Tanner shot him a narrowed glance. “You’re hilarious.”
“I think so.”
“I did pull over a woman the other day who was pretty hot and I hadn’t seen her in town before. That rarely happens.”
Jax resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he took a seat across from Tanner. “Knowing you, I’d say it happens all the time. That’s how you get your dates.”
“I do not abuse my badge,” he corrected. “The woman claimed she was from Atlanta, which might explain why she was speeding through town. City folks have no respect for the small towns.”
“You said she was from Atlanta?” Jax asked, figuring he knew who his cousin had pulled over.
Tanner knew Jade and Livie, so that pretty much left Melanie. She would definitely be his cousin’s type. Beautiful, classy. Tanner actually preferred all types. He had a habit of dating once and being done. Settling down wasn’t an option for him because he’d seen enough from Jax and Cash to be scarred for life.
Perhaps Jax should’ve gone along with that way of life and just dated. Marriage clearly hadn’t worked for him, but had he not married, he wouldn’t have Piper and he couldn’t even fathom his life without her.
“Blond. I believe her name was Melanie.”
Jax smiled. Looks like the tide was about to turn. “That’s Livie’s friend. She’s staying with her.”
Tanner quirked a dark brow. “Is that so?”
“Livie, Melanie, and Jade are all staying together. I don’t know anything about Melanie, though. I just saw her the time I went to pick up Livie.”
Cash stepped back into the room. “What are you two ladies gossiping about?”
“She asleep?” Jax asked.
Cash nodded and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. As a fitness trainer and coach, he was extremely particular about what he put into his body. At times he could be extreme, but Jax wasn’t judging. Cash had made quite a name and a business for himself over the years. His gym was the most popular in the area and Cash’s clients were constantly singing his praises on social media and around town.
“I’m thinking about asking Livie out while she’s in town,” Tanner stated.
Jax refused to take the bait. “Go ahead.”
Cash smacked Tanner. “Shut up. You’re not asking her out because you know she’ll turn you down and you hate rejection.”
“I don’t get rejected,” he retorted.
Cash circled the table and took the seat Piper had been in. “We playing poker or is it time for our girl chat?”
Jax didn’t keep secrets from his cousins—they’d been through everything together from the time they were toddlers, through school, girls, sex, the military, and now as adults. He valued their advice, and though he didn’t always take it, he still wanted to hear it to weigh all his options. Besides, he wasn’t about to go into this little meeting with her without some type of mental backup.
“Livie approached me about renovating the airport.”
Cash and Tanner stilled and stared across the table. Sliding his thumb over the condensation dripping down his bottle, he tried to still make sense of how this plan would come to life . . . if he and Livie ever got on the same page about anything other than kissing. Because they were most definitely on the same page about that.
“So she doesn’t want it sold?” Cash asked. He leaned forward on his elbows and gripped his water. “What type of renovating does she want to do?”
“She mentioned turning it into a private airstrip for high-profile clients.”
Jax still wasn’t sure how he felt about that. This was a small town, he wanted to keep that ambiance. Granted the place could use some TLC, but changing the dynamics of the entire business was quite a bit to consider.
“She said I’d continue to fly my regular clients, and the hangars we rent would still be the same. Jade had an idea—”
“Jade’s here too?” Cash asked, his brows rising. “I haven’t seen her since high school.”
Jax nodded. “Livie, Jade, and their friend Melanie. Ask Tanner about her.”
Cash glanced over. “Melanie?”