Trouble (Dogwood Lane #3)(22)

“I’ll be joining you. Thanks.”

“Well, if something happens and you end up with the boys, don’t worry about me. And if you get back to the house and I’m not there—again, don’t worry about me.” She shimmies her hips. “I’m working on a little dessert, if you know what I mean.”

I laugh. “Well, good luck to you. With the cleavage you’re toting tonight, I have a hard time believing you’ll get turned down.”

She cups her breasts and squeezes them together. “I’m quite proud of these babies.”

“I can tell.”

“Now, you go out there and make friends. Just try not to burn the place down with all the heat between you and Penn.”

“Harper, please,” I hiss. “Stop it.”

“I know sparks when I see them.”

I blow out a breath and ensure she catches my annoyance. “There’s no smoke. No fire. There’s not anything to make a big deal about. He’s not even my type,” I add. “I told you that.”

There’s not a piece of her that believes me. She just stands there in her billowy blue dress and waits for me to laugh or say I’m kidding.

“I’m not joking, Harper.”

She rests a hand on my shoulder. Her whiskey-colored eyes offer a soft spot for mine to land. “Listen, I don’t care who you date or don’t date. It’s no skin off my back. I just . . . Penn’s a nice guy. You’re a great girl. When I see you two together, I get this feeling right here.” She pats her chest.

“I think that’s heartburn.”

She snorts. “No, I think it’s called a gut feeling, thank you very much.”

I back away slowly with a grin. “Keep your feelings to yourself.”

She laughs. “Will do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta pee.” She flashes me a wave before disappearing into the restroom.

The air grows thicker as I stand alone. I brush back a few blades of fake tiki grass and, like a complete creeper, find Matt and Penn. They’re sitting at a table with a giant pizza placed between them.

“They’re just two guys,” I say, rearranging the grass. “Maybe you can be friends with them.”

I walk around the end of the bar as I finish my pep talk. Penn’s eyes hit me before the thought fully launches into the universe. My flush must be obvious, because he winks.

Damn it.

I force a swallow as I approach them. There are four chairs around the small rectangular table, two on one side and two on the other.

Matt points to a plate in the middle of the table. “Your burger was delivered here.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” I ask.

Matt grins as he motions toward a pink-and-orange drink next to Penn. “We also ordered you a Rocket Razzle.”

“A Rocket what?” I laugh. “What’s in that thing?”

“It’s a rum-and-something,” Penn says. “If you don’t drink or don’t like rum, I’ll drink it. No worries.”

“No, I love rum. I just have an aversion to tequila.” I shrug. “Long night. Cheap tequila. Longer next day as I puked up everything I’ve ever consumed. I can’t stand the smell of it now.”

“Sounds like a good story,” Matt says. He pulls out the chair beside him. “Grab a seat.”

I look between the two empty chairs—one by Matt and another by Penn. My body wants me to take the seat next to Penn. My brain is screaming at me to be intentional about this decision and make the smart choice, meaning the one by Matt.

Before I can sort out the internal dilemma, the redhead who opened the door for me comes bouncing our way.

“Hey, guys!” The bracelets adorning her wrist jingle as she comes to a stop. “I can’t believe I left the stupid grill on at the café. Who am I these days?”

“Claire Collins, the same girl that called me last week because she left her car running all night and ran it out of gas,” Penn says.

She slides into the chair by Matt. “You’re an asshole, Penn.”

“Why?” he says. “Because I speak the truth?”

“Because you’re you.” She looks up and notices me for the first time. She points a finger my direction as she thinks. “Didn’t I just meet you?”

“Claire, this is Avery. Avery, this is Claire.” Penn motions between us but looks at me. “Wanna sit?”

“Um . . .” I was going to, but for some reason, I’m not sure now. “I should probably go sit with Harper,” I say awkwardly.

Penn drags the chair next to him against the brick pavers. “Sit.” He looks at me with a raised brow. “Claire will be offended if you leave now.”

Claire snorts. “Don’t use me to woo her.”

“He’s not wooing me,” I say.

Her eyes light up. She sits back in her chair and looks at Matt. “Where did you find her? Because I like her already.”

“Right? She’s turned him down a couple of times, and I just met her,” Matt says. “She’s a fucking unicorn.”

“I’d fuck a unicorn.” Penn looks around the table. “What? I would.”

“Color me not surprised,” Claire mumbles. “Anyway, Avery, if you’d like to sit with us, please do. I could use some estrogen to balance the testosterone around here.”