The sun was setting when she’d arrived, and based on the crowd, she guessed she’d hit the dinner rush. People were finally leaving the beaches and heading indoors to eat.

As she walked through the restaurant up to the bar, she could feel people looking at her. The room seemed to grow more hushed as she walked by. The power of the siren was still something she wasn’t used to.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked her before she even had a chance to sit down on the stool.

“Um, just a Cherry Coke would be fine,” Gemma said.

“Coming right up,” he said, smiling brightly before dashing off to fill her order.

A guy was sitting two stools down, nursing his Long Island Iced Tea. Gemma happened to glance over at him, and she caught him looking at her. He apparently took that as some kind of invitation, and he moved next to her.

“Hey,” he said with a Southern drawl. “What are you drinking?”

“Cherry Coke.” No sooner had the words left her mouth than the bartender appeared in front of her with the drink.

“I gave you a couple extra cherries.” The bartender winked at her and motioned at the three maraschino cherries in the glass.

“Thank you,” Gemma said.

Another patron called to the bartender from the other end, and he reluctantly stepped away to do his job.

“So…” The guy next to her leaned on the bar, moving closer to her. “Are you from around here?”

“No.” Gemma deliberately stared straight ahead and stirred her drink with the straw. She wanted to eat the cherries, but she was afraid it might be construed as seductive somehow, and she didn’t want the guy next to her to get the wrong idea.

“Me neither,” the guy went on. “It’s a nice town, though.”

“Yep.”

“Yeah.” He took a long sip of his beverage before turning back to her. “I’m Jason, by the way.”

She smiled thinly at him, doing her best to be polite. “Gemma.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” He held out his hand to her, but she didn’t shake it.

Jason was a little cute, but he appeared to be in his early thirties. Not to mention the fact that she definitely wasn’t looking to hook up with anyone. She’d run away from the sirens and Sawyer to avoid that. Besides, Jason wasn’t Alex.

“Are you here alone?” he asked.

“I’m having dinner alone,” Gemma clarified. “I wanted some time to myself.”

“Oh.” He scratched his head, and for one glorious moment she thought her rebuff was going to sink in. “A pretty little thing like you should never dine alone. Why don’t you have dinner with me?”

“Don’t you think I’m a little young for you?” Gemma asked. The guy was probably twice her age.