“Nice greeting. I thought this was a tourist town,” Julian said drily.
“The tourists are gone for the season. So what do you want? You’re slumming it pretty far from Hollywood, aren’t you, Hotshot?”
“Can I just get a beer?” he asked in a less sarcastic tone.
Kristin’s gaze inspected his face carefully for the first time since he’d walked in. She’d gotten distracted by his perfectly toned body as he’d come in and sat down.
Now that she had a chance to see him clearly, he looked worn out, and he had some obvious lacerations on that perfect face and a few on his neck. Julian was dressed casually in jeans and a deep-blue polo shirt that matched his eyes, but Kristin couldn’t help but notice that he might be just a little bit leaner than he had been the last time she saw him. Granted, he was still gorgeous, but a little worse for wear.
She turned silently and went to the service area in the back of the bar, returning a few minutes later to place a well-loaded fish sandwich in front of him, along with a glass of milk.
“I asked for a beer,” he said irritably.
She nodded at the sandwich. “I think you need that more. What happened to you?”
“Action movie,” he answered as though those two words explained everything.
“Looks like you got in the middle of the action and came out the loser,” she shot back, wanting to smile as he picked up half of the grinder she’d put together and started to eat.
“I didn’t lose. We were out in the damn wilderness and I was trying to do as many of the stunts as possible on my own. I got a little banged up.” He took another bite and swallowed before adding, “I guess I was hungry. This is good. Is it poisoned?” He didn’t seem concerned, because he continued to devour the meal, washing it down with large gulps of the milk.
“I guess you’ll find out in about ten minutes,” Kristin answered cheerfully. “The toxin is pretty fast acting, Hotshot.”
He grinned at her, never slowing down as he finished off his dinner. “You wouldn’t bump me off. You like arguing with me too much, Red.”
God, she hated that nickname. Her flame-red hair and her rounded body had been her two most hated body traits in her teen years, and she’d had guys call her that a lot back then. It didn’t exactly bring back fond memories, and Julian had used that name from the time he’d met her, which had probably put her on the defensive with him almost immediately.
Kristin felt her heart skitter, that stupid smile of his getting to her. “Maybe I’m tired of fighting with you.”
“Nope. I don’t buy that. You like it,” Julian answered right before he took the last bite of his sandwich.
Kristin turned and cut Julian a piece of pie, setting it carefully on a small plate before grabbing a spoon and putting it all in front of him.
“I don’t like arguing,” she told him honestly. “I just can’t seem to help myself.”
Insults sprang from her lips so easily when she was in Julian’s company. Usually, she didn’t have a hair-trigger temper, even though she was a redhead, but he seemed to bring out the worst in her.
“How do you know I like chocolate? I could be allergic,” Julian purred huskily.
Kristin had given him a piece of the daily special. It was a creamy milk-chocolate pie with whipped cream on the top. She hadn’t really had much choice. They only had one kind of pie. “Maybe I was hopeful. Are you allergic?”
“No.” Julian picked up the fork and dug into the pie.
“Too bad. Maybe you just look like the kind of guy who gives in to temptation . . . often,” Kristin snapped.
Julian looked up from his plate and pinned her with an unnerving stare. “I don’t.”
The words were hoarse and genuine, which confused Kristin enough to look away from his hypnotic gaze. It was about the only plain speaking he’d ever done in her company, and she shuddered, knowing that those two words were meant as so much more than just a denial. He was trying to tell her something.
“So what are you doing here?” she asked in a rush, eager to change the subject.
“The movie just wrapped. I was looking for Micah. His employees said he was here.”
Moving a short distance away from Julian, Kristin put her elbows on the bar. Her feet were killing her, and she knew she looked disheveled. Her hair was starting to come loose from the hurried French braid she’d done earlier that morning, and the white apron she was wearing had splatters of food decorating the front from lunch service. “I haven’t seen him. I didn’t even know he was here.”
“He’s here. He’s staying on the Peninsula in Jared’s guesthouse. But I checked. He’s not there. Jared said to try Randi’s old place. I guess Micah bought some land out there, along with Randi’s old house.”
Kristin was surprised, and very little shocked her. “He bought an old house outside town? Why?”
“He bought a bunch of property. Some of it’s on the coastline. He told Jared it’s an investment.”
“Why here?” Kristin was still baffled about why some guy with almost unlimited amounts of money would want to buy property in Amesport.
Julian shrugged his broad shoulders. “Why not? He could build up the land, expand the economy in town. I guess I get his plan. But he’s not usually a real-estate investor. I think he might have other motives.”
Kristin didn’t like Julian’s evil grin one bit, and she hated the thought of Amesport becoming a completely commercial town. The area had built up over the years, but Amesport still had a small-town feel, and she liked it that way. “What kind of motives?”