Page 18 of Skin Deep

“You’ve been scowling for days.” Meg rolled her eyes. “I used to change your diapers, kid. Come on. Fess up.”

“It’s just work stuff.” Amy smiled stiffly and made a big show out of shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. “Not a big deal.”

“If you say so,” Meg replied dubiously before waving at John once again. “What is taking him so long?”

Amy peeled a thin strip off the label on her beer bottle as Meg waved like an air traffic controller to get her fiancé to come back to the table. She hadn’t lied to Meg; it was a work issue that had her down. At least that’s what she kept telling herself.

She actually didn’t care that much about what the other vendors in the shopping plaza thought about her. She may not have looked like a stereotypical businessperson, but she was shrewd. She knew her value as a business, and she didn’t give a flying fruitcake about that petition. If she was evicted for not fitting in, which was obtusespeak for being covered in tattoos, then she’d go to the media and raise holy hell.

What she did care about, even though she really didn’t want to? The fact that Fred had been the one in charge of delivering her that eviction notice. No, not even that...the fact that he’d hidden it from her. If he’d told her up front, she was pretty sure that they would have wound up in bed together anyway—that was how strong the pull between them was. But he hadn’t, and it had...well, it had hurt her feelings.

She never got hurt feelings. She and Fred had a history, however. Even though it had only been one night, it had held meaning for her.

Apparently it hadn’t meant nearly as much to him, yet she couldn’t bring herself to shake it off and move on. Which was why she was sitting in a bar she didn’t want to be in, with a sister who was torturing her for being moody.

As her sister’s fiancé finally made his way over to the table, she sneaked a look at her phone to check the time, wondering how quickly she could make an excuse and go home.

“Lucky us, getting the prettiest women in the club.” John grinned while he juggled the drinks in his arms. He set a fresh bottle of beer in front of Amy, and she barely held back the wince as she tacked another half hour onto her time estimate.

John slid into the seat nearest Meg and greeted his fiancée with a hand threaded through her hair and a deep kiss.

“Don’t mind me,” Amy said dryly. The couple continued greeting each other as though she wasn’t even there. Focusing her attention on her phone, she started a new game of Candy Crush, wondering if the couple’s utter absorption in each other meant she could subtract that half hour back off the time estimate.

A few more minutes of the smooching, and she was done. Meg and John broke apart as she slid out of the booth and got to her feet, stuffing her phone in her pocket.

“Don’t leave before you say hi to Theo,” John requested, lifting her bottle of beer and frowning when he found it full.

“Theo’s here?” Amy looked out across the bar, craning her neck until she saw him. Her sister Jo’s live-in boyfriend, and the man she considered the closest thing to an actual brother, was leaning against the bar, holding court in a group conversation.

“He’ll be over in a sec,” John added as he ran a hand down Meg’s bare arm. “He ran into some guys he was friends with in college.”

“Maybe you’ll wipe that scowl off your face and find one to converse with,” Meg suggested pointedly. “Some company might brighten your current dour outlook on life.”

“Maybe any man I’d be interested in talking to will appreciate my scowl,” Amy replied brightly. Brushing her blond curls out of her face—she should really consider going back to dreads—she leaned back into the booth to grab her small purse. When she straightened back up again, Theo was crossing the room toward their table, and he wasn’t alone.

Amy sucked in a deep breath when she saw the men who accompanied Theo. Incredibly tall, well over six feet, with coppery hair and a lanky build.

No. No way.

Then the men were at the table. Theo gathered her in a familiar hug as she frantically tried to compose herself, looking upward into the face of the cause of her angst.

Their eyes met, and damn it, there was that little tug in her gut. Her body didn’t seem to care that she was upset with him.

“Jo, this is Fred Vaughan.” Theo released her and gestured toward his friend. “I just put two and two together, but his family owns the shopping plaza where your shop is. Small world!”

“Right.” Her brain was telling her to play it cool, but the rest of her wasn’t listening. She narrowed her eyes at Fred and crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you doing here?”

“Frank dragged me out for a drink.” He slid his hands into his pockets. He didn’t look all that thrilled to see her, either, which had her temper sparking. What had she done, besides giving him crazy good sex?

“Fred and his brother are friends from college.” Theo clapped the taller man on the back, grinning widely. Amy could tell that Jo’s fiancé had clearly had a drink or three already. “Haven’t seen them in years. How cool is this?”

“Uh-huh.” Amy could feel Meg’s eyes on her, assessing, and struggled not to grind her teeth together. “Where’s Jo?”

Her sister Jo had a limited tolerance for the bar scene. A limited tolerance for people, really. If she was here, then they could escape together.

“She’s working. On deadline.” Theo grinned sheepishly—his significant other worked for him. “Before you get pissed, she’s the one imposing the all-nighter, not me. Says she won’t have anyone accusing her of sleeping with the boss to get ahead.”

“Speaking of getting ahead...” She deliberately turned toward Meg and John, putting her back to Fred as she spoke. “I have a full slate tomorrow. I should get going.”

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