do sleepovers.”
“I don’t.”
“That it’s your way of keeping things casual.”
“It is.”
Lizzie bolstered her shoulders, nabbed her wineglass. “So it’s true. You’re serious about Bridget.”
“No—”
She tossed her drink in his face. “We’re through, Luke Monroe.” Sliding her cute butt off the stool, she flipped him the bird, then left.
“Damn.” Luke toweled wine from his face and shirt, rinsed his hands, and dragged damp fingers through his now sticky hair. He’d assumed trouble loomed but didn’t anticipate the clichéd drink baptismal. He glanced to the end of the bar where the Brody brothers (Sugar Shack regulars and two of Luke’s sports buddies) nursed beers while watching ESPN on one of two plasma screens hanging over the bar. Only Adam and Kane weren’t watching sports. Or at least not the televised kind. Luke shrugged. “At least you two were the only ones to witness that unfortunate display.”
Adam raised a brow.
Kane pointed.
Luke turned. Oh, hell. “What are you doing here, Connie?”
“Nell asked me to trade shifts.”
He knew that look. “Been standing there long?”
“Long enough.”
Damn.
She unclipped her name badge and tossed it on the bar.
His best waitress. Shit. “I can explain.”
Connie waved him off and walked out.
“Oh, for Christ’s…”
Kane laughed.
Adam, who’d been on the glum side lately, crooked a grin.
Luke gave them the finger, which only hiked their amusement.
Just then Chloe, his big brother’s sweet-faced, sexy-as-hell girlfriend, strode in. “What’s so funny?” she asked, taking Lizzie’s former seat.
Luke shot a lethal glance at his smirking buds. “Two of my girlfriends just broke off with me in the space of a minute.”
“Fail to see the humor.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Except given your wet hair and the splotches on your T-shirt…” She glanced at Lizzie’s empty wineglass. “I suppose at least one of the showdowns might have been comical.”
“Hilarious.” Luckily, he had a supply of clean shirts in his office.
“So now you’re down to what? One steady girl?” Chloe asked with a teasing gleam in her eye. “How awful.”
“Annoying, considering I now have to break off with Bridget, which means I’ll be down to no steady girls.”
“Why…” Chloe raised a hand. “Never mind. I’m sure there’s a method to your philandering madness.”
“There is.”
“Of course there is.”
Chloe Madison. A fairly new addition to Sugar Creek. A woman he’d never been able to charm. Not even a little. Nope. Dev had hooked her at Hello . Luke poured the petite dark-haired beauty a coffee. “What can I do for you, Chloe?”
She glanced toward the Brodys, Adam in particular, then leaned in to Luke and lowered her voice. “Rocky’s in New York.”
“I know.”
“Devlin asked Jayce to look after her.”
“Not surprised.”
Another side-glance at Adam. “Jayce is moving back to Sugar Creek.”
Luke lowered his voice as well. Unbeknownst to everyone in town aside from Luke, Chloe, and her friend Monica, Adam and Rocky had had a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Jayce had recently rocked that clandestine boat, and now he was moving home? “That’s news.” Considering Jayce operated a highly successful business in New York and considering his and Rocky’s ancient secret, Luke was shocked. “You sure about that?”
Chloe nodded. “Jayce called Devlin this morning. Asked him to keep it quiet for now, only Devlin told me, thinking I’d keep it quiet, which I will, except for you.” She sipped java and eyed him over the rim. “What are we going to do, Luke? Don’t look at me like that. I know you know.”
Three weeks ago during a monumental funk, Rocky had confessed two things to Luke. One: She’d been hooking up with Adam for weeks. Yeah, man, that had been a real blower, but not nearly as shocking as Two: Thirteen years prior, Rocky had lost her virginity to Jayce
“I don’t.”
“That it’s your way of keeping things casual.”
“It is.”
Lizzie bolstered her shoulders, nabbed her wineglass. “So it’s true. You’re serious about Bridget.”
“No—”
She tossed her drink in his face. “We’re through, Luke Monroe.” Sliding her cute butt off the stool, she flipped him the bird, then left.
“Damn.” Luke toweled wine from his face and shirt, rinsed his hands, and dragged damp fingers through his now sticky hair. He’d assumed trouble loomed but didn’t anticipate the clichéd drink baptismal. He glanced to the end of the bar where the Brody brothers (Sugar Shack regulars and two of Luke’s sports buddies) nursed beers while watching ESPN on one of two plasma screens hanging over the bar. Only Adam and Kane weren’t watching sports. Or at least not the televised kind. Luke shrugged. “At least you two were the only ones to witness that unfortunate display.”
Adam raised a brow.
Kane pointed.
Luke turned. Oh, hell. “What are you doing here, Connie?”
“Nell asked me to trade shifts.”
He knew that look. “Been standing there long?”
“Long enough.”
Damn.
She unclipped her name badge and tossed it on the bar.
His best waitress. Shit. “I can explain.”
Connie waved him off and walked out.
“Oh, for Christ’s…”
Kane laughed.
Adam, who’d been on the glum side lately, crooked a grin.
Luke gave them the finger, which only hiked their amusement.
Just then Chloe, his big brother’s sweet-faced, sexy-as-hell girlfriend, strode in. “What’s so funny?” she asked, taking Lizzie’s former seat.
Luke shot a lethal glance at his smirking buds. “Two of my girlfriends just broke off with me in the space of a minute.”
“Fail to see the humor.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Except given your wet hair and the splotches on your T-shirt…” She glanced at Lizzie’s empty wineglass. “I suppose at least one of the showdowns might have been comical.”
“Hilarious.” Luckily, he had a supply of clean shirts in his office.
“So now you’re down to what? One steady girl?” Chloe asked with a teasing gleam in her eye. “How awful.”
“Annoying, considering I now have to break off with Bridget, which means I’ll be down to no steady girls.”
“Why…” Chloe raised a hand. “Never mind. I’m sure there’s a method to your philandering madness.”
“There is.”
“Of course there is.”
Chloe Madison. A fairly new addition to Sugar Creek. A woman he’d never been able to charm. Not even a little. Nope. Dev had hooked her at Hello . Luke poured the petite dark-haired beauty a coffee. “What can I do for you, Chloe?”
She glanced toward the Brodys, Adam in particular, then leaned in to Luke and lowered her voice. “Rocky’s in New York.”
“I know.”
“Devlin asked Jayce to look after her.”
“Not surprised.”
Another side-glance at Adam. “Jayce is moving back to Sugar Creek.”
Luke lowered his voice as well. Unbeknownst to everyone in town aside from Luke, Chloe, and her friend Monica, Adam and Rocky had had a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Jayce had recently rocked that clandestine boat, and now he was moving home? “That’s news.” Considering Jayce operated a highly successful business in New York and considering his and Rocky’s ancient secret, Luke was shocked. “You sure about that?”
Chloe nodded. “Jayce called Devlin this morning. Asked him to keep it quiet for now, only Devlin told me, thinking I’d keep it quiet, which I will, except for you.” She sipped java and eyed him over the rim. “What are we going to do, Luke? Don’t look at me like that. I know you know.”
Three weeks ago during a monumental funk, Rocky had confessed two things to Luke. One: She’d been hooking up with Adam for weeks. Yeah, man, that had been a real blower, but not nearly as shocking as Two: Thirteen years prior, Rocky had lost her virginity to Jayce
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