Page 51 of Black Roses

“I’m telling you, they weren’t scallops,” Griffin says. “It was shark meat.”

“Well, what the hell is the difference?” Gavin asks. “And who the hell really cares?”

Griffin shakes his head. “Oh Lord, don’t let my future wife hear you say that. It must be nice to be married to a romance author instead of a restaurant manager. I never hear the end of it. I don’t even like to go out to dinner with her unless we go to a five-star restaurant. It’s like being engaged to a goddamn food critic. I haven’t been with Skylar all that long, but believe me when I say I know the difference between a scallop and shark meat. I know it nauseatingly well.”

I laugh at his comment and they both turn to me. Griffin leans in so only Gavin and I can hear. “Hey, Dix, glad you could tear your eyes away from my fiancée’s sister’s chest long enough to give us the time of day.”

“What?” I feign ignorance and they simultaneously raise their eyebrows at me. “Shit. Was I that obvious?”

“Does this mean you’re a thing?” Griffin asks. “I mean, it’d be nice to know I didn’t put off marrying the mother of my child for nothing.”

My mouth drops open. “Youwhat?”I glance over at the girls to make sure they aren’t listening. “You mean to tell me you postponed your wedding to get us together?”

Griffin gives me a pointed stare and nods his head.

“Holy crap,” I say. “So the dress excuse, and the church—”

“All a sham,” he says. “The dress was delivered the day before we postponed.” He nods to Skylar. “It was all her idea. I want to marry her yesterday. But when Piper came home from your first date, it was like meeting an entirely new person. I’m telling you, the girl was walking on air. It took Skylar all of five seconds to pick up the phone and start moving the date.”

“That’s fucking huge, man,” I say, reaching over to shake his hand. “And it’s probably one of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me.”

He shrugs. “Hey, it was the least I could do after you set me straight and dragged my ass back from Miami.”

“So we’re even now.” I smile, giving him an appreciative pat on the back. “But seriously, thanks, man.”

“You two pussies gonna hug, or can we order some more drinks?” Gavin teases.

Griffin waves a hand to get the attention of the women sitting opposite us at the table. “You ladies ready for another?”

Piper quickly stands up. “I’ll get them.”

Baylor tries to pull her back down. “Isn’t that what waitresses are for? Sit down, little sister.”

“I just don’t want to wait,” she says. “Everyone good with the same?”

The others all nod and then I get up to help her. It’s the third time she’s gone up to the bar to order. I wonder if it’s because she doesn’t want me to pay. I’ve paid for our dinners without her putting up much of a fight, so I’m a little confused by this behavior. Maybe she’s changed her mind after what transpired last week. I thought it turned out okay. I mean, yeah, she started to have a panic attack, but it never escalated. We connected. She felt something. I’d bet my life on it. She couldn’t have faked that kiss. Those noises.

Shit!My pants are getting tight again.

Back at the table, we are distributing drinks when someone comes up behind me, cupping their hands over my eyes. “Guess who?” the sultry voice asks.

I know the voice. It’s the same one that pops up on my voicemail almost weekly, asking when I’m going to take her out. “If I guess wrong, will you have me fired?” I joke, reaching up to remove her hands from my eyes so I can see Piper’s reaction.

Her eyes flash to the floor and I see a wave of sadness cross her face. But she recovers quickly when she notices me staring. She plants on a smile then sips her drink. A nod of her chin, along with a raised brow, tells me I should acknowledge the person standing behind me.

I turn around and Janice Greyson pulls me into a breast-crushing hug. “Thank God someone interesting showed up. My dad has me entertaining a group ofthemost boring executives. I think I might slit my wrists before the night is out.”

In my periphery, I see Piper’s jaw drop. I look Janice in the eyes. “You’re not very observant are you?” I ask.

How many times have Janice and I been at the same functions? How many times does she come out to the field and stare at me during drills? And all that time, she never noticed my scar.Everyonenotices my scar eventually. Unbelievable.

“What?” she asks, feeling around her mouth. “Do I have something on my face?” She gets a small compact out of her clutch.

“No. It’s nothing. Forget it.”

“Oh, well, in that case, how about you take the boss’s daughter for a dance and save me from the geriatric brigade.” She sneaks a peek at herself in the tiny mirror, smoothing the hair on the side of her head, before placing it back into her purse.

“Sorry, Janice. My dance card is full tonight.”

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