Of course he has a reputation. He probably sleeps with every woman he meets. Which is fine. No judgment. He's single and has every right to do whatever he pleases. I was the one who'd kissed him first, after all.
And I'd been the one to ghost him. Worse. To delete him.
"I didn't notice whether he was handsome or not. I'm single and not interested in him in that way." Lies. All lies.
Carmen clears her throat, then points with her eyes over my shoulder. Uh-oh.
I turn, slowly, to find a grinning Remy. Oh, no, heishandsome.Super cute.Especially in that button-down shirt. He's not in a suit and tie like most of the other men, but the white shirt makes his tanned skin stand out.
"Single and loving it, huh?" he says, his gaze dropping to my black stilettos. "For the record, I like you better with a tail instead of heels."
My face grows instantly hot. "Long time no see," I say in a breezy voice.
"Whose fault is that? I tried texting you a couple of times."
I swallow hard. Should've guessed he'd be miffed that I never replied. It was a little rude, now that I think about it. Maybe I should've left a business card. A note. A clamshell.
I reach for my messenger bag, which is embroidered with a starfish, and muster my most professional smile. "Would you like to chat about the contest?"
"I'd love to. But I just got a call from the mechanic about my boat. So, I gotta run. Or is that your line?" He's grinning, but there's an edge to his words.
My mouth opens, but nothing comes out other than stunned laughter. "I can explain," I say lamely.
"Can't wait. Tonight good for you?"
My chest squeezes. His stare is so confident and warm that the backs of my knees perspire.
"Perfect," I say. "Why don't you come to the bar and you can see what it looks like, and I can show you what I've got."
Goodness. That's a double entendre if I've ever heard one. Obviously, he thinks so too, because he chuckles.
"I'd love to see what you've got at your bar. Eight?"
Eight isn't exactly the hour for business meetings, but I'll let it slide. Especially since he's not being too snarky about me ghosting him.
"Eight's good."
"Perfect. I'll bring pizza.” He winks and turns to leave. I watch him as he walks away, that smirk on his face.
He shakes hands with several people in the room and kisses a couple of old ladies on the cheek. They flirt back, unashamed. It seems that every woman is captivated by Remy Hastings, and I'm no exception.
I sink back into my chair, wondering what I've gotten myself into.
Later that day, I shed my black skirt, silk blouse and stilettos, because the outfit seems a little too fussy for a nighttime business meeting. Instead, I opt for baggy jeans and a black, long-sleeved T-shirt with a cartoon fox on the front. And Birkenstock sandals — possibly the un-sexiest shoes I own, since they are worn, dung-colored, and make me look like I'm headed to a yoga retreat. My scarlet painted toenails flash like little red stop signs against the plain leather.
The outfit somehow calms my nerves. I look way less sexy now. It's also far different from my mermaid outfit over the weekend. Tonight, I'm just a normal woman in regular clothes. I'm even wearing cat-eye, black framed glasses because I can't see that well up close, and my hair's in a ponytail.
He won't even be attracted to me. When I'd dressed like this once around Brent, he'd asked me why I was "letting myself go."
I'm sitting on a worn stool at the bar, surrounded by my books of lists, when the front door opens. I keep forgetting to lock it when I'm here alone. Probably because Cypress Grove seems so safe. Sleepy, even. I turn in my seat to see Remy poking his dark head of hair inside.
"Anyone here?" he calls out.
"Over here, at the bar." I give a little wave.
He saunters in, the door banging in back of him. "We've gotta fix that door," he says, sliding onto the only other seat in the place, which is next to me at the bar. He's in a worn, grey T-shirt that's stretched and a little tight across his broad shoulders, and olive cargo shorts. He's also sporting the most tattered pair of flip-flops I've ever seen.
"Okay." I take a deep breath, bracing myself for him to find fault with everything here. He looks around, taking in the emptiness of the space.