“I’m guessing you heard that. I was going to tell you who he was, Jazz, I swear.”

Jazz ripped her sunglasses off her face and looked at me like I was a rare species.

I went on, “I didn’t want to keep it from you at all, and then he swore me to secrecy. But I decided I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. You can’t tell anyone, Jazz. You have to promise.” The words tumbled out and I sounded so lame, even to my own ears. I wouldn’t blame Jazz if she never spoke to me again.

“K!” She held up a hand. “I need time to process.” She then proceeded to pace the parking lot with her hands on her hips.

I stopped and waited for her to process, at least until I thought I’d explode. “I—” I tried.

“Uh-Uh,” she cut me off, shaking her head and quickening her stride.

I closed my mouth. Thinking it might take her a while, I walked over to my truck and perched against the open tailgate. I tried to look a little contrite, but man, I wanted to get over this part where she was mad at me.

“How—” She stopped and flung her arms up, letting them fall and slap her thighs as she glared at me. “I don’t even know where to start. Jack Eversea is Hoodie Guy?” Her voice pitched up. “Seriously?”

I nodded.

She slowly shook her head side to side. “As in: my all time favorite actor, number one on my top ten laminated list. Max from Erath? That Jack Eversea?” she squeaked.

I winced and nodded sheepishly. I really was a bitch of a best friend to have kept it to myself. And yes, she had a laminated list of her top ten sexiest men who she apparently would always be allowed to sleep with even if she was married.

“Sooo,” her squinted hazel eyes bore into mine, “were you worried he might prefer me over you, so you kept him to yourself?”

“God, no!” I snapped, my eyes wide. Here I was worried she would be upset I was keeping such a big secret from her, and she thought I did it deliberately to keep him away from her?

“No, Jazz. I don’t ... didn’t—” I corrected, “like him like that.”

She snorted. “I’ll come back to that, and I was joking.” She flipped a hand out. “Kind of. So first of all, I was worried about you. Worried.” She pointed at me in emphasis. “About you. And you didn’t confide in me. And now that I know, I’m not worried anymore,” she threw her arms up dramatically, “I’m completely freaked-the-fuck out!”

“Me too?” I offered tentatively. My toe was absently kicking a pebble like a naughty school kid. I willed my foot to keep still.

“You should be. Oh God, Keri Ann, why didn’t you tell me? This is huge. Are you ok? Wait, don’t tell me. You’re not. I can tell you’re not. Because you’re—”

“Naïve?” I supplied.

“No, you’re Keri Ann. The nicest person I know. And he’s—”

“Jack Eversea. I know. Joey already informed me someone like Jack would ‘eat me for breakfast.’” I made the air quotes. “Why does everyone think I can’t handle myself?”

Jazz looked surprised. “That’s not what we think. I know you can handle yourself. I just also know you have a heart bigger than the state of Texas. If any of us could pick someone for you he would be someone solid, strong, dependable—”

“Boring?” I interjected, my eyebrow raised.

“No. Just someone who would hold your heart, or your virtue, as if it was the most precious gift he had ever been given. I might think Jack Eversea is one of the hottest men alive, but a famous Hollywood actor with women screaming for him on every street corner is not who I’d pick for you to get some experience with. Not that I have any say in the matter. Clearly.” She mashed her sunglasses back on her face, and pursing her lips, put her hands back on her hips. “And,” she huffed, her voice a little shaky, “you told Joey before me. And ... I’m so flippin’ jealous everything looks green.”

“That’d be your sunglasses.” I grinned, and then with a grimace, set her straight. “Well, you can relax. My virtue is safe. He is going back to Audrey Lane, so nothing is going to happen between us.”

“Puh-lease. You told me you almost kissed last night, that doesn’t sound like ‘nothing is going to happen’ to me. You better tell me the whole story.”

We hauled my kayak up to the truck while I tried my best to answer her barrage of questions about what he was even doing in Butler Cove. Then we climbed into Jazz’s car since her air-conditioning was a tad better than mine—as in, it actually worked. I proceeded to tell her, in minute detail, about everything that had occurred since Jack walked into the grill last week.

“Holy hell,” she said when I was done. “You are in so much trouble.”

“I know,” I groaned, letting my head fall back against the seat.

She shook her head slowly back and forth still trying to get her mind around it. Her expression was a cross between awe and completely freaked out. I could relate. I’d seen the same look in the mirror the last few days.

“Soooo ...?” She prompted, looking at her watch. I knew she had class this morning.

“So? I don’t know. I guess we’ll continue as friends, if he even shows up today. I mean it may be way too awkward, and I won’t see him again.”

“Let me ask you something K—if there was no Audrey Lane in the picture would you have let him kiss you?”

“I’d like to say that was why I stopped him, but to be honest, I only found out about his weird contract with her after we almost kissed. I think I stopped him because I was scared. You know what I’m like, I tend to run when things get intense. And being with him is ... intense. I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s like I have to consciously remember to breathe around him.”

“I get that, but scared of what?” she probed. “Is it because he’s famous, or are you scared to get close to someone? I mean I know you were scared of getting tied to Butler Cove, not that I understand you wanting to leave a place where everyone cares about you, but this is not one of the local boys who you think would keep you here, as if you would let that happen anyway.”

“Did you switch your major to psych?”

“Ha ha. Seriously, Keri Ann. I want to help you with this. I mean it’s Jack Eversea. Most girls would kiss him just to say they had. I’m not saying I want you to be shallow, but I want you to live a little. Realistically, regardless of whether he has a girlfriend, he’s still going to disappear back to Hollywood.”

My stomach churned at that obvious truth.

Jazz continued, “And you are going to stay here not doing anything with your life until God knows when. So in the meantime, if life comes to you, to give you some amazing memories I think you should go for it. Maybe not sex, but why can’t you have some fun? God knows you deserve to have a little.”

I couldn’t help the butterflies fizzing through my belly at the thought of giving myself permission to let something happen with Jack. I also couldn’t help the dread of dealing with my poor, pathetic, heartbreak when it was done.

“I’m scared of how I feel about him, Jazz. I am so attracted to him, it’s scary.”