“I gave him Richard’s ex-wife’s name,” she continued. Her tone grew frenzied and hurried. “He found out she died in a car accident last spring, right before we met. You don’t think…?”

“Jenna,” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. “That’s crazy. You’re letting your imagination get the better of you. Stop digging into something that’s not there. Richard loves you, plain and simple. That’s all you need to worry yourself with. And if we do find out he’s been cheating, he’ll wish he never stepped foot on South Padre.” I winked, wrapping my arms around her.

She was usually the one to lend me a shoulder to cry on, to bitch and commiserate about whatever was going on in my life. She was never one to appear anything but composed. She appeared so vulnerable now and I hated that I had allowed my best friend to cope with this on her own for the past month. I vowed to never put her through that again. She had always been there for me and I needed to start being here for her, regardless of what was going on in my own life.

“Thanks, Kenzie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Ditto,” I replied, pulling back as she got up from the couch and headed toward the door to my office. “Hey, Jenna?” I called out as she was about to disappear into the hallway.

“Yeah?” She spun around to face me.

Sighing, I met her eyes. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to forgive Tyler for what he’s done?”

Her expression softened a bit and she gave me a sincere look. “I don’t know if I can answer that for you. You gave your heart to Tyler and it’s not easy to get it back. But what I can tell you is what you’re going through right now won’t last forever. With each passing day, you’ll think about him a little bit less. You’ll get back one more piece of your heart and, one day, you’ll wake up and someone else will have taken his place.” She bounced down the hall, leaving me alone.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I whispered to the empty room.

Mackenzie

“WHAT’S A GUY GOT to do to get a great IPA around here?” a soft voice with a beautiful British accent said as I buzzed around the bar, pouring drinks. I could have just as easily hired additional bartenders, but there was something I loved about being behind the bar. Plus, it helped with our overhead to have me work the bar instead of hiring someone else.

I almost replied with one of my typical snarky comments to get him to leave me alone, but as I spun around to open my mouth, I quickly softened my expression. The man standing in front of me was strikingly handsome. He wore a loose-fitting white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of dark jeans, and flip flops. His sandy hair had a windblown look about it¸ his forearms muscled and tan.

Smiling, I simply said, “All you have to do is order one.” I grabbed a pint glass and poured one of the IPAs from the tap. “Hope you like this one.” I put the glass down in front of him. “Harvested and brewed right here in the fine state of Texas.”

“I’m starting to think there’s a lot to enjoy in Texas.”

My ears heated from his stare and I felt my face begin to blush. I hadn’t allowed myself to flirt with another man in months, not wanting to put in the effort. I knew this wouldn’t go anywhere, but maybe it was exactly what I needed to make me shake off all the memories of Tyler that still found me nearly every day.

“I’m Ellis,” he said, reaching his hand across the bar. I grabbed onto it lightly and he raised it to his lips, kissing it softly. The contact on my skin was dull. Even when Tyler wasn’t touching me, I was ready to fall apart. My body was always hyper-aware of him…his presence, his caress, his gaze. With this guy, I felt absolutely nothing. No spark. No flame. No lightning. Nothing. And it made me long for my mystery man even more, although he was no longer mine.

“Mackenzie,” I said, finally snapping out of my daydream.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mackenzie.”

“Well, I should get going. Lots of customers to get drunk and…” I scanned the area to see the other bartenders had it well under control.

“And…?” He narrowed his dark eyes on me and I shrugged, knowing he had caught me in my excuse to end our conversation. An understanding look crossed his face and he leaned on the counter. “I get it. It’s a bit cheeky, isn’t it? Trying to pick up a girl at a bar?”

I eyed him. “A bit, especially when you don’t even live here.”

“What makes you think that?” He smiled, flashing a set of perfectly straight white teeth, made brighter against his tanned skin.

“Call it a hunch. That accent seems to be a dead giveaway that you’re not local.”

He shrugged. “Or I could have left mother England because of a better business opportunity.”

“So which is it?”

“The latter.” He winked, and I could have sworn I felt a slight fluttering in my heart.

“So what is it that you do, Ellis?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Oh, a little bit of this. A little bit of that.”

I rolled my eyes. “Nice. How about a little bit more detail, though.”

“I’m not a criminal or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried about that. I’m just wondering what it is you do for a living, how you support yourself… See, this is what Americans would refer to as an icebreaker, some sort of conversation to find out about one another.”

He studied me briefly. “I’m an applications developer for a company up in Houston.”

“And what does that mean?”

“Computer stuff.”

“Ah,” I said. “So you’re a computer geek.”

He took a sip of his beer. “More or less, but that’s just something I do on the side.”

“Oh, really?” I raised my eyebrows and gave him a playful look. “What’s your real job then?”

“I’m a professional poker player.”

“Poker?” I swallowed hard, my voice becoming quiet.

“Yeah. You know. Poker… It’s a card game. Placing bets… Going all in…”

Those last words hit me, making it feel as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. This conversation was yet another reminder that moving on wasn’t in the cards for me. The sounds of the bar grew muddled and became background noise as I was whisked back to that day.

“I’m a broken man.” Tyler leaned his forehead on mine and lovingly caressed my face as we sat in the front seat of my Mercedes, the March sun beating down on us.

“Everyone’s broken in one way or another, Tyler.”

“Not like me. Some days, I feel like I’m barely hanging on. But I haven’t since I met you. For the past six years, all I’ve felt is pain. I know this sounds crazy but, whenever I’m with you, I find meaning in that pain.” He held my face in his hands, but I remained speechless, his impassioned words overwhelming me.

“So whatever this is and whatever it’s going to be, know that I’m all in, Mackenzie. You have enchanted my heart and, for the first time in years, I feel alive, even when I’m not with you. I know we just met and I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t expecting to be so captivated by you.” He took a deep breath. “But I am. I am unimaginably bewitched by you. I’m all in, Mackenzie.”

The memory was so vivid, so sharp, as if it was happening at that moment. I remembered precisely what he was wearing…a yellow polo shirt and jeans that fit him perfectly. His green eyes were brilliant but scared. What I didn’t see as I relived this memory was a lack of sincerity. It covered him, from the way his fiery gaze burned into me to the way he caressed my skin. Even early on, I could sense he didn’t say those words just to get information. They were true. I couldn’t help but think about what else was true.