A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises 1)

“And I’m the driver, so I’ll stick to strawberry lemonade,” Tess added. “They mix a really good one here.”

“Let me buy you both drinks. Strawberry lemonade for you, Tess, and still white wine for you, Jen? How about you, Stevie? Another beer, Joe?” He wasn’t trying to buy favor among Jenny or her friends. Just being polite, he told himself.

He was pretty sure Joe was about to eagerly accept the offer of a free drink, even though the one he had was only half-empty and even if it was being offered by a cop. But Stevie spoke up quickly. “I’m good, thanks. And, Joe, it looks like the rest of the band is getting ready to play again. You should probably join them.”

“Oh. Yeah, okay. Catch you later, Gavin.”

“Sure.” As the other man moved away, Gavin turned toward the line at the bar. “I’ll get the drinks.”

“You can’t carry them all by yourself,” Stevie pointed out. “Jenny, why don’t you help him? Tess, I see a guy I know who you might enjoy meeting. He’s still married, but separated, so he’s sort of eligible, right? Jenny and Gavin can find us after they get the drinks.”

Gavin wasn’t sure who looked more reluctant to agree with Stevie’s suggestions, Tess or Jenny. Jenny’s hesitation around him certainly wasn’t doing much for his ego. Yet, he still couldn’t seem to back away.

He placed a hand lightly on her back to keep her close to him as they made their way to the bar. He ordered the drinks and tipped the bartender.

“Thank you,” Jenny murmured when he handed her the wineglass.

He sipped his beer, then asked casually, “Where’s the fiancé tonight?”

Jenny’s brows creased with a frown that she quickly smoothed. She glanced quickly around, as if to make sure no one had overheard his question. “He’s not officially my fiancé yet,” she answered quietly. “I’m not ready to make any announcements. And he’s not here this evening. He’s been out of town for more than a week and won’t be back until Wednesday.”

So her suitor had been out of town when she’d headed for the cabin to consider the proposal. And she hadn’t seen him since she’d returned, meaning Gavin’s had been the last kiss on her lips.

For some reason, that gave him a sense of satisfaction.

Chapter Seven

“Hi, Jenny.” The woman Gavin had met when he’d first arrived—Cindy? Sandy?—rushed toward them with an avidly curious look on her made-up face. She rushed into speech before Jenny could even respond to the greeting. “I’ll be coming into your store this week. I’m going on a week-long Caribbean cruise with some of my sorority sisters from college next month and I need all new beach and party clothes. Since I’ve started my new workout program, all my clothes are just falling off me.”

“You look wonderful, Sandy,” Jenny assured the woman with cheery warmth. “And make sure you come in. If I’m not in the store, tell Amber I said to give you a ten percent discount. I’ll leave a note in your account file.”

Sandy’s face lit up. “Really? Thanks, Jen! I’ll definitely stop in.”

“I’m sure you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for. We have a whole new line of cruise wear and accessories that should meet your needs.”

“I can’t wait to see it.” The woman eyed Gavin again, open speculation in her expression as she looked from him, then back to Jenny. “So, where’s Thad this evening?”

He noted that Jenny’s smile didn’t waver as she answered lightly. “He’s in LA on a business trip. I’ll be sure and tell him you said hello. But where are my manners? Sandy Powell, this is Gavin Locke. He went to college with Stevie and me.”

“We met when I arrived,” Gavin replied smoothly. He wasn’t thrilled about the offhanded way Jenny had introduced him, but he let it stand. “Sandy welcomed me quite graciously.”

He thought he heard just a hint of a wry note in Jenny’s voice when she responded, “I’m sure she did. Don’t forget to ask Amber for that discount, Sandy. And let her or me know if there’s something else we can do to help you prepare for your cruise.”

“I’ll do that. Thanks, Jenny.” Perhaps Sandy decided that the discount was more valuable than digging for more gossip fodder. With a little wave, she hurried off as quickly as her tight skirt and ridiculously high heels would allow, to join a small group of women gathered nearby.

Gavin suspected there would still be some speculation about his presence at Jenny’s side while the man she’d been seeing was out of town. Though he could only guess how Jenny felt about that, he decided it didn’t really bother him all that much.

Moving out of the way of other thirsty guests, Jenny looked up at Gavin with a somber expression. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but was interrupted when Tess descended on them to pluck her lemonade out of Gavin’s hand.

“Thank you,” she said, her smile strained. “I’m going to try very h

ard to pretend this is something stronger than lemonade.”

Coming up behind her, Stevie sighed heavily. “Art’s not that bad, Tess. Obviously he thinks you’re hot. That’s a good thing, right?”

Their auburn-haired friend sighed and took another gulp of her tart drink before replying. “He asked if I have any moral objections to sleeping with a man who’s still technically married. He said he wanted to get that little detail out of the way before we went any further. Doesn’t like wasting time, he said. And we’d barely shaken hands!”

Jenny gave a little gasp. “Seriously? Gross.”