Page 11 of Wild Love

We drank, cheering and ribbing each other as we played. I loved nights like this. I worked hard and played hard. I was content. I didn't need anything else in my life.

I was sitting at a hightop table with Oliver when a flash of red caught my eyes. It was a woman playing darts in a red sweater and black jeans that hugged her ass. When she turned, I caught her face: Scarlett. What was she doing here?

I didn't want to alert Chance. So I excused myself and headed for the bathroom. She was with another woman, Marigold. Her childhood friend. I remembered her being at Chance's house a lot when we were kids.

When I approached, Marigold headed for the bathroom, and I changed course, stopping next to Scarlett. "What are you doing here?" I intended to ask a managerial question, likeHow are you enjoying your night?orCan I get you anything else?but instead my asshole side came out.

Her face screwed up as she turned to face me. "Playing darts with a friend."

I was conscious that my brothers and her brother weren't far away. I only had a few seconds to spend with her without arising suspicion, and it wasn't going well. "You having fun?"

"I was until you showed up." Her eyes were flashing with irritation, and I couldn't blame her.

"Can I get you another drink?" I looked for a table nearby with their drinks.

This time, fear flashed through her eyes. "I don't take drinks from anyone."

"That's smart," I said carefully. "But I'm your brother's friend."

Scarlett snorted. "I don't know you."

I inclined my head. "I'll send the bartender over with whatever you want tonight. Drinks on the house." I would have said on my tab, but I had a feeling she'd refuse.

Her eyes softened. "Thank you."

Out of my peripheral, I saw Marigold approach. I leaned in and whispered, "Have a good night."

I swear she trembled, but I might have been imagining things. I moved away to tell the bartender their tab was on me for the night. Then headed back to our pool table.

"You're up," Oliver said when I approached. He tipped his head in the direction of Marigold and Scarlett. "What was that about?"

"I put their order on my tab for the night." I stretched my neck, worried he'd know that I couldn't leave Scarlett alone.

Oliver raised a brow. "You're too generous."

Knowing Oliver was tight with money, I said, "I'm paying for it. Not the resort."

His shoulders lowered as he chalked the end of his pole. "Still."

"Is the resort having financial issues that I'm not aware of?" I asked him.

Oliver tended to freak out about money things that weren't actual issues. I chose to believe that money would always come in, and the resort would continue to be a success. Oliver was usually worried that something could change for the worse.

His brow furrowed; he was in full business mode. "We're at a plateau. If we want to increase revenue, we need the expansion."

"I'm working on it." Anytime you wanted to do construction, there was permits and contracting issues. I set up the balls in the triangle. "You break."

Oliver leaned over, eyeing the shot, then broke it at an angle. I focused on the game, but I was aware whenever Scarlett moved from the dart board area to the bar. Guys approachedthem, but Scarlett seemed to have a knack for sending them on their way. I wondered if she already had a boyfriend or she wasn't interested.

I shouldn't care what my best friend's sister was doing in my bar, but I did.

When Oliver sank my last ball, he clapped me on the shoulder. "You're distracted."

"Just thinking about the expansion. I'm anxious to get started."

Oliver nodded, and just like that I'd deflected him from my real issue—Scarlett St. Claire.

Xander won the tournament, and for once, I didn't care. My mind was on other things. Like why Chance was worried about Scarlett. What was really going on? I wondered if she'd tell me, a virtual stranger, if she wouldn't talk to her brother.

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