That Girl (That Girl, #1)(32)

“Well, I’m Tiny. I’m a hell of a lot better looking than Lincoln, and I have way more talent flowing from this bod. As an added bonus, I have a keg, not a * six pack,” he says, grabbing his belly and laughing.

This is when I notice a petite blonde standing behind him. She has her hand nestled in his pocket and looks sad. I recognize that look and instantly empathize with her.

Lincoln grabs the blonde’s arm and pulls her into our midst. She flashes him a small smile and drops her head again.

“This is the better half of Tiny. Oakley, I’d like you to meet Jewels.”

“Hey,” I squeak out, and wave.

She coils into Tiny and gives me a half smile. The two men stand and talk about football for several minutes.

“Shit, let’s get some food,” Tiny finally declares, “We can talk shop while we sit on our asses and eat.”

Jewels and I both follow our men to the food. I’ve been wracking my brain for something to say to her. Everything that comes to mind makes me recoil, because I know I wouldn’t want anyone to say it to me.

“Hungry yet?” Lincoln asks.

“No, not really.”

“You okay?”

“Great, actually.”

“Mmmm, good. You can eat off my plate.”

“I’ll just wait here while you grab your food. It’s really chaotic up there.”

Lincoln kisses the top of my head, and then pushes his way to the front of the food line with Tiny and Jewels. I’m very thankful I’m not working the buffet line, pouring drinks, or serving any food today. This feast is out of control. A huge buffet lines one side, while a grill lines the other, and in the middle there are seas of coolers filled with drinks and a table where girls are serving desserts.

I notice one of the blondes who served us drinks earlier staring at me. She looks like she’s about to suffer from heat stroke and is beyond pissed off. I try not to make eye contact with her, but I also refuse to wither away from her nasty glares.

“That’s Lincoln’s ex. He was supposed to marry her, or at least that’s what his parents wanted.”

Looking up, I see Jewels standing before me with a plate of food. It’s overflowing with beans, pasta salad, and tons of meat.

“That would explain all the nasty looks, then.”

“She’s a rotten, no-good bitch. Just saying.” Jewels shrugs.

“You’d think I drowned her kitty,” I say.

“Whose cat are we killing?” Tiny asks.

Both men stand staring at us with quizzical looks covering their faces.

“Monica’s,” Jewels replies around a mouthful of pasta.

“She’s not worth your time,” Tiny offers.

Jewels and Tiny take the lead, and we follow. I notice Lincoln’s plate is just as heaping full as Jewels’. These people really like their food.

“What did Monica do to you?” Lincoln asks from behind me.

“Don’t worry about it. Jewels told me why she was glaring at me.”

I’m stopped dead in my tracks by Lincoln’s grip on my shoulder. “What did she say to you?” he demands through gritted teeth.

“Monica said nothing, but Jewels told me she’s your ex, and rotten, and something about marriage.”

“Fuck.”

“Lincoln, it’s fine. It’s your past. Hell, I won’t even share my past with you, so why would I try to judge you for yours? Don’t worry about it.”

“She’s pure evil, Oakley. My parents love her and…”

“Stop, I don’t care,” I say.

“At all?”

“Nope. Let’s promise to keep our pasts in the past and just be with each other. This is something I don’t want to mess up. It’s something I’ve promised myself. I want you, Lincoln.”

I stretch up on my toes and lay a light kiss on his lips.

“Hey, you two horn dogs,” a deep voice bellows.

Looking to our left, I see Tiny waving and gesturing to the other half of the empty picnic table. Not waiting on Lincoln’s move, I grab his elbow and lead him over to his best friend.

“You’re not hungry?” Tiny asks.

“Not really,” I answer, shrugging.

“Okay, girl, I hear you’re catching on with the rules of the game and how f*cking talented that arm candy you have is, but rule number one is always fill your damn plate. I didn’t get this big on fresh air,” Tiny says through a mouthful of food.

Jewels picks up a piece of barbecued pork and passes the remainder of her plate to Tiny.

“Fucking A, now that’s a good woman, right there,” he says, chuckling and shoveling food in his mouth.

“Noted, Tiny,” I reply.

Lincoln pipes up around a mouthful of his food, “You better remember you’re sharing food with not just one anymore, jackass.”

The table falls silent, and that familiar sad look is back on Jewels’ face. Tears build up in her eyes, and Tiny snatches her hands.

“That’s right, baby. You need to be eating for two,” he whispers to her.

His voice is so deep and gruff that his whisper is very easy to hear. Lincoln reaches under the table and squeezes my hand as we watch the uncomfortable scene before us play out.