“What’s up with you?” Jack asked. “You eat a bad batch of seafood or something?”
Tione just glared.
Sterling frowned. “You mean that isn’t his usual expression? It’s the only one I’ve seen since I arrived.”
“What did you do to him?” Logan asked. “Usually he’s a surly S.O.B. but this is new, even for him.”
Tione released a gusting sigh, straddled the chair beside Logan, and rested his forearms on its back. “He’s sniffing around Kat.”
Jack looked at him with renewed interest. “Wouldn’t have figured she was your type.”
Sterling shrugged. He didn’t have an answer for that. Normally she wouldn’t be, but he was learning there were advantages to being open-minded.
“You’re too late, anyway,” Logan told him. “Jack has dibs on Kat if she ever decides to move on from her tragic, doomed love affair with her husband.”
Jack nodded, as though calling dibs on a person was a perfectly acceptable thing to do. He also didn’t deny it. Something churned in the bottom of Sterling’s gut, like a herd of gophers was rooting around in it. Suddenly, Jack didn’t seem like such a friendly guy, and Sterling wanted to mop the floor with his smug face.
“Hate to break it to you, Jackie,” Tione drawled, “but this guy’s already light years ahead of you. He was lip-locked with her on the beach this morning.”
“Get out of town,” Jack exclaimed. “I don’t believe you.”
Sterling averted his eyes from their curious glances. It was none of their business what he did with Kat. They were consenting adults, with nothing to be ashamed of, and he’d repeat that kiss as soon as the opportunity arose.
“I think he’s telling the truth,” Logan said to the others.
“He is,” Sterling confirmed. “I like Kat. A lot.” Verbalizing it wasn’t as difficult as he’d expected. “And she seems to like me, too.”
“Good for you,” Logan said, while Jack muttered under his breath and Tione scowled. “Just try not to get too attached to her. She doesn’t date. She’s still in love with her husband, and I don’t think that will ever change.”
Sterling blinked, surprised how much he ached inside at hearing those words. During his research, he’d discovered that Kat’s husband had died in a car accident. It was the first thing to come up when he’d typed her name into Google. She’d been a world class rally driver who’d been behind the wheel when a drunk driver ran a red light and t-boned them. It had been big news, plastered over the papers, as had the ensuing court case. Then she’d disappeared off the radar. But that was three years ago. More than enough time for her to have moved on.
Apparently she hadn’t, and he didn’t want to think about what that meant.
She’s still in love with her husband.
He couldn’t blame her for that. It made sense, given what he knew of her loyalty, and it wasn’t as if she’d divorced him. The love of her life had been taken from her by a reckless man who’d made poor decisions. Because of that, he’d been forever immortalized in her heart. How could Sterling possibly compete? Did he even want to?
He shook himself. There was no point mooning after Kat Hopa. In a short time, he’d be heading back to Auckland, and he wouldn’t see her again, unless she decided to move to the city after selling Sanctuary.
Unlikely.
But possible, a voice in the back of his mind whispered.
“Thanks for the warning,” he said, and was saved from having to add anything further when another man arrived. The latest attendee had shaggy brown hair that flopped as a bottle of sparkling water fell from beneath his arm and he ducked to catch it before it hit the floor. Awkwardly, he edged toward the table and deposited an armload of things. Sterling looked closer. He’d brought two containers of hummus and one of carrot sticks, as well as an assortment of fruit. His arms free, the man shrugged off a tweed jacket, yanked his collared shirt over his head to reveal a faded black t-shirt, and settled into a seat with a weary sigh.
“Mr. Walker,” Jack greeted him. “Nice of you to show up.”
“Had to feed the kids, wrangle Hunter into bed, and wait for Faith to arrive before I could leave,” he said, then spotted Sterling and added, “The babysitter.” He held out a hand. “Shane Walker. Nice to meet you.”
“Sterling Knight.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “The guy who’s trying to buy Kat’s place.” Sterling’s eyebrows shot up, and Shane laughed. “Word travels fast around here. I teach at the school, so I hear gossip from the kids and their mums.”
Jack jabbed an elbow into Shane’s side and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Their mums, eh?”
“Leave off,” Tione said. “It’s harder than it seems, having all those gorgeous women throwing themselves at you.”
“I’m ignoring you,” Shane told them, then turned to Logan. “Are we expecting anyone else?”