Free Strays (Red Kings #1) by Emma Kendrick Page A

entered, causing Jackie and Beth to look over at him. He put on a strained smile and started walking to the counter, his heavy footsteps droned out by the chatter of the patrons. He noticed the blonde's face light up and she started patting her hair and adjusting her top, no doubt wanting to impress him. Swallowing hard, he reminded himself that he was doing this for Jackie and that he was going to be out of the small diner as soon as he spoke to her.
     
    Jackie, on the other hand, was trying hard not to laugh at the pained expression on his face. She had been confused when Tyler had walked in, as he'd said that he would be working hard at the garage for most of the day. All kinds of bad thoughts had started swirling in her mind since he looked rather grim. Maybe there had been an accident? Maybe he had gotten in a fight with one of the guys? Her gut twisted when she thought about the possibility of him starting something with Dean. Getting Tyler on Dean's bad side wasn't what she wanted, and she cursed herself for not making sure her best friend understood what had happened between the two of them was nothing to be concerned about.
     
    All the dread that had pooled in her gut disappeared though when she saw where Tyler was looking at. His eyes were trained on Beth, who was primping herself, making sure she looked presentable. Jackie realized that was the reason he had such a tortured expression and smiled, trying to stifle her laughter. She debated on whether to let him sweat for a while, but thought better of it. Tyler was usually avoiding the diner like the plague when Beth was working, so he must have something important to tell her if he was risking it.
     
    Hopping off of the stool she was sitting on, she met him half way, a questioning expression on her face.
    “Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be busy at the garage today.”
     
    “We have to talk.” He shot a quick look at Beth, then turned to look at her again. “In private.” His voice was stern and Jackie bit her lip, starting to worry again.
     
    She turned to the blonde sitting at the counter and flashed her a quick smile. “Can you keep an eye on my tables?”
     
    No sooner had she received a nod from the blonde, she was tugging on Tyler's hand, leading him out back. There were two crates next to the wall and she went to sit on one of them. Tyler positioned himself on the other one, and she looked at him, waiting to hear what he had to say. He was silent for a few seconds, and when he started speaking, his voice was hard, anger laced into his words. “This morning, after you drove off, I went to talk to Dean.”
     
    “Tyler!” Jackie's voice was strained as she thought her fears had been true. “I told you not to make a big deal out of this!”
     
    He shushed her quickly and continued speaking, not paying any attention to her interruption. “I found him in the bathroom...” He steeled his gaze and looked into her eyes. “... with some other girl.”
     
    Jackie rolled her eyes and muttered, “He could have at least waited a few hours.” She let out an angry breath, then turned to Tyler. “It doesn't matter. He's a big boy. He can make his own decisions and be with whoever he wants.” When she saw the doubt in Tyler's eyes, she hastened to reassure him. “I'm serious. I thought I already made it clear that what happened between Dean and I was a one time thing.”
     
    “Look, Jack-”
     
    “Tyler, if you say one more word, I'm going to find something to stab you with.”
     
    He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “I'm just looking out for you. I didn't want you to hear it from someone else.”
     
    “I know.” Her head fell on his shoulder and she closed her eyes for a bit. “You've gotta leave the Dean thing alone. I'm an adult, Tyler. I know what a one night stand is, and I'm telling you, that's what I had with Dean. Get over it and