Danielle lifts her hand with the intention of trying to set it on my arm again, and Leighton catches her wrist to stop her.
“Don’t fucking touch him,” Leighton warns.
The next few seconds turn into a blur of teal and sand when Danielle rips out of Leighton’s grasp and shoves her. I move to get between them, but before I can, my girl fucking pounces. She lunges at Danielle, driving her backward into the barstools as the ivy shrieks. The two swings she gets off before I grab her around the waist both make contact with Danielle’s face. Another set of arms enter the mix, and I look up at Cole.
He drags Danielle in one direction, and I pick up Leighton, carrying her in the other. I set her down but keep my arm secured around her, actually having to hold her back from diving for the redhead again.
“You’re fucking crazy!” Danielle screeches. She swipes the hair away from her face, her lip bleeding and the area surrounding it red from a punch.
“I told you not to touch him,” Leighton hisses back.
I glance to make sure we’ve stayed off the guests’ radar. Most of them are far enough away on the pool deck with kids squealing in the water that they seem oblivious to what just happened. Only one or two people cautiously watch us from the bar. So, I guess they’ll be drinking free this summer.
Danielle’s struggling to get away from Cole, and Leighton’s still fighting to try and get to her, so I adjust my hold, dropping my lips to her ear.
“Calm down, baby,” I whisper, and she starts to relax just as I notice Millie watching everything unfold from the other side of the fence.
Shit.
“Ms. Jacobson!” Danielle shrieks when she spots her. “This psycho just attacked me.”
Our HR department glances between the four of us before she slides her glasses down from on top of her head. “I’m sorry, dear,” she calls over. “I didn’t have my glasses on. But if she attacks again, you come find me.”
Millie winks at me and then pushes her glasses back up, walking away like someone called her name as Danielle huffs.
When I let go of Leighton, I skim my hand down her side.
“You want me to handle this?” I ask quietly. “Keep everyone else out of it?”
She looks around at the servers and bartenders. They aren’t even pretending to work anymore, gawking and waiting, and she looks up at me long enough to shake her head. Then she takes a deep breath, zeroing back in on Danielle.
“You’re fired,” she says plainly.
“Fired?” Danielle cackles despite just getting owned. “Who do you think you are, townie?”
She slowly starts toward Danielle, and I give Cole a slight nod. He takes a hesitant step aside, but not far enough he won’t be able to swoop in if needed, and Leighton stops a few feet in front of them.
“I’m the service manager you shoved in front of all these people.” She tips her head to the side. “Sweetie.”
A few staffers start whispering, and my gaze snaps up, sending every one of them scattering. Even the two guests drop their heads, suddenly interested in the drinks in front of them.
“What?” Danielle’s eyes dart to me as I come up behind Leighton and curl my fingers over her hip. “You mean, you two are actually—”
“Together,” Leighton interjects. She pulls away from me, stepping close enough Danielle swallows, and she drops her voice low. “I’m also Sidney Malchek’s daughter.”
My dad’s fiancée’s name instantly causes the color to drain from the ivy’s face, and she checks with me. I smile, giving all the confirmation she needs.
“Now, I’ll say it one more time before I call security.” Leighton backs up until she’s flush with my chest, and I snake an arm around her.
“You’re fired.”
Danielle opens her mouth to say something, and I duck down into her line of sight.
“Here’s where you walk the fuck away before you piss me off,” I growl.
She sneers at me, balling her fists at her sides and letting out a frustrated squawk before she storms away. Cole dodges out of her way and blows out a breath once she’s gone.
“Christ, Howard. The next time you start a cat fight, you’re on your fucking own.”
He gives her a grin until I scowl, telling him it’s time to go. I watch him walk away, still not a fan of the guy being around Leighton—even with what I know about him.
“I’m sorry,” Leighton whispers, turning around.
“Not here.”
I slip my hand into hers and pull her behind me, turning a lot of heads on our way to the pool house, but I don’t fucking care.
When I walk through the open sliding doors of the lifeguard lounge, the two guards at the table stop their conversation. I hook my head for them to leave, and they get up, one of them even closing the door behind them.
All the noise from outside vanishes, and Leighton looks up at me.
“I’m sorry,” she says again.
“For what part?” I slide my hands over her, just needing to touch her, and she bites her lip. “For trying to beat the shit out of an ivy for touching me? Because that’s one of the top three hottest things you’ve done.”
She blushes. “I guess you’re right about not having to wait.”
“I would have waited, Leigh. I’ll still wait if you want me to go undo everything that just happened. It might drain my trust, but everyone has a price.”
“True,” she says, and I tug her into me, her arms wrapping around my neck. “But we’re really bad at sneaking around, so we’d probably have to go through all this again next week.”
“We can do it all summer, baby. I’ll just have to get creative with my bribes.”
“Or you could just bend me over in the middle of the dining room.” She smiles, and I grin, dropping my forehead onto hers.
“Don’t fucking tempt me, Leigh.”
I crush my lips to hers, and she whimpers, kissing me like neither of us has been breathing since the last time our mouths collided. My hands slide to her ass, and she squeals when I pick her up, turning us around.
“What are you doing?” She giggles against my lips as I carry her through the lounge to the door leading outside.
“Dining room’s empty for another couple of hours.”
She laughs, and I’m so fucking lost in her.
“I love you, Leighton. I’ve loved you for a long time.”
Leighton’s entire face lights up. “I love you, too.”
I kiss her again, and she moans, dragging me deeper and deeper until I can’t remember a time she wasn’t here. At Haven Cove. In my arms. Under my skin.
Where she’s always belonged.
Epilogue
Leighton
When I open my locker after my first shift, I smile at the note waiting at the bottom. I’ve gotten at least one every day for the past ten weeks, and I swipe this one up and toss in my apron, waiting to read it until I’m in the hall.