Mainland vs. Island

Chapter 1-1

Chapter 1

Mack

The crowd at Laughlin’s was three deep and rowdy. They wanted their drinks and weren’t afraid to push each other out of the way to get them.

“Sunrise Pale Ale,” one guy said.

“Sunrise Lager,” said another.

“Sunrise IPA,” a third said.

I handed them all over and grinned. My dream of owning my own brewery was coming true right before my eyes. Russell was helping to promote Sunrise Brewery and let me put signs up advertising it as a local beer. The regulars were starting to come over to Sunrise, and the visitors were quick to try something local. It was a win-win for me.

It was a damn good feeling, but doing it by myself wasn’t what I wanted. All those years ago, Stephanie and I planned to build Sunrise Brewery together. She was gone, so I was doing it for both of us, but I didn’t want to do it all alone. I didn’t want to do everything alone anymore.

The crowd finally faded, leaving us with something closer to normal for a Friday night. Exhaustion set in hours ago and I was barely staying alert enough, and working with one of the new guys wasn’t helping. He was too quiet.

“How’s it going?” I asked him.

Takeo nodded. “Good. Busy night.”

“Yeah, it can get like that on the weekends. Especially if someone who likes us is working at one of the local hotels. They send the visitors our way.”

“That’s cool. They seem to be dying for your beer.”

I nodded, smiling. “Yeah. Seeing it’s local helps bring in the tourists. We’re slowly converting the locals.”

He grinned but didn’t say anything else. He wiped down the counter and helped another customer, ignoring me.

Working with Alvin was always easy. We chatted the whole time we worked, but this guy was clearly not around to make friends. I talked to customers and cleaned up the bar when customers left and kept myself busy. If I wasn’t busy, I was afraid I would fall asleep standing there.

Then a familiar redhead sat down in front of me. A redhead I hadn’t seen in far too long and who made me want to rush to her and ignore everyone else in the bar.

I was mixing a drink for someone else so I winked at her and held up a finger. I couldn’t take the chance she thought I wasn’t aware of her being there. She grinned back and nodded.

I handed the drink over to the customer and nodded as she stuff a few bills in the tip jar, then turned to Scarlett, only to find Takeo talking to her.

“I got her,” I told him, moving right next to him.

Takeo looked up at me from six inches shorter and shook his head. “I’m good.”

I narrowed my eyes. “She’s mine. You can go back to your side of the bar.”

His dark eyes narrowed. “Why…”

“Because she’s here to see me.”

Takeo finally got it and slunk back to his end, forcing a grin for the customers waiting for him.

“Why’d you have to make him feel bad?” Scarlett asked with a grin. “He’s a cute kid.”

“I’ll make sure I tell him you said that.”

She swatted my arm. “You’re bad.”

“Did you come here to see him?”

Scarlett ducked her head and looked up at me through those endless black eyelashes of hers. The first time I saw her, she was sitting on that same bar stool. A guy bought her a drink and made her uncomfortable, so she sat and talked to me until we closed. From that night, Scarlett Boyer had me captivated. We went on a date, but work got in the way of a second one and we never connected again. She came to Laughlin’s every so often, but always with her friends. She hadn’t been in alone since the night we met.

But she was back. Sitting on a bar stool, looking up at me. Not Takeo, me.

She finally shook her head, and I grinned.

“That’s what I thought.”

She huffed a laugh. “You’re too cocky. I need to take you down a peg. Maybe I should go flirt with him. What’s his name?”

“Mack,” I said.

She raised a strawberry blonde eyebrow. “His name is Mack, too?”

I shook my head and grinned. “No, but I’d love to have you go call him that.”

She threw her head back and laughed. That juicy neck of hers had me aching to stretch across the bar and take a nibble. Her jade green eyes were bright and glassy when they met mine again. She shook her head. “You’re dangerous.”

I grinned. I couldn’t help it. She made me smile. “It’s been months since you’ve been in here alone. I’m not taking any chances that you talk to him all night instead of me.”

