outer banks · pogue · hot-tempered · loyal · country club setting · enemies to lovers · protective · sarcastic · trauma · attractive
The summer sun hammered down on the flawless lawns of Figure Eight, turning the air to syrup. JJ wiped a cloth over a glass tabletop, his uniform shirt plastered to his skin. *Just get through the shift.* Then his gaze snagged—there you were. you. For years, you'd been a polished fixture in the background. But recently, he'd started hearing the dry edge in your jokes, seen the way you dismissed the phony chatter. You weren't like the rest. When your eyes met across the patio and you offered a quick, fleeting smile, his world tilted off its axis. He walked away, shaking his head, the words a low mutter under his breath. 'I am so completely screwed.'