All That Jazz (Butler Cove #1)(35)

“Thanks,” Keri Ann muttered, pretending to be offended, and slid into a stool next to me. Paulie jetted a Coke into a glass for her too.

“So,” she said to me as Paulie walked away from us farther down the bar.

“So,” I said.

“Haven’t heard how it went with Chase the other night.”

I laid my forehead down on the wooden bar top that was actually spotlessly clean.

“That bad, huh?” she asked.

“Worse,” I grumbled. “I’m so not cut out for this. So I want him for casual sex, right? But I spend the whole time analyzing every douchey thing he says.” I lowered my voice. “Until the very last thing I want to do is get naked with him. Then I realize we don’t need to be compatible to do the dirty. In fact, it’s him who points out we’re just having fun. And I guess a beacon blared across my forehead because it was like he suddenly knew I was a virgin.” I glanced around making sure we were still alone. “Coz apparently,” I make air quotes, “he has a rule about that.”

Keri Ann covered her mouth with her hand, half laughing. “Shit. How? Did you do something?”

“We were kissing. But, like, is there a virginal kiss? I mean there was tongue. I was a … participant. What the hell?”

“The only person I’ve kissed is Jasper, so who knows?”

I shrugged. “He did say he wasn’t averse to me giving him a BJ though.”

Keri Ann choked on her Coke. “Ouch,” she howled as the soda came out her nose. I winced in sympathy almost feeling the burn, my own laugh erupting.

“That was big of him,” she said when she could finally breathe.

“I guess I’ll never know how big,” I said stoically.





WE RELOCATED TO Keri Ann’s house. Though how I made it, I have no idea. My body was finished. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting out of bed with any ease tomorrow morning.

Nana was chatting with Mrs. Weaton in the kitchen, so we called hello as we headed up to Keri Ann’s room. I promptly collapsed on her bed.

“I may never leave,” I wailed. “My body hurts so bad! Let me just stay here and read. Do you have any trashy mags? Of course you don’t. Ugh.” I massaged a kink in my neck. I hadn’t seen Joey’s truck earlier when we arrived and wondered where he was. For years I could ask any question about Joey, if I ever wanted to. Not that I had. But suddenly if I so much as thought about him I was paranoid my weird feelings would be written all over my face.

“So have you decided what you want to do for your birthday?” Keri Ann asked.

I stuffed her pillow under my chest and propped my chin on my hands. “Let’s just pretend our class party on the beach next Friday is my celebration. It’ll be my birthday at midnight.”

The bedroom door crashed open and I jumped.

“Joey,” Keri Ann yelped in surprise. “Dang it. Why do I have to knock on your door and you feel like it’s no big deal to come barging into mine?”

I turned.

Chest.

It was all I could see. Skin.

Blink. Blink, quickly. Shut eyes. I tried the command again.

Nope.

He was fresh out of the shower, cargo shorts and no shirt on, one hand rubbing a towel rapidly back and forth over his light brown hair, the water making it darker than usual. I’d never seen so much of his chest. Okay, I had. At the beach. But it was different there where you’re supposed to see it. Not when he was fresh from a shower and his shorts were not for swimming. And he was muscly. Not steroidal, but perhaps he’d lost his football bulk he’d had in high school and he was lean and cut and … ugh. What was I saying? He’d always had a good body. This was no different than seeing him my whole teenage life. It was just … I was different. I was seeing him differently.

And. I. Hated. It.

“Big brother privileges, I guess,” he shrugged with a smirk, answering whatever Keri Ann’s question was that I’d long since forgotten. Then he looked over at me with his steel blue eyes, his hair sticking up all over the place, his chin nodding up once. “Hey, sidekick.”

You see? Like this shit. He was annoying as hell. The moment we moved toward having our own friendship he reminded me I was still just his little sister’s best friend.

I kind of grunted at him, then turned away to look at the books on Keri Ann’s night table. Smooth.

It was weird that I hadn’t told Keri Ann, but I kind of thought my weird crush on her brother, if that was what it was, would pass like a quick summer cold.

The crush just hadn’t passed yet. It had kind of … gotten worse. I couldn’t figure out why. It’d be way easier to be all like, “Hey so, funny thing, I thought I had a crush on your brother, but it passed, so all’s good. Anyway.” But no.

“There’s a bonfire and Shrimp Boil on the beach tonight to raise money for the Island Rec Center,” he said. “I’m offering you girls a ride if you’re coming.”

“Another bonfire,” I muttered to Keri Ann. “Yay. People might think that’s all we do around here.”

“It pretty much is.” Keri Ann lifted a lip in mock disgust. “Did you tell Nana?” Keri Ann asked Joey. “I think we’re all supposed to have dinner together.”