Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

“Cole? You know him?”

“Orders up!” a high-pitched voice called from the other end of the bar.

Hank turned to retrieve my cheeseburger from the cook. He placed the plate in front of me.

“Taste it. Go on. Try it.” He waited for my first bite.

I didn’t need much prodding. My stomach growled at first sight of the plate of food. A pile of fries spilled over the side and onto the counter.

“Mmm-hmm,” I managed to mumble through my first bite of the cheeseburger.

“Told ya. Best burger on the island.” Hank threw a towel over his shoulder and moved down the bar to help a new customer.

The last ounce of my drink tasted especially limey. I could feel waves of the tequila starting to warm my limbs. Hank delivered a second drink to me with an extra lime. Maybe it was the country crooner or the margarita, but for the first time all day, I felt relaxed.

Then, he walked in.

It was impossible to ignore the broad shoulders on his athletic frame as he passed between the pool players. He was almost a head taller than the other guys in the bar. He no longer wore the paint-splattered T-shirt. His hair looked damp, like he had just taken a shower. The blue plaid button-up shirt he wore was rolled up to his elbows. He was sexy in that silent, mysterious way, but Cole shouldn’t be mysterious to me.

He used to come home with Ryan at Christmas break. He used to wake up on our couch. I had seen him brush his teeth. I’d seen him play basketball in our driveway. I’d watch him fight with Rayn over Halo. I knew this guy.

But something about being in South Padre made me wonder if I knew this Cole. I didn’t know Cole the committed man. Cole the father. Cole who worked at Dune Scape.

I was way too curious about him and trying too hard to catch a glimpse of his eyes again. I focused on the limes floating in my drink.

“Hey, Cole. How’s it goin’?” Hank asked over the guitar player who had amped up his performance.

Cole sat on a stool a few spots from me. “Hey, Kaitlyn.”

“Hi.” I smiled. Was he not going to sit next to me?

“Same ole, same ole, Hank.” He rested his forearms on the counter while Hank poured him a beer.

“I hear ya, man.” Hank deposited the beer in front of him. “You ready for the grads over there?”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready. There’s a shit-ton of work to do.”

“Hang in there, man. We’re all real proud of what you’re doing.” Hank smiled and walked toward the kitchen.

Cole raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. I mirrored his actions. Every time he took a sip, I took a sip. I kept stealing looks at him behind the safety of my margarita glass. Within five minutes, my second margarita was history. My head felt slightly fuzzy, but my whole body was tingling from the tequila.

A third margarita didn’t seem like a good idea, but I looked at the clock hanging above the row of liquor bottles. It was only ten o’clock. I debated ordering another drink from Hank when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“My buddy and I were wondering if you play pool.”

A guy, who was so lean his T-shirt swallowed him, smiled a toothy grin. His friend stood next to him holding two pool cues.

“I’m not much of a pool player.” I fidgeted on the barstool.

“We can teach you. I’m Lance and this here’s my buddy, Cal.” They each tipped the brims of their cowboy hats. There was no mistaking it. They were local Texas boys.

I waited for Cole to say something. To cut in and tell me he didn’t want me hanging out with other guys in the bar, but he stared at his beer.

I twisted my lips together. “All right. I’ll give it a try, but only if you promise not to laugh when I completely whiff on my first try.” I took the stick from Lance.

“We wouldn’t do that.” Lance’s smile was genuine.

“I’m Kaitlyn, by the way.”