Page 68 of A Little Harmless Pleasure

Her laughter pulled him out of his thoughts. He glanced over and growled. He had never been possessive when it came to women. He didn’t believe in being in relationships with women if he couldn’t trust them. Still, there was something about this moment that was getting to him.

“Then what?” Evan asked. Chris looked at his friend and realized that he was being serious.

He opened his mouth twice before he finally answered his friend. “I don’t like Drew.”

Oh, Jesus, he sounded like a five-year-old. If he wasn’t careful, he would end up stomping his foot.

“Franklin?” Evan shook his head. “He’s harmless.”

Chris twitched when Cynthia laughed again.

“She’s just trying to get a good deal with him, and I have a feeling it won’t be a problem.”

“Why do you say that?”

Evan shook his head. “She drives a hard bargain, and Drew…he’s smitten. She will use it to her advantage. At least within reason.”

“Within reason?”

“Yeah. She can be a ball buster, but she has a soft heart. Better take care of it.” Again, Evan was being damned serious. It wasn’t like him to speak so plainly about emotions.

“I will.”

Evan glanced around the restaurant. He was so damned obvious when he was looking for Maylea.

“She’s not here.”

“What?” Evan’s voice had turned absentminded.

“Maylea. She’s not here.”

Evan turned back around and zeroed in on Chris. “On a Thursday?”

Yeah, they weren’t his busiest nights, but Thursdays could get hairy, especially with that feature on social media today. May had requested an early night, and she never did that.

“She had a date.”

Evan stilled. “A date?”

“Yes. She’s a grown woman who dates.”

Disbelief sat on Evan’s face. Chris inwardly shook his head. Evan wanted May. Chris knew it without a doubt, but there were things that kept Evan from taking the next step. There were many dark things in his past, and while Evan had made a life for himself, he still hadn’t accepted that what happened when he was a kid wasn’t his fault. Chris had a feeling that his friend didn’t think he was good enough for a woman like May.

“Who is she dating?”

Chris shrugged. “One of the weather guys or something. Not sure which one. Her father set them up a few weeks ago and, apparently, they hit it off.”

Evan muttered something under his breath. Before Chris could ask him just what he said, Cynthia stepped up behind the bar and slipped her arm around his waist.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Just stuff.” He realized Drew wasn’t around. “What happened to Franklin?”

“Oh, he’s Franklin now?” He heard the amusement in her voice.

“Yeah, he was over here tossing you and the boy dirty looks,” Evan said.

“Shut it, Chambers. Or maybe I can talk about Maylea’s date again.”

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