I plan to do just that, all summer long.

My head shoots up every time the front door chimes and another person enters the building. I’m disappointed time and time again.

Until I’m not.

Maddie Wheeler walks into the bar for the third time in less than two weeks, and this time, I let myself succumb to her presence. I am instantly and completely enchanted.

She’s got her hair pulled up in a high, bouncy ponytail, and she’s wearing another one of those teeny tiny half shirts paired with cut-off denim shorts. Except that’s not the only thing she’s wearing tonight. She’s also wearing my jacket.

She takes her time making her way over to the bar, surveying the crowd. She has to feel my eyes on her—she fucking has to. But she makes me wait. It’s worth it. When she hops onto a barstool and lifts her head, I swear the lights flicker around me.

She’s electric.

Her pull’s magnetic.

I’m stalking over to her two seconds later.

“You look really good in that jacket,” I open, leaning in close so no one else can hear our exchange.

“I look really good out of it, too,” she quips, rising up a few inches to hover closer. I lock her in my gaze and hold her there for a few seconds, desperate to get my fill the best I can with her right in front of me but technically out of reach.

“Hi,” I finally breathe out as I let myself blink.

“Hi.” She smiles, then bites down on that bottom lip again as she assesses me.

It’s going to be so much harder than I expected to focus on anything but her when she’s sitting there wearing my clothes.

“You’re back!”

Cole’s exclamation catches me off guard. He’s talking to Maddie, of course. I school my expression as I remember that I did, in fact, spend most of her last visit purposely ignoring her while she chatted up the other guys.

I push off the bar and shift back a few steps, but I don’t take my eyes off her.

“I’m back,” she confirms. “Turns out this is pretty much the only place worth being after six in this sleepy town. You’ll probably be seeing a lot of me this summer.”

Damn straight. I’ll have her here every night I work if it means I get to see that smile.

Cole widens his stance and crosses his arms over his chest, stroking his chin in mock-contemplation. “Ya know, Maddie, I can’t help but notice that you keep showing up when Jake’s not here.”

Her eyes shift from Cole to me for the briefest moment, but her smile never falters.