“I’m never going to be the guy who drags you away from your food,” Jax teased. “I was just checking in.”
Yeah, Jax did that a lot. Checking in. Not that I was complaining. The gesture was far more comforting than it was annoying. Maybe that was why I’d been able to enjoy myself so much today. The guy worried enough for both of us.
“I had fun today,” I assured him. “It’s the best day I’ve had in a long time.”
“I’m not so sure doing the entire bike path around the island was such a great idea,” Jax rumbled. “How’s the knee holding up? It was a long ride.”
I smiled. “It was good for my soul, and my knee is fine. I told you that it doesn’t hurt at all anymore.”
Lord knew that Jax had gone overboard protecting my knee this morning. He had applied a compression bandage before we’d left his place for added support. And he’d babied the crap out of me by stopping every ten minutes on the bike trail for a break.
“I get that,” he replied gruffly. “But you’re supposed to go slow with the exercise.”
“I’m not out of shape,” I informed him. “I just had a minor knee injury.”
He shook his head as he put his empty water glass on the table. “It wasn’t minor. You had a grade 2 tear to your MCL, Harlow.”
“And it’s healed now,” I said gently. “I just need to strengthen the whole knee so it doesn’t happen again. Honestly, that ride made me feel like I was more at peace with myself than I’ve been for a long time. I think I forgot how much fun it is to just get on a bike and cruise. If I ever meet your sister, Riley, I’ll definitely be thanking her for the temporary use of her bike. That’s one very sweet beach cruiser.”
The bicycle was a really pretty teal color trimmed in black, but the way it handled was what made it really stand out. It was nimble, lightweight, and quick. Obviously, Riley liked to be comfortable, too. My ass had never been so well padded while I was riding a bike.
“She hasn’t ridden it in a long time,” Jax mused. “She used to come out to the island more often, but now that she’s married, we usually all get together at her place in Citrus Beach. Riley is much better at organizing family gatherings, and her beach property there is huge.”
I nodded. “She’s been so good to Taylor, and I’m grateful for that. I think every time Taylor starts to feel a little lost in the world of the ultra-wealthy, Riley has been there to help her,” I said wistfully. “I think I’d like your sister. It sounds like she’s really down-to-earth.”
“I love my sister dearly, but she can be a redheaded menace when she wants to be,” Jax grumbled. “But I’ve never met a woman with a kinder heart, and yeah, she’s very…normal. None of us hang out with the elite crowd if we can help it.”
“Do you get along well with her husband?” I asked curiously.
He raised a brow. “Seth? Yeah, he’s one of us now. We’ve gotten along just fine ever since the day he completely understood that if he hurt our sister, my brothers and I would cut his balls off.”
I snorted. “Oh, my God. That poor man. I can only imagine how intimidating it was for him to have to pass the big-brother test three times.”
“It wasn’t all that hard,” Jax said. “Seth is a good man. He’s worked his ass off to build a successful real estate corporation from the ground up. He came from pretty humble beginnings, and most of his adult life was dedicated to helping his older brother raise their younger siblings. Plus, it’s almost nauseatingly obvious that he worships the ground Riley walks on. All any of us have ever wanted was for her to be happy.”
Jax released my hand as the waiter arrived with our drinks. I smiled as the server plopped down a big strawberry margarita in front of me before he walked away.
Jax had ordered the same, minus the strawberry.
Once our waiter had departed, Jax asked jokingly, “Am I going to have to worry about whether you’ll be capable of drinking and biking?”
I raised a brow in challenge. “I was a technical sergeant in the United States Air Force. We airmen know how to handle our liquor, sailor. I could drink a lot of my fellow airmen under the table,” I teased. “I think I can still ride straight after one watered-down margarita.”
I wasn’t much of a drinker anymore, but I’d certainly done my share of nights out, and drinking challenges in the military when I was younger. Most of my companions had been male since the total Air Force personnel was eighty percent men.
Really, any female member of the military had no choice but to get used to being surrounded by large amounts of testosterone every day.
Jax smirked as he lifted his glass. “Cheers.”
I smacked my glass with his before I took a sip, and instantly realized the drink wasn’t the least bit watered down. “I guess they’re more generous than most places with the tequila,” I said to Jax as I put my glass back down on the table.
“Did you really think I’d take you to a Mexican place with lousy food and watered-down margaritas?” he asked drily.
The restaurant was very clean, with colorful décor, but it wasn’t what I’d consider an upscale place. It was exactly the kind of Mexican restaurant that generally had the best, authentic food. Apparently, Jax preferred good food over ambience.
“Probably not,” I confessed as I stirred the margarita with the oversized straw. “You apparently have very good taste in restaurants.”
Jax and I had talked about our favorite places to eat in San Diego. Some of his were my favorites, too, but a few were so pricey that I’d never been able to convince myself to try them.
“There’s a few of them you still need to try,” he reminded me.
“The outrageously expensive ones are out,” I said firmly. “I don’t mind paying the price for good food, but a few of your favorites are ridiculously overpriced.”
“Do we not pay you enough as a research geoscientist to try them out?” he asked. “Or for you to get a nicer apartment? I know it’s not like you live in a bad area, but that place is tiny, and everything is really outdated.”
“I’m just one person,” I said defensively. “Why do I need a bigger place? And you pay me plenty. I just choose to use that generous salary to save. I’d like to buy my own place someday.” I took a deep breath and released it slowly before I asked, “You don’t have any idea what it’s like to have to save for anything, do you?”
I didn’t mean for the question to be an insult. It was just…fact. Jax had been outrageously wealthy since the day he was born.