Page 86 of You Know You Wanna

I blinked at her, completely unsure how she could still be so damn optimistic despite everything that had happened. After pressing a chaste kiss to my lips, she leaned back and changed the subject. “I have some really juicy gossip about Declan and Gracie. Want to hear it?”

As I stared into those sparkling blue eyes, I realized that she wasn’t only made of sunshine. She had a core of steel and I was damn grateful for it because she was going to need it if she planned on staying with me even with Jacqueline right down the damn road.

44

BIRDIE

Anxious as hell, I was pretty proud of myself for playing it off well. I’d managed to distract Remington, spending the day with him and Laurene but saying good night to give them some time to talk before bed.

The next morning, I did my yoga class like normal and carried on as though nothing had changed, but I kept feeling like I had to look over my shoulder for Jacqueline. Like she was the big bad wolf hiding in the shadows, stalking me and just waiting for an opening to attack me, her prey.

After what Declan and Remington had said about her, I’d turned her into something of a beautiful boogeyman in my mind. The unseen enemy who would stop at nothing to see me suffer. Maybe it was silly, but I felt like I was being watched. Like I needed to keep my eyes wide open at all times.

I had no idea if Remington felt like this with her in the area as well, but by that night, I was exhausted. Who knew it was so tiring to have an enemy who actually wants to do you harm?

I’d never had a real enemy in my life, but especially not one who was an actual threat. Not that I believed Jacqueline would take out a hit on me or anything quite that extreme, but I knew she was waiting for the opportunity to pounce.

Except that instead of physical violence, she would employ psychological warfare. She would say and do anything she could to make me doubt Remington and my already fragile place in his life, and the truth was that she would probably succeed in cutting me that way.

As supportive, open, and honest as Remington had been with me about how he felt like he had more with me than just some fling, I hadn’t wanted to confront him about us with everything else hanging over his head. I still didn’t know if he even planned on speaking to me again once he left here and I also didn’t know when that might happen.

He and I walked into the bar to join Declan and Gracie while she worked, and I tried to shove down my exhaustion, caution, anxiety, and uncertainty, checking it all at the door so that we could just be a normal couple on a date tonight.

“Are you sure you’re okay with Lulu still sleeping over at Cassidy’s tonight?” I asked as we sat down. “It’s pretty big of you, considering that she just ran away and all.”

“I’ve already kept her away from her other friends all summer,” he said. “It didn’t feel right to go back on letting her sleep at Cassidy’s on top of that. Besides, I like Cass. I can’t say the same about that group in the Hamptons.”

I smiled at him. “I’m proud of you. It couldn’t have been easy to let her go even if you do like the friend she’s spending the night with.”

“Yeah, well, it helped that I also like the friend I’m spending the night with.” He winked at me, bringing our joined hands to his mouth and pressing a kiss to the back of mine. “Laurene insisted that she’d be safe and happy at Cassidy’s and I owed you a date, so this was a win-win.”

My heart swelled, even if he had just called me a friend. I sighed, sitting down at the table nearest the bar where Declan was already waiting. He was sideways on his chair, chatting to Gracie behind the bar, but they both turned their attention to us as we sat down.

“She hasn’t shown up again, has she?” he asked Remington, his expression gravely serious.

It made me wonder what it had been like for him, as the business partner, to know that she had been fighting for a share of the company. Clearly, she wasn’t his favorite person and he seemed to be taking her sudden appearance even worse than Remington himself.

“Nah, but you know her. She’d have taken the rest of yesterday to settle in wherever she’s staying and she would’ve explored the area today to get a lay of the land.” He glanced at me. “You haven’t seen her, have you?”

“Nope,” I said quickly. “You guys talk about her like she’s some kind of assassin, though. Why would she need a lay of the land if she’s only staying a few days?”

“She’ll be trying to figure out what I see in this place. If any part of it or any person is more interesting or important to me than they should be,” Remington explained.

Declan pointed a finger right at me. “You should be expecting a visit soon. Once she realizes that he’s not just shagging you, she’s going to try something for sure.”

“Shagging?” I frowned. “Isn’t that a different word for⁠—”

“It is.” Declan waggled his eyebrows at me. “Evidently, Jacqs is using it now. She’s been in England for a couple months and she’s already stealing the terminology. She’s that ruthless.”

I chuckled at the joke he’d tried to make, appreciating his attempt at humor, but they really weren’t making me feel better about any of this. “She’s going to try something? Like what? Should I be considering moving out of my cabin until she’s gone?”

Remington smirked. “Absolutely. You should move into the suite, but not because of Jacqueline. She won’t break into your place or smother you with a pillow in your sleep.”

My heart skipped. My gaze jumped to his, holding it as I wondered if he really wanted me to move in with him. I wouldn’t do it. Obviously. It would make things way too complicated for Laurene, and I happened to like my cabin, but still, he’d offered. I just didn’t know if it had been a joke or not.

“Be serious, boys,” Gracie interrupted sternly. “If Birdie is moving in with anyone in the meantime, it’ll be with me, but is it necessary? Answer the darn question. What is this woman going to try?”

Declan glanced at her, pulling in a deep breath. “To tear them apart. She’ll say or do anything to get between them.” As he said it, he turned back to me. “I meant what I said the other morning. Don’t believe a word out of her mouth. She’s definitely going to try to convince you that Remington is still in love with her, but when that doesn’t work, she might try to play on your feelings about the fact that they share a child. I wouldn’t put anything past her.”