“I think we already established I didn’t come here because of him.”

I grinned again. Damn, I liked her. “Can I get you a drink?”

She nodded. “The Laughlin’s Special?”

I glanced around the room, murder in my veins. If any man in the room f*****g touched her, he was dead. “Who was it?” I growled.

She put her hand on my arm, drawing my attention. “I’m safe, Mack. No one tried to hurt me. I’m just not in the mood for alcohol tonight. I’m tired and worry I’d fall asleep right here on this stool.”

I drew in a breath and tried to calm down. I threw a few glares at men checking out her a*s, then set to fixing her drink. When I slid it in front of her, she pulled out her wallet.

“On the house,” I told her.

She lifted one eyebrow and pulled a few bills out and stuffed them in the tip jar. I glared at her but she just grinned. “Thanks for the drink.”

She made a move to slide off the stool and I stopped her. “Where are you going?”

“I figured I’d make some room for anyone else who needs a drink.”

I shook my head. “f**k them. Keep your perfect a*s right there where I can see you the rest of the night.”

The pink in her cheeks said my words made her feel good. Mission accomplished. She positioned herself on the stool again and settled in while I took orders and delivered drinks.

Scarlett was long done with her drink by the time I got back to talk to her again. She was also fading fast if the droopy look in her eyes was anything to go on.

She was still stunning. Every man in the place had looked at her at least twice, and a few were dumb enough to try to talk to her when I wasn’t standing next to her. She blew them all off, which made me happier than I should be.

Almost as happy as the knowledge that she came to me. After months of barely speaking, she showed up at Laughlin’s and perched on a stool right in front of me. If that didn’t say she was interested, I didn’t know what did.

“Are you okay to drive home?” I asked her an hour after she sat down.

She nodded and blinked up at me. “Yeah. I’m not far from here. I shouldn’t have come.”

Well, damn. That was a blow.

“I have so much work to do. I told myself I was going to go home and get it done, but I saw your truck when I drove by and wanted to see you.”

I couldn’t have stopped my grin if I wanted to.

“Don’t get all cocky on me again,” Scarlett said with a matching grin. “You know you’re easy on the eyes. And a good guy. Any woman would be a fool not to want you.”

I needed to get her talking when she was tired more often. She was damn good for my ego. “Continue.”

She slapped my forearm again, then left her hand there and rubbed my skin. Her hand felt good on me. Of course, if I had my way, she’d be rubbing a different part of me.

“I’m glad you came by. I’ve been thinking about you lately,” I admitted.

“Yeah?”

I nodded. “I have. I was hoping to see you at Kiana and Sawyer’s wedding.”

She smiled. “I’ll be there. I made her dress.”

“Then she’ll be the second most beautiful woman there.”

She laughed softly and said, “Continue.”

I chuckled at her repeating my words. “You just can’t tell Kiana that. It will be her wedding day, after all.”

Scarlett grinned. “It’ll be our little secret.” She yawned widely. “Oh, jeez. I should probably head home. I have to get some sleep so I don’t sew myself to Kiana’s dress.”

I laughed. “I don’t think that would go over well with her.”

Scarlett shook her head. “Nope.” She slid off her stool. “It was good to see you.”

I walked out from behind the bar and wrapped an arm around her waist. She snuggled against me just enough that my hand notched at the top of her hip, telling everyone who could see us that she was with me. “I’m really happy you stopped by.”

She let me lead her to the door. “Me, too.”

We stopped just before the door and she stretched up on her toes to kiss my cheek. I thought about turning to catch her lips, but I wanted our first kiss to be because she was dying for it, not because I snuck one in on her.

“Do you want me to follow you home? The kid can watch things for a bit.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be okay.”

“Text me when you get home.”

She nodded. “Good night, Mack.”

“Good night, Scarlett. I’ll see you soon.”

She grinned. “I hope so.”

I watched her until the door closed behind her. I served drinks and checked my phone every ten seconds until her text popped up saying she was home safe.

And I would see her again soon. I was going to make sure of it.