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A red curtain fell in front of Jack’s eyes, and his decision was made for him. “Fun? How’s this for fun?”
Cameron’s nose made an incredibly satisfying crack as he slammed his fist into it.
Jack shut off his Ranger and checked his reflection in the rear-view mirror. His nose had stopped bleeding, but he was going to have a shiner for sure. He grinned, ignoring the pain. “It’s a hell of a lot better than Cameron looks, and that’s what counts. At least I quit in style.”
But the grin fell off his face as he entered his apartment and bagged up some ice to hold against his eye. Now came the hard part.
The really hard part.
Jack took his ice bag and exited the slider, easing into a lounger on the beach. His ribs were a little sore and would be worse tomorrow. His text tone went off, and he sighed.
Sara: You home? I missed you today.
Jack: I’m out back. Come join me.
Sara froze when she saw the ice bag against his eye. “Bad day at work?”
“Remember me telling you Cameron and I were going to mix it up eventually?”
“Uh-oh. Today was the day?”
“Yep. I’m officially no longer working at Ocean Surf.”
“Oh my God! Mark fired you?”
“No. I quit.”
“Did you at least win the fight?”
A satisfied smirk rose. “Oh, yeah. Cameron can’t fight worth shit.”
She snorted and sat down on the lounger beside his, and his smirk fell as acid tried to eat through his stomach. There was no point in delaying. He dropped the ice bag onto the sand, his heart dropping. “Sara, I need to tell you something.”
She cocked her head and stared at him.
“I know you don’t like deep relationships, but I have a hard time with casual. I’ve been trying, and I can’t do it. When we were out with Alex and Hope, all I could think about was how much I have to lose if things didn’t work out between us. I really need this job, especially now.” He had been inspecting his hands, but now he met her gaze. “I think we should break this off.”
Sara’s face went slack, and a pulse hammered in her throat. “What? You want to end this? Us?”
“Yes. I need my job at Half Moon Bay. I love my job there.” I love you. “We can still be friends. If we end this now. But if we keep going, I’m not sure that will be an option for me. I’m sorry.”
Her stunned expression was changing before his eyes. She lowered her brows and clenched both hands in her lap. “Friends? Have you forgotten how we started out?”
“No. And I don’t ever want to go back to that. That’s why I want to end this now.” Before I fall any harder for you. Before I end up with a note saying you’d found something better.
A scarlet flush filled her face. “Oh, come on! Are you scared or something? Are you afraid Alex might throw you off the pier?”
“Sara, he and Hope are your family. If someone ends up having to leave, it sure won’t be you.”
She straightened, lifting her chin as her eyes flashed. “You don’t know that. I might not even hang around. Maybe I’ll open my own spa somewhere else on the island. Maybe I’ll leave all together.”
He hissed an exasperated sigh. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! I’m trying to make a life here. St. Croix is my home—I’m not just some feather drifting on the tropical breeze. I didn’t just move here on some Half Moon whim.” He paused, breathing hard. “Look, I care about you. A lot. But this is too much to risk when we don’t want the same things.” He grabbed the ice bag and stood. “I’m sorry, but this is for the best.”
“Jack! Dammit, come back here.”
He lifted a hand in a wave without looking back. “Goodnight, Sara.”
“We’re not even going to discuss this? We’re just done?”
