treating her like that?”
“Like what?” Joe turned toward the men in question.
“Like she’s one of them.”
“She
is
one of them.” If Joe’s face hadn’t been completely blank, Beth would have sworn he was messing with her.
“Come on, she’s gorgeous. Guys in Richmond would be drooling right now.”
Joe’s brows shot up, and he turned as if expecting to see someone new behind him. “Sid?”
“You’d have to be a eunuch not to see that.” Joe looked insulted by that insinuation. “You know what I mean. Who is she anyway?”
“She’s my boat mechanic. A pain in the ass, but she can fix anything you put in front of her.”
Beth couldn’t respond. She’d need to lift her jaw off the floor to do that.
“What?” Joe asked, looking perplexed again.
“
That
is your boat mechanic? You work with a woman Hugh Hefner would pay a million bucks for, yet you claim not to notice she’s the slightest bit attractive?” Beth pulled the tray to her now inferior-feeling chest and wrapped her arms around it. “Is that why you’re so cranky all the time?”
Joe’s mouth clamped shut and his eyes narrowed. “You’re out of your mind. Sid isn’t…” He trailed off as he looked again to the woman in question and got a straight shot of a well-shaped bottom. “You’re nuts,” he said, stomping out of the room.
Before Beth could follow behind him, he leaned back in to yell, “And I’m not cranky!”
Cranky my ass
, Joe thought. He was a happy guy. Maybe not in a dance-around-smiling-and-spreading-sunshine kind of way, but what goofy idiot wanted to do that? He didn’t have to take this shit. If he was cranky it was her fault. Nobody else pissed him off this easy.
“Hey, Joe!” shouted a voice behind him.
“What?” he yelled back as he swung around and just missed smacking a customer with his clearing tub.
“Dude, what’s your problem?” asked Phil Mohler. Another charter boat operator on the island, Phil was Joe’s least favorite competitor. They’d gone to highschool together, and even back then, the two hadn’t gotten along.
“Nothing. What do you want?” If he thought Joe would be running to get him a refill, Mohler would be waiting all damn night.
“Who’s the new chick, and what do you say I get an introduction?”
“What new chick?” Joe asked, looking around for a pretty tourist.
“The one you were just talking to back by the pool room. Haven’t seen a swing like that in way too long.” Phil elbowed Buddy Wilson sitting next to him, and the laughter carried round the table.
Crankiness turned to white-hot anger. “She’s off-limits, Mohler. Unless you want your ass flung out the door, you’ll keep your eyes and your comments to yourself.”
“Hey, man,” Phil said, throwing his hands in the air, “I didn’t know you were banging her already. Warn a guy next time.”
Joe dropped the tub on the table, knocking over three bottles. The men scrambled to avoid the rivers of beer. “That’s Lucas’s fiancée, and I said keep your comments to yourself.” His jaw clenched so tight, Joe could feel his teeth grinding. He’d rather grind Mohler’s face.
“What’s going on here, boys?” asked Joe’s dad, sliding up to the table with three longnecks and a bar rag. “Looks like we had an accident.”
“You need to teach your boy some manners, Dempsey. I just asked a simple question and he got all bent out of shape.” Mohler kept his eyes on Joe though he was talking to Tom.
Joe’s grip tightened on the tub. Hauling Mohler out of his chair in the middle of a crowded dining room wouldn’t be a good idea. Though it would feel damn good.
Tom dropped the rag on the table and leaned down into Phil’s face. “You know one of the perks of owning this place, Mohler? It’s that I can refuse service to anyone I want. I’ve replaced the beers you paid for. You intend to have any more tonight, you’ll have to buy them elsewhere.”
Silence loomed over the
“Like what?” Joe turned toward the men in question.
“Like she’s one of them.”
“She
is
one of them.” If Joe’s face hadn’t been completely blank, Beth would have sworn he was messing with her.
“Come on, she’s gorgeous. Guys in Richmond would be drooling right now.”
Joe’s brows shot up, and he turned as if expecting to see someone new behind him. “Sid?”
“You’d have to be a eunuch not to see that.” Joe looked insulted by that insinuation. “You know what I mean. Who is she anyway?”
“She’s my boat mechanic. A pain in the ass, but she can fix anything you put in front of her.”
Beth couldn’t respond. She’d need to lift her jaw off the floor to do that.
“What?” Joe asked, looking perplexed again.
“
That
is your boat mechanic? You work with a woman Hugh Hefner would pay a million bucks for, yet you claim not to notice she’s the slightest bit attractive?” Beth pulled the tray to her now inferior-feeling chest and wrapped her arms around it. “Is that why you’re so cranky all the time?”
Joe’s mouth clamped shut and his eyes narrowed. “You’re out of your mind. Sid isn’t…” He trailed off as he looked again to the woman in question and got a straight shot of a well-shaped bottom. “You’re nuts,” he said, stomping out of the room.
Before Beth could follow behind him, he leaned back in to yell, “And I’m not cranky!”
Cranky my ass
, Joe thought. He was a happy guy. Maybe not in a dance-around-smiling-and-spreading-sunshine kind of way, but what goofy idiot wanted to do that? He didn’t have to take this shit. If he was cranky it was her fault. Nobody else pissed him off this easy.
“Hey, Joe!” shouted a voice behind him.
“What?” he yelled back as he swung around and just missed smacking a customer with his clearing tub.
“Dude, what’s your problem?” asked Phil Mohler. Another charter boat operator on the island, Phil was Joe’s least favorite competitor. They’d gone to highschool together, and even back then, the two hadn’t gotten along.
“Nothing. What do you want?” If he thought Joe would be running to get him a refill, Mohler would be waiting all damn night.
“Who’s the new chick, and what do you say I get an introduction?”
“What new chick?” Joe asked, looking around for a pretty tourist.
“The one you were just talking to back by the pool room. Haven’t seen a swing like that in way too long.” Phil elbowed Buddy Wilson sitting next to him, and the laughter carried round the table.
Crankiness turned to white-hot anger. “She’s off-limits, Mohler. Unless you want your ass flung out the door, you’ll keep your eyes and your comments to yourself.”
“Hey, man,” Phil said, throwing his hands in the air, “I didn’t know you were banging her already. Warn a guy next time.”
Joe dropped the tub on the table, knocking over three bottles. The men scrambled to avoid the rivers of beer. “That’s Lucas’s fiancée, and I said keep your comments to yourself.” His jaw clenched so tight, Joe could feel his teeth grinding. He’d rather grind Mohler’s face.
“What’s going on here, boys?” asked Joe’s dad, sliding up to the table with three longnecks and a bar rag. “Looks like we had an accident.”
“You need to teach your boy some manners, Dempsey. I just asked a simple question and he got all bent out of shape.” Mohler kept his eyes on Joe though he was talking to Tom.
Joe’s grip tightened on the tub. Hauling Mohler out of his chair in the middle of a crowded dining room wouldn’t be a good idea. Though it would feel damn good.
Tom dropped the rag on the table and leaned down into Phil’s face. “You know one of the perks of owning this place, Mohler? It’s that I can refuse service to anyone I want. I’ve replaced the beers you paid for. You intend to have any more tonight, you’ll have to buy them elsewhere.”
Silence loomed over the
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