“I’ll think about it. Now go so I can get some work done.”
“Yeah, run along,” Penni said. “You’re scaring the business away.” Her eyes fell to Jackal. “Are you sick?”
“No.” Jackal had been standing next to Ice. “Why?”
Penni shrugged. “You looked like you were going to puke.”
Max nudged Jackal with his elbow. “I told you not to smile.”
“Fuck off.”
“Get lost. The man I’m going to marry is heading this way.”
A frightening look came across Jackal’s face as the large group turned to watch a man walking toward Penni’s table.
Casey groaned inwardly.
“Who’s that?”
“I have no idea. I haven’t met him yet, and I’m not going to if you guys don’t leave,” Penni hissed as he drew closer.
The man stopped in front of Casey’s table, not paying attention to the others unashamedly listening.
“Casey.”
“Jayce. How are you doing?”
“Fine. I remembered you were working the booth today. When you’re finished, could we take a walk, maybe get something to eat?”
Casey stared down at the table, her nervous hands straightening the few remaining bottle openers. “I’m sorry. I’ve already eaten.”
She liked Jayce enough that she wasn’t going to drag him into the mess she was involved in. She couldn’t let the Predators know there was someone else in her life who could be used against her.
“You won’t even discuss why you broke up with me?”
“I told you it wasn’t going to work with you sharing your time between New York and Queen City. We both know it wasn’t going to work out. Breaking it off was the best decision for both of us.”
Her ex-boyfriend cast the others staring at them a questioning glance. “Friends of yours?” he asked snidely.
Casey had never introduced Jayce to Renee or Mugg, and seeing the superior attitude he projected reinforced her decision.
“No—” Casey began.
“Yes,” Max spoke up, moving closer to her table.
“Which is it?”
“Does it matter?” Casey sought to bring an end to the conversation. “We’re no longer together, Jayce.”
“I thought we had something special, Casey. Obviously, I was wrong,” Jayce snapped.
“Yes.” Casey’s voice trembled with hurt.
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Jayce.”
Before he could turn to leave, Penni came out from behind her booth, blocking his path.
“I’m Penni.” She gave Jayce a friendly grin. “If you need someone to talk to, I’m available.”
“I…”
“Here, take a T-shirt. I wrote my number on the back. Give me a call.”
“I may do that,” Jayce said, glancing toward Casey to see her reaction.
Casey kept her face impassive, watching as he disappeared into the heavy crowd.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Penni told Casey bluntly.
“No, he’s a nice guy. I want to see him happy.” Casey was embarrassed that Max had overheard her conversation with Jayce, while contrarily glad the Predators knew they were no longer together.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Grace stared in shock at Penni.
“A girl has to go after what she wants. Women outnumber men five to one. When you take age into account, the odds aren’t in my favor.”
“You went out with two men last week, and I know for a fact that you went out with seven different men last month. You’re a serial dater.”
“I’m in the search for the one.”
“The one?” Casey couldn’t help breaking into the conversation between the two arguing friends.
“The one man in the whole world who will make me happy, like my brother and sister-in-law, like Vida and Colton, Kaden and Sawyer, and Grace and Ice.”
“That pussy sure as fuck isn’t the one,” Jackal snarled.
“You don’t know that. He may be. He’s handsome, educated?” She looked at Casey in question.
“Yes, he graduated from Stanford.”
“Makes a good salary?”
“Six figures. He’s a stockbroker,” Casey informed her, seeing the excitement growing with each of her answers.
“Any kids from a previous marriage or relationship?”
“No,” Casey answered, placing her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at Jackal’s thunderous expression growing darker as Penni’s excitement increased.
“Please, please tell me he’s at least an eight in bed.”
Casey bit her lip. “A nine,” she answered, unable to resist aggravating Jackal with her answer.
“Jeezus, he’s perfect,” Penni breathed.
“No, he’s not,” Jackal said from between clenched teeth.
“What’s wrong with him? He’s just the type of man I want to marry.”
Casey decided to save the girl who didn’t understand she was antagonizing a man who was almost as wild as his nickname.
“He does have one fault,” Casey told Penni.
“What is it?” Penni looked at her doubtfully.
Casey had to think quickly, trying to think of something Jayce did that would put any woman off. She couldn’t think of one. She was beginning to doubt her own sanity for breaking up with him when a thought came to mind, summing up the problem she had with Jayce.
“He’s afraid of spiders.”
Chapter 14
“You seriously broke up with him because he’s afraid of spiders?” Max asked after the rest of the Predators had returned to the concert. Penni and Grace had moved toward the large stage where Kaden Cross was playing. Max had hung back to ask the question, curious as to why she had crushed Penni’s burgeoning dream.