Ex on the Beach by Kim Law Read Free Book Online Page B

tacked on as she jogged back to the group.
    Andie shot her friend a hard look. “And someone just let him waltz back through the restaurant to search for me. Come on, Roni, what was that about? You had to know I didn’t want to talk to him.”
    The Frisbee whizzed past, close to Ginger’s head, and Andie smiled at Maggie as she fell to her knees in a giggling fit.
    “Did you do that, Maggie Moo?” Andie asked.
    “No!” The girl giggled harder and pointed to Hunter. “It was him.”
    Hunter shrugged his slim shoulders. “Y’all weren’t paying attention. I was just making sure you didn’t forget that we’re playing here.”
    “I see.” Andie grabbed the Frisbee and shot both kids an evil grin. “Then you’d better beware! Because I have it now.”
    Maggie giggled louder and Hunter’s eyes went wide. He held up his hands in a sign of surrender. “I’m sorry.” He laughed.
    “Too late for that, kid.” Andie pulled back and sent it sailing well over his head so he’d have to run hard to catch it. He had a wide competitive streak. Not going after it was not an option.
    Maggie took off after him, arms flailing and laughter ringing out, and Andie turned back to her friends. She really did enjoy playing with the kids. Few moments in her life were this laid-back. She loved it.
    “Roni?” she asked. “What was that about? You know how I feel about Mark. Why would you let him come back there?”
    Roni twisted up her mouth as she stood in front of her friend, then eyed Ginger as if looking for help. When none was forthcoming, she finally blurted out, “Because I’m not sure I do know how you feel about him.”
    “How can you not? He left me at the altar. How do you think I feel? I hate him!”
    “Yeah,” Roni started. “But that was four years ago. And Andie, you haven’t dated anyone since.”
    “So what?”
    Ginger nodded, catching the Frisbee as it came back and sending it sailing once again. “She has a good point.”
    “What point?” Andie asked. “I haven’t heard a point.”
    “That you should be dating by now. You should be over Mark,” Roni added.
    “I am!”
    “Then why won’t you date? You’ve had plenty of guys ask you out. And why did you look so shaken when you saw him today?”
    Andie clenched her fists at her sides as she glared at her friends, ignoring the disc that flew over their heads. She forced herself to lower her voice to keep from screaming in frustration. “I don’t date because I have a business to run, and I looked shaken because I was not expecting him to show up in my bar.”
    “But you looked …” Roni paused, once again turning to Ginger. “Help me out here. Tell her how she looks right now, just from talking about him.”
    Ginger shot Andie an apologetic look and nodded. “I see what she’s talking about. You look kind of … uh …”
    “What? Upset? Because the man left me to explain to everyone that the wedding they’d come to see was not going to happen. Why wouldn’t I be upset about that?”
    “Yes, we understand that, but it’s — ”
    “You think that since it’s been four years I should be past it and welcome him with open arms?”
    “No! Of course not. We’re not saying you shouldn’t still be upset. We’re just saying …” Ginger flapped her arms in Andie’s general direction and then dropped them to her sides, all the fight gone out of her. “Your eyes, Andie. Your eyes are your weakness, sweetheart. They tell everything.”
    Andie stood unmoving, barely noticing when Hunter mumbled something at them as he ran past to get the Frisbee. She looked from one friend to the other, then followed Roni’s gaze toward the boardwalk in the distance. Mark was standing there watching them, the sky, purple and pink from the setting sun, outlining his broad frame.
    She faced her friends and pinned them with a hard look. “And what do you two think my eyes are telling you?”
    “That it’s not over,” they said in unison.
    Andie turned