When she caught him watching her, her smile warmed and she shifted in her seat, like maybe it was hard to hold the eye contact, but she still did.

And that’s when he knew just how much trouble he was in. When it came to women, he typically didn’t have a type. What tended to draw him in was an easy confidence and a sense of independence that said she wouldn’t be looking for any sort of permanence from him.

With his life as insane as it had become, his business exploding in San Francisco, his dad passing, his mom needing him as much as she did, he had zero interest in another thing that tied him down.

Less than zero interest.

Especially one in Wildstone. He’d worked his ass off to get out, needing to be away from his dad’s heavy rule and a town that had felt claustrophobic. He’d gotten good grades, which had led to a scholarship, and on top of that he’d taken every odd job available to pay the rest of his way through college a hell of a long way away from here.

Did he have some regrets along the way? Sure. Had the end justified the means? Pretty much, though he would’ve been a lot more sure of that answer four months ago, before his dad had died. Spending time with his mom and cleaning out the old house had been screwing with his head.

And now there was Quinn, whose confidence seemed to have taken a hit. But she absolutely had a sense of independence, not to mention sweet curves, a sexy smile, and deep blue eyes that revealed a haunting vulnerability and a not-so-hidden pain.

Even so, she smiled at him, clearly boosted by the strength of Boomer’s damn special, and he felt something warm deep down inside him. Her smile was warm and contagious, and it should’ve had him taking a big step back.

A big one.

Instead, watching her loosen up, listening to her talk, taking in the good humor and intelligence in her gaze, he felt himself wanting to go all in.

Good thing he was smarter than that.

Boomer came up to their table and handed Quinn another Bartender’s Special.

“I didn’t order this,” she said.

He winked at her. “On the house.”

“Oh boy. I’m not sure I need it.”

“It’s a thank-you for making this guy smile,” Boomer said, jerking a thumb in Mick’s direction. “Been a while since anyone in these parts saw that.”

Mick squelched a grimace as Quinn looked at him.

He shook his head. “Don’t listen to him.”

Boomer grinned—the bastard—and sauntered off, mission accomplished. Meaning: trouble was brewing—Boomer’s favorite pastime, as Mick knew all too well. So it was an especially good thing he wasn’t going to let himself get drawn in.

No matter what.

“How long are you staying in Wildstone?” he asked.

“Until tomorrow. Tilly and I didn’t exactly have a smooth introduction.” She shook her head. “I’ve had enough regrets in my life. Leaving without seeing her again won’t be one of them.”

Mick caught sight of a familiar figure entering the bar—Lena, his old high school girlfriend—and acknowledged with an inward grimace that only in a town Wildstone’s size would he run into everyone he knew while at the bar.

She was probably seeking out Boomer, her latest conquest. But then Lena’s gaze locked on Mick and she headed right for him, a familiar gleam in her predatorial gaze.

“Excuse me a minute,” he said to Quinn and stood up to ward Lena off, meeting her in between the bar and their table.

“Mick.” She smiled. “Just the man I was looking for.”

“Why?”

She laughed softly. “Well, it’s a warm, gorgeous summer night and in case you’ve forgotten, you really know how to show a girl a good time on a night like this. How about we take a ride to Mercury Point?”

He had a lot of memories tied up in Mercury Point. The first time he’d gotten drunk. Or four-wheeling over the dunes. And then there’d been losing his virginity—to the tall, beautiful brunette standing in front of him.

Of course they’d also broken up there as well.

And gotten back together.

And broken up . . .

“You’re with someone else now,” he reminded her. “One of my oldest friends.”

“Boomer and I aren’t together,” she said. “He said we couldn’t be until I got my head on straight.” She glanced over at the bar.

Mick did too and found Boomer watching them with an unreadable expression on his face before he turned away to serve a customer.

“I’m not going to let anyone tell me what to do,” Lena said. “Even him. And anyway, my head is on straight.”

Mick gave her a wry look and she rolled her eyes.

“It’s on straight now, I mean,” she said and sighed. “Look, I know I didn’t do right by you, Mick. I’d like the chance to fix that.”

He was assuming that “not doing right by him” was an acknowledgment of how she’d screwed around on him. And he was also assuming that since they hadn’t talked in a while, plus the fact that she’d never tried to apologize to him before, she was only doing so now because people were already talking about him and Quinn. “It was a long time ago,” he said.

“Doesn’t have to be.” Her gaze shifted to take in Quinn. “Your date needs a leave-in conditioner,” she said. “And a good stylist.”

“Good night, Lena.” He turned to move back to Quinn but she’d gotten up and was moving to the door.

Lena smirked. “Must be losing your touch. I could give you a tutorial.”

Ignoring her, he wound his way through the crowd, but Quinn was gone. Wanting to catch her before she drove off, he tried to toss some money to Boomer, who shook his head.

“She already got it, man.”

To Mick’s relief, he caught Quinn in the parking lot, leaning against her car, her thumbs moving furiously over the screen of her phone. When she saw him, she grimaced.

He lifted his hands and stayed out of her personal space. “Thought you could use a ride back to the B and B,” he said.

“I’m not driving.” She lifted her phone. “I’m trying to get an Uber.”

He smiled. “How’s that going?”

She sighed and slipped her phone into her pocket. “So Wildstone doesn’t have drive-throughs, Thai takeout, or Uber? Seriously?”

“We have other things.”

“Yes,” she said. “Ghosts. Big bugs. Cute dogs. And girlfriends, apparently.”

“Lena’s not my girlfriend,” he said. “She’s Boomer’s. Sort of.” He shook his head. “It’s complicated.”

She didn’t take her eyes off him. “But you’ve slept together.”

He arched a brow.

“I’m sorry,” she said, closing her eyes. “That was rude. There’s a chemistry there, and a familiarity, that’s all. You know what? Don’t listen to me. My tongue’s running the show and I think I’m just jealous at how everyone else seems to take life’s shit in stride and keep going. I haven’t learned that trick and I need to. And how to keep going, that is. Like the Energizer Bunny. Or my electric toothbrush. God.” She pressed her hands to her face. “I really need to stop talking. Make me stop talking!”