could feel himself falling deeper under her spell.
A cursory scan of the restaurant didn’t set off any alarms internally. No one seemed out of place. The bar area was filled with townies, no unfamiliar faces. He stepped up to the bar, intentionally not looking in Brynn’s direction.
He lifted his hand to get the attention of the bartender, who reminded Axel of Izzy’s surfer boy Ken doll.
When California Ken looked his way, Axel asked, “Can I get a Hef on tap?”
The guy nodded. Axel waited and noted the decor. The entire back wall of the bar was covered in a painted mural of lanterns floating into a dark sky. Tangled had been one of Izzy’s favorites. She’d watched it so many times he knew most of the dialog by heart.
He missed those days with his sister. The easy times. The simple times. The times when she was speaking to him.
It had been weeks and Izzy still wasn’t answering his calls or texts. It was the longest he’d gone without talking to his sister since he’d been out of the Marines. He knew he’d fucked up, he just didn’t know how to make it right.
In an exercise in futility, he pulled out his phone and checked, again, to see if Izzy had at least texted him back. She hadn’t.
“Did you want to start a tab?” The bartender asked as he set the chilled mug down.
“Nah,” Axel said as he pulled out some cash, set it on the bar top, and started to turn.
Surfer Ken lifted his chin in recognition. “It’s Axel, right?”
“Yeah.” After being in Whisper Lake for a month, Axel was no longer surprised that strangers knew his name. This town had an information highway to rival the CIA.
The guy offered his hand. “Liam. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” It took only a split second for Axel to realize Liam’s handshake was more than just firm. The dude was squeezing his hand and staring him down so hard that it was clearly a pissing contest. Axel wasn’t sure what this guy’s deal was, but he wasn’t one to back down. He held surfer boy’s eye contact and didn’t release his grasp first, even when it was awkwardly long.
Finally, Liam released his grip and crossed his arms, his feet planted shoulder-width apart. “So you’re staying over at Brynn’s place?”
Ahh, there it is. This who’s-got-a-bigger-dick face-off was Brynn-related.
Axel lifted the mug and inhaled the fresh, hoppy scent before taking a big swig. As he set the frosted mug back down, he wiped his upper lip with the back of his hand. “I’m staying in the apartment on her property.”
“And you’re working at the school?” Liam’s jaw ticked.
“I’m working on the theater.”
Before Liam was able to ask his next question, Axel felt a large hand slap on the back of his shoulder. “Hey, man.”
He turned his head and saw Kade McKnight standing beside him.
When Axel had been prepping this assignment, he’d immediately recognized Kade’s name when it came up on his preliminary report. Axel had followed his career for years. It was included in his briefing because Kade had recently married Brynn’s friend Ali.
“Hey.” Axel tipped his head up.
“I’m Kade and I’m here with my fantasy football league.” Kade motioned to a group of men sitting in a large booth across the bar. He recognized Sam, the assistant coach at the school, and Ethan who was Jess’s fiancé.
Ethan’s name had also been in the briefing information. Steele’s name had come up by Axel’s superiors as a point person should any shit go down. Since there was no record of Brynn being connected to Ramsey Wilson the top priority was to keep the job limited to people on a need to know basis. But if Axel got a feeling that anything was out of the ordinary, Ethan was the local law enforcement that he’d been authorized to brief.
“Can we buy you a beer?” Kade offered.
“I’m good, thanks.” Axel lifted his freshly poured brew.
“Alright, look.” Kade lowered his voice. “I could feed you a line of bullshit about wanting to talk to you about the renovations you’re doing in the theater and pretend to be interested in wood restoration. But the truth is, my wife sent me over here. Brynn’s her best friend and she wants me to make sure you’re not an axe murderer. Can you help me out? One beer.”
Axel couldn’t help but grin at Kade’s honesty and clear desire to make his wife happy.
“One beer.” Axel agreed as he followed Kade back to his booth.
Normally, Axel kept to himself. But from his research, he knew that Kade and Ethan grew up with Brynn, which meant he might even be able to get some intel on her.
He wanted know everything about her. And it had nothing to do with being good at his job. As much as he’d fought it, this was personal. And he didn’t know what in the hell to do about it.