Chapter 15
Hunter smiled as he watched Ashleigh walk out the door, then he slipped back into the booth.
"What is that?" Michael asked.
Hunter looked at him. "What?"
"That goofy grin on your face."
Jill's gaze swung between the two of them. "Obviously, he's in love."
Michael looked stunned. "Seriously? Already?"
Jill nodded, a big smile on her face. "I'd say he's got it bad."
"Maybe," Hunter said. "But I can use some help."
"Whoa. Did I hear you right?" Michael looked around as if he didn't know where he was or what was happening. "Have you been body-snatched?"
"Help me win back the love of my life," Hunter said, keeping his eye on the door.
"Oh boy, he's got it bad," Jill said, giggling.
"I never thought I'd see the day," Michael said.
"It's been a long time coming. Let's just say she's the one who got away, and I want to make sure it doesn't happen again," Hunter explained.
"All right," Michael said, nodding. Though the look on his face said he still didn't believe it. "So, how do you suppose we do that?"
"Over a cold one and two huge platters of nachos," Jill said. "Now dig in."
Hunter couldn't believe the words were coming out of his mouth, but time was of the essence. He quickly filled them in on what had happened fourteen years ago. "She's understandably skittish, so where do we start?" he asked, picking up his beer. "I need to tread carefully. She might think we're just having a casual fling, but I want more. Lots more."
"That's easy," Jill said. "At Habitat for Humanity. She's already agreed to help. Which means she'll be there, and you'll be there. All you have to do is be your charming self. Keep yourself in her thoughts at all time."
"Not too charming," Michael added. "You need to be aloof. Hard to get. Make her work for it. Women don't like anything too easy; they're complicated beasts."
Jill rolled her eyes. "Puh-leeze. What do you know about women?"
Michael nodded with seriousness. "It's true. No one wants an easy prize. You have to feel like you earned it."
"Or she could be someone who hates dating games and walks away," she retorted. "So which is Ashleigh?"
Hunter shrugged. "I think she likes authenticity. I've never known her to play games, and I'm not much for them myself."
"Well, there you go," Michael said. "One thing in common."
Hunter narrowed his eyes at his friend. "What are you saying? We have more than that in common."
Michael lifted a brow. "Like?"
"We are both down-to-earth, caring, and authentic. Need I go on?"
"No." Jill elbowed Michael. "You're not helping. This will be easy, Hunter. All you have to do is make her laugh, make her remember how good you are together. She already cares for you—build on it."
"You make it sound so easy," Hunter said.
His sister grinned. "I didn't say it would be easy. I said it's not impossible."
The corner of Michael's mouth lifted in a smirk. "You mean like how I can finally get you to go out with me?"
Jill burst out laughing. "That will never happen. All we have to do is get Ashleigh to forgive Hunter for leaving her and realize she still loves him. Piece of cake for two handsome, worldly bachelors like you."
Yes, Hunter thought. She's right. Make her laugh, remind her why we fell in love in the first place.
"When is Jay coming back? Maybe you can take her sailing," Jill said.
"She does loves the ocean," Hunter agreed. "Everything about it. The smell, the water, swimming, diving. She loved it here."
"She loved you," Jill said. "I remember. Feelings like that don't just disappear. She still cares for you."
"Does she?" Michael asked. "Because I didn't see it."
"Really?" Jill said dryly as she turned to him.
"You are not helping," Hunter snapped.
Michael shrugged. "All I'm saying is, where was the spark?"
"There are sparks," Hunter said. "Lots of sparks. Fireworks, even."
"And chemistry?" Michael asked. "Sorry, bro, but there's more life in this here chip than there was between the two of you." He held up a cold cheese- and bean-laden nacho, and they all watched it fall over limply in his grasp.
"Terri, can we get some fresh nachos?" Jill called to the waitress.
"Coming up!"
"You're lucky I don't reach over this table right now and ring your scrawny little neck," Hunter growled. And he meant it. At that moment, he could even picture it. "We have sparks, and we have chemistry. Lots of chemistry."
"Now there's the fire. The Hunter we all know and love so well," Michael said. "You show her some of that and you'll have her eating out of the palm of your hand."
Jill almost choked on her beer. "Oh my God. I hate to admit it, but I think the Neanderthal is right."
"I love it when you talk dirty to me," Michael said.
Jill blew out a sigh and chugged down the rest of her beer. "And another cold one, Terry."
"You got it," Terry said over her shoulder as she placed two more tickets on the cook's counter.
"Fine," Hunter said though a stiff jaw. He might need something stronger than a beer for this conversation. "But that's never been the way Ashleigh and I have been together."
"Because you're still looking at her like a teenaged virgin," Michael said. "But trust me, brother, she's not. She's one hot…woman."
"Michael, you're skidding on thin ice here."
Michael laughed and smiled at Terri as she placed another round of beers in front of them. "Darlin', you are a lifesaver." He took a deep pull off the bottle, then put it down with a thud. "I just tell them like I see them."
Maybe Michael had a point. As annoying as his friend was, Hunter had been thinking of Ashleigh as the schoolgirl she used to be, and not the woman she was now. She could handle the truth and, he'd bet, anything else he threw at her.
"All I'm saying is it's okay to touch her. Move a little closer. Let her feel you." Michael reiterated his point by pushing himself up against Jill.
"And if she doesn't want your attention, she'll just dump her beer over your head," Jill said sweetly, and raised her bottle.
"Okay, okay, got it," Michael said, and scooted back over.
"You think she'll show up to help with Habitat?" Hunter asked.
"Yep. And you are going to be there, right? The both of you? On your best behavior?"
"What? I'm always on my best behavior," Michael said.
Jill rolled her eyes. "Anyway, find ways to make sure it's fun, lots of fun. And Michael, that includes you. We have three houses to paint this week."
Michael grimaced. "Painting… so not my favorite thing to do."
"And yet even you can do it," she said.
Hunter spotted Ashleigh the moment she walked back into the bar. She moved with grace and confidence, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Maybe Michael was right—maybe he had to make sure she couldn't think of anything else but him, and the way she felt when he touched her. Hunter moved over, and she slid into the booth next to him. She smiled her thanks, and he instantly felt the electricity rolling off her. They had chemistry, lots of chemistry.
And he would prove it.
"That was my publicist," Ashleigh said. "She's going to try to get a camera crew over as soon as she can."
"Terrific!" Jill bounced in her seat. "For the bachelor auction?"
"And the work you're doing at the Habitat houses."
"Oh!" Jill squealed with delight and clapped her hands together. "This is going to turn out even better than I dreamed."
"That's terrific." Michael turned toward her and gave her a big hug, then winked at Hunter over her shoulder. As if to say, See, this is how you do it.
Hunter nodded and then shook his head and grinned. Michael was a cad with a capital C.
Ashleigh turned to Hunter, her eyes meeting his and holding. "Will you be there?"
"Do you want me there?" he asked, shifting closer to her.
For a second, hesitation flitted through her eyes. "My publicist would like a few shots of us together," she said, casually evading his question. But he had her off balance.
"I'm sure that can be arranged," Jill said.
Hunter still didn't take his gaze off her. "But do you want me there?"
She looked up at him again, her tongue peeking out to lick her lips before she bit down on it.
He moved even closer.
She sucked in a breath.
"Do you?" he asked.
"Yes," she admitted in a rush, then downed the rest of her beer in one long gulp.
Victory.