Page 72 of For the Birds

Joe handed a cup to Neely Kate, then wandered over to my desk and handed one to me. “A peace offering.”

“Oh!” Neely Kate gushed. “I want to hear the details of what promptedthis!”

Joe took out the last cup and set the empty tray on Neely Kate’s desk. He squatted to rub Muffy’s head, his gaze squarely on her, and said, “Based on the conversation I walked in on, I thought you two were discussing Rose’sdate.”

Neither of us said anything. No reason to open that kettle of worms.

“You were sayin’ something about a peace offerin’,” Neely Kate prodded.

“Uh, yeah.” Joe stood and turned toward me, and Muffy pranced over to her dog bed under my desk. “I want to apologize for my behavior last night. I have no idea why I got so antagonistic, especially since I had a great time with Dena.” He grinned.

“Oh, my word!” Neely Kate said. “You slept with her already.”

“So?” Joe asked, looking guilty despite his protest. “We’re consenting adults, and it had been a while for both ofus.”

Neely Kate stuck her fingers in her ears and began to hum off-key. “I don’t want to hear about my brother’s sexlife.”

Joe laughed. “Fair enough. But I plan on seeing her again, so that might tell you something about how my eveningwent.”

Neely Kate gave me a sideways glance, appraising my reaction, but I gave her a tiny smile. Sure, our encounter at the fair had been a little weird, but the thought of Joe dating Dena didn’t bother me. If anything, it made me feel happy forhim.

Joe gave me a strange look. “I take it you spent the night with Levi, but I’m a little surprised you didn’t go home to change.” His gaze landed on the Harley-Davidson logo on my black T-shirt, something Levi probably wouldn’t be prone to wearing. I crossed my hands over my chest on impulse.

Neely Kate reached under her desk and pulled out a small bag. “Here yougo.”

I got up and snagged it from her before heading back to the small bathroom. Neely Kate had packed me another dress, which surprised me. It was nothing like my typical work uniform, but then again, I only had that handful of consultation appointments on my schedule. Maybe she’d picked the dress because we were investigating . . . or maybe she was trying to set me up with Levi again.

Levi.

We definitely hadn’t been exclusive, but it seemed beyond tacky to go on a date with one man and then spend most of the night fornicating with another. Of course, most people didn’t get held hostage by two different bad guys between dates either . . . not that I was going to allow myself that excuse. While there would be no repeat performance, I was in love with James Malcolm. The thought of going out with Levi to make myself forget James didn’t sit right. I’d been stringing him along for three weeks, and look where it had gotten me. So I’d gone from two men tonone.

I had the worst luck atlove.

Neely Kate had included my makeup bag. Since I usually wore very little, it only took me five minutes to apply a little bit of makeup and to French braid my barely damphair.

To my surprise, Joe was still telling Neely Kate about his date. He was sitting on her desk with Muffy curled up on hislap.

“We’re goin’ out again on Thursday night,” Joe said. His gaze lifted to me as though testing meout.

“That’s great Joe,” I said. “I’m happy for you. Truly.”

His head bobbed forward and a look of acceptance covered his face. “And I’m happy for you andLevi.”

If only it were Levi who’d stolen my heart . . . I’d certainly have a lot fewer problems. But I couldn’t tell him any of that, so all I said was thanks.

“You still playin’ bingo tonight?” Joe asked his sister.

“It’s Tuesday night. Granny’s got bells on. Literally. She heard tiny bells would make her lucky, so she’s sewn them into her underwear.”

Joe started to laugh.

“You should come,” Neely Kate teased. “You’ll be a hit with all the ladies.”

A sly grin spread across his face. “I think I’ll stick with the one I went out with last night. Which reminds me.” He turned to face me. “I’d like to apologize to Levi for acting like an asshole.”

I shook my head. “Oh, that’s not necessary.”

“Yeah. It is,” Joe said. “Levi’s new to town, and I tried to intimidate the crap out of him. His office is just out of city limits, which means he uses the sheriff’s department. I don’t want him to be worried about calling if he has a problem.”

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