“Not since he and his wife had twins a few months ago,” added Danielle. “He used to be here all the time keeping an eye on things, but he’s had to let Ricky take the reins.”
“And now Ricky’s showing him around, trying to impress him,” said Trisha. “Oh! Here they come. Quick—act natural. And professional.”
Ricky looked sweaty and red in the face as he guided a tall, middle-aged man with short brown hair, a scruffy beard, and kind eyes with noticeable bags under them. That made sense if he was living with twin infants. He looked like the kind of man who could pull off a cowboy hat and spurs, but he gave off more of a teddy bear than grizzly vibe. Ricky steered him right up to the three women.
“Here’s the star of the evening, Miss Gentry Hays!” Ricky announced. “Bill, this is the girl who’s been packing in a full house every night.”
“Well, then, I’m very honored to meet you,” drawled the older man. He reached out to shake Gentry’s hand. “I’m Bill, the owner of this place. I apologize for how long it’s taken me to make your acquaintance. I used to be on top of things here, but my wife, Celeste, needs me at home to help out with our twins.”
“Wonderful to meet you, and congratulations, by the way!” Gentry said.
“Thank you kindly. I’m just real lucky to have my long-time buddy Ricky here to make sure everything runs smoothly while I’m on daddy duty,” Bill said with a warm smile for Ricky.
Ricky, on the other hand, looked like he was trying to smile and frown at the same time. Gentry wondered what was up with him. But they moved on, and she threw herself into preparation for the evening. The sets went perfectly, and after another standing ovation and encore song, Gentry was done for the night. As she was stepping backstage, Danielle came rushing over to her with what looked like an entire gift shop in her arms.
“What’s all this?” Gentry asked.
“Gifts! From your admirers!” Danielle chirped. “Look!”
Gentry couldn’t stop grinning as she put it together; the pink peonies and fancytres lechestruffles were from Linc, referencing her favorite flower and their sweet date at the Cuban restaurant. There was a bottle of fancy champagne and a teddy bear from Seth, with the explanation that the teddy bear was meant to snuggle her when he couldn’t be there, and the champagne was for mimosas the next time they’d have breakfast in bed together. But before she could even fully gush over their sweet gestures, Ricky came storming up to them with an even redder face than before and Bill nowhere in sight.
“What’s this?” Ricky demanded.
“Just some gifts from… audience members,” Gentry fudged.
“It’s those damn cops, isn’t it?” he shot back. Danielle looked shocked and stepped away.
“Why does it matter?” Gentry retorted.
“Because you’re fraternizing with the enemy!” he spewed. “You’re bringing the wrong kind of attention to the lounge. Cops stay in the bar. That’s how it’s always been. But no, you just have to bring the law around, scaring off my—ourcustomers.”
“They’re not scaring anyone,” Gentry protested.
“And besides,” Ricky hissed, leaning in with an accusatory finger wag, “you’re playing with two men’s hearts at once? Hmph. I thought better of you.”
“Why do you care what I do?” she said, now on the verge of tears. What was wrong with him? He’d never spoken to her like this before.
“Do you know what a scandal like this could do to your career? To mine? How’s it going to look: a sweet Southern belle two-timing a couple of cops?” he pointed out. “Ugh. I can’t even look at you right now.”
He went stomping off, leaving Gentry to stand there backstage, tearful and shocked. What had gotten into him? Why was he treating her so harshly? And even worse, she began to wonder if he was right. What if shewasbeing reckless with Seth’s and Linc’s hearts? What if someonedidget hurt in the end?
She had never felt this way before… but was she doing the right thing?
17
Seth
Seth watched as the most beautiful woman in the world came sauntering down the sidewalk toward him. It was almost noon, the sun burning bright and high in the sky, and Seth had slipped away from work for an extended lunch break. He couldn’t get Gentry off his mind, so they’d decided to meet up for a little shopping trip together before he had to go back to the office.
The streets of Sunset Harbor were lined with palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze. The air smelled like a combination of delicious food from the restaurants nearby and the balmy, salty scent of the sea. Gentry looked resplendent in a flowy, bright floral-print dress. The skirt hem fell just above her knees, with a deep split up one side that showed off little flashes of her thighs every now and then as she walked. He followed down her legs to her cute wedge heels, then back up to her chest. Her luscious breasts were pushed together, and Seth’s mouth watered to see her cleavage poking out the top of her dress. She carried a small purse that matched the dress, and her glossy brown hair was pulled back into a high, flouncy ponytail.
Damn, she looked good. She gave him a glittering smile as she reached him. But her beautiful brown eyes seemed a little distant. She was clearly happy to see him, yet he could sense something was slightly amiss, like she had something on her mind. He’d have to fix that.
“Hey, Seth!” she greeted.
“There’s my girl,” he cooed, pulling her in for a hug.
Gentry melted into his arms, but then she pulled back and looked around nervously. Like she was checking to see who was watching. That was new.