Chapter Twelve
“Don’t let me drink a lot tonight, okay?” Jade said to Ivy as they walked toward The Clumsy Clam.
“Roger that, Red Ranger.” Ivy abruptly halted in the middle of the sidewalk and tilted her head as she assessed Jade. “Wait. Why not? Tonight is supposed to be about taking a break from all your stress over the store. And nothing melts away stress faster than copious amounts of alcohol. That’s sort of the point of going to a bar.”
Jade shot her a serious look. “Because if I’m going to be meeting a lot of new people tonight”—since Ivy had insisted on introducing her to every Shell Grove resident in the joint—“I don’t want their first impression of me to be of an irresponsible, drunken lush.”
Ivy waved her off and resumed walking. “Don’t worry. I already hold that title in this town. People have come to expect it of me. So if I start doing body shots and trying to hold a wet T-shirt contest, no one will even notice if you’re slurring your words a little.”
Jade couldn’t help but giggle. The woman was such a trip.
When they reached the front door of the bar, Ivy once again paused and turned to Jade with a grave expression. “One important thing to know before you go in there.”
Jade’s ears perked up. “What?”
“Whatever you do, don’t drink the Maggie’s Punch.”
Jade frowned. “As in, Hunter’s cousin, Maggie?”
Hmm. That didn’t sound good. Hunter had warned her that anything involving Maggie and alcohol did not mesh well.
Ivy nodded. “Only Finn, Maggie, and the bartender know what’s in the drink, but let’s just say it’s not good juju. Everyone knows you only drink the stuff if you’re going through something rough, like a death in the family, or a bad breakup, or a job layoff. If you’re drinking Maggie’s Punch, everyone pretty much knows to leave you alone.”
“Have you ever had one?” Jade asked.
Ivy’s nostrils flared. “Only once. Garrett and I were going through a tough time. I can’t remember everything, but I do know I was seeing flamingos dressed in tuxedos all night. And the next morning, I woke up in a gazebo next to a moped and a half-eaten Hawaiian pizza.”
Oo-kay. That was good enough for Jade. Though, Hawaiian pizza was her favorite…
“Gotcha,” she said. “I’ll steer clear. I appreciate the warning.”
Ivy looked satisfied. “All right. Let’s own this bitch!”
When they walked through the door into the bar area, Jade took in the atmosphere and was immediately impressed. Everything was covered in rustic wood—the floors, the walls, the ceilings, the bar—and was decorated with old-school fishing gear, mounted fish of various sizes, license plates from all over the country, humorous signs with funny sayings, and artwork everywhere that said “The Clumsy Clam.”
It was, like, surf shack meets House of Blues.
She loved it.
“The dining rooms are through that door,” Ivy said pointing to their left, “if you feel like sitting down to have a meal. This side is just the bar area and dance floor. There’s live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Finn always finds good bands from up and down the coast. It’s a nice place to kick back, have a drink, and dance.”
Jade nodded, looking over the giant space and the high, vaulted ceilings. “You said Hunter’s best friend, Finn, owns it?”
Ivy looked over her shoulder and nodded.
“He did a really good job with the place.”
“Why, thank you,” said a jovial male voice from behind them.
Jade knew it wasn’t Hunter because the Southern accent was just slightly different, and Hunter’s voice was a little bit deeper. When she turned around, she saw an incredibly good-looking guy with short blond hair and a bright smile, complete with boyish dimples. His appearance wasn’t as impressive as Hunter’s, but he still had some good-size muscles on him and she had no doubt he could handle himself.
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Finn Caldwell. And you must be Jade?”
Knowing this was Hunter’s best friend, she got nervous all of a sudden. Though, what Hunter’s friends thought of her shouldn’t matter. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, taking his hand.
“Pleasure’s all mine,” he replied smoothly.
She was sure that half the women in town were probably constantly trying to land Finn, since as far as she knew, he was unmarried. The half that weren’t were probably after Hunter…
“Seeing as you’re new in town, the first round is on me, okay?”
Ivy cheered loudly and slapped Jade on the back. “That’s what I’m talking about. Now see, even this scoundrel has some good ol’ Southern hospitality.”
Finn chuckled and nodded. “My momma taught me well.”
“Yeah, with a switch and a boot up your ass,” came a female voice behind Finn. “And you still don’t listen to her.”
Finn’s mouth spread into a smile before he turned around to face the woman. “Says the daughter of the year,” he said. “Tell me, exactly how many times were you arrested before the age of twenty?”
Rather than respond, the woman reached up and stuck her finger in Finn’s ear. He lunged away, grunting. “Damn it, Mags. One rule. I have one rule. No wet willies.”
The woman winked up at him. “When have you ever known me to follow rules?”
Finn got a look in his eyes as he stared down at her, seemingly forgetting his annoyance over the wet willie. His eyes softened, and it was obvious there was a lot more going on between the two than platonic friendship.
The woman shifted away to turn her gaze on Jade, a genuine smile forming. She had shiny black hair and striking blue eyes. Her lean body was toned with a golden tan, giving her an alluring, exotic appearance.
She was stunning.
Jade could see why Finn was infatuated.
“I’m Maggie,” she said to Jade. “Only seventy percent of the stuff you hear about me is true. The other thirty percent is folklore.”
“Folklore?” Finn asked, sarcasm lacing the word.
She nodded. “I’m basically a legend around here.”
“In your own mind,” Finn said under his breath. Maggie didn’t seem to catch it, but Jade did, and it made her grin.
Another woman approached them, and Maggie threw her arm over her shoulder. “And this is my partner in crime. My cousin, Mia Sparks. You probably know her as Hunter’s younger sister.”
Mia studied Jade in a curious way—though not a judgmental one. She gave her a friendly smile, making Jade feel a little more at ease. She had shoulder-length honey-blond hair—nothing like Hunter’s dark brown—and had a certain ethereal quality to her facial features reminiscent of a fairy-tale enchantress.
“I’d say more victim than partner,” Mia said, making everyone laugh, including Maggie. “Most of the time, I don’t even know she’s up to something until we’re being chased by an angry circus clown or walking into a gay club on Drag Queen Fashion Night.”
Jade glanced over at Maggie to see a proud smile. “True stories.”
“Pretty much all of them are true stories,” Finn chimed in. “The good, the bad, and the unbelievable.”
“Well,” Maggie said, rubbing her hands together, “I believe you said the first round was on you, Finny.”
He crossed his arms. “I never said anything about you.”
She flicked his chin, blowing him a kiss. “I’m your best customer. I have a drink named after me, and hell, I helped you come up with the name of this place. My first round is always on you.”
Finn’s jaw hardened, his eyes darkening at her words. He quickly wiped the odd look off his face and made his way toward the bar. “Four Cock Chasers coming up,” he announced.
The other three women let out high-pitched howls, while Jade looked at Ivy questioningly. She gave Jade a nod of approval, letting her know that at least that drink wouldn’t cause hallucinations of tuxedo-wearing flamingos.