Page 26 of Theirs to Take

“Are you still stuck on that?” Alex asked. “I’ve already told you, little brother, a good lawyer solves the problem without having to go before a judge or jury.” Alex always called him, “Little Brother” when he thought that Rod had a lesson that he needed to learn.

“Got it,” Rod lied. He just wanted to get out of Alex’s office and get on with his day. He’d say whatever his big brother needed to hear to do that.

“You ready for your date with Evie tonight?” Alex asked.

“It’s more like just drinks,” Rod corrected. He just hadn’t told Evie that part yet. The woman thought that he was meeting her for dinner, but he didn’t want to blow his plan and come right out and tell her that he only wanted drinks and to cut out early. No, it was better that he’d stick to his ruse and pretend that something came up and he had to leave early. He’d apologize profusely and promise to call her to reschedule, but he wouldn’t.

“Does she know that it’s only drinks?” Alex asked.

Rod shrugged, “No clue, but what she knows and doesn’t know isn’t my concern,” he said.

“Listen, this woman is one of Nova’s best friends. She was there for my wife when she was going through one of the worst periods of her life. Don’t hurt her, man. If you don’t want to go out with her, come up with a reason to cancel, but don’t be an ass to her.”

Unfortunately, Nova didn’t feel the same way about the situation. “Your wife threatened to cut off my balls if I skipped out on this date, man. There is no way that I’m going to bailon Evie. I’ll show up, have a drink with her, and see how things go.” He knew exactly how they were going to go—he’d get an unexpected phone call from his buddy, Luke, and haul ass out of there.

“She’s a nice girl,” Alex said. “Just don’t hurt her, man.”

“Right,” Rod said. “Don’t fuck it up and don’t hurt her. Anything else?” he asked.

“Nope,” Alex said. He handed Rod the files from his desk and stood. “I’ve got to cut out for the morning. It’s parent’s day at Jack’s school and he’s asked Nova and me to be there.”

“That’s great, man,” Rod said. He knew how important being a stepdad was to his brother. He took his new responsibilities very seriously. “He’s a lucky little guy to have you both.”

“Thanks, Rod,” Alex said. “If anyone needs me, you have my cell number. But don’t need me,” he ordered.

Rod chuckled, “Right,” he agreed. “I’m sure that the ship won’t sink while the captain is away. Have fun, man,” he said. He walked Alex out to the private elevators and waved as the doors closed on him. When he was alone in the office, he’d often felt like a kid whose parents left him alone for the first time. It made him feel almost giddy like he wanted to jump on the beds and drink from the milk carton—but he didn’t have time for that kind of shit. No, he was going to contact his new clients and set up meetings with them. Then, he’d spend the day in boring arbitrations and hopefully have time to run home for a quick shower and change of clothes before he had to head out to meet Evie. He was going to do the exact opposite of what his brother had just ordered him to do. He was going to fuck things up, but he’d try not to hurt her. He never liked to do that to a woman, even if he was being forced to go out with her. He’d never intentionally hurt her.

Evie

Evie wasn’t sure how she had allowed her best friend to talk her into letting her set her up with Alex’s brother. Sure, Alex was the perfect man, but the chances of lightning striking twice and his brother being just as good-looking and sweet were close to zero. She had seen Rod at Nova and Alex’s wedding and she knew how handsome he was, but he didn’t seem to be as good-natured as his older brother. In fact, he seemed a bit standoffish at the wedding and she knew that she wouldn’t be interested in spending time with a man like that—good-looking or not.

She had never been very good with the whole dating thing. The fact that she was still a virgin at twenty-two screamed that to be true. She hated having to tell guys that she had never had sex. It was like she’d thrown a bucket of cold water on her date after her admission, and there was no coming back from that. Evie didn’t have to tell them, but by the third or fourth date, the guy was expecting more than a kiss goodnight and when she put a halt to his plans, they asked her why and she felt the need to tell them the truth. That was usually when her date would find an excuse to leave early and make every promise to call her toreschedule as soon as possible. It was a lie—they never called her again.

Now, she was sitting in a restaurant waiting for Rodrick McTavish to meet her for dinner and she felt like a high schooler again. “Evie Jones,” a deep voice asked. She turned around to look at the tall, dark, and extremely handsome man looking down at her. God, he looked so much like his brother, she felt as though she had hit the jackpot. The question now was if he was as sweet as Alex had turned out to be. He treated her best friend, Nova, like a princess and if she was being honest, a part of Evie wanted that too.

“I’m Evie Jones,” she said, standing from her seat, holding out her hand. He took it into his own and damn if she didn’t want to swoon.

“Good to meet you,” he said. “I’m Rod McTavish.”

“I figured you were. I noticed the family resemblance,” she admitted.

“Yeah,” he said. “Alex and I might be a few years apart in age, but we are often mistaken for the other. He likes to point out that he must look incredibly young if people think that he’s me. Drives me crazy, really, and he knows it.”

She giggled and took her seat again when he held it out for her. “I bet,” she said. “Your brother is funny though, most of the time,” she said.

“If you say so,” he grumbled. “I seem to find him a whole lot less funny than others do.”

“I get that,” she said. “I have a younger sister and people are always telling me how nice she is and how it must be so great to have her as a sister and I’m usually like, ‘Meh,’” she said. “I mean, you never think that your own siblings are as awesome as others do. It doesn’t help that she’s my mother’s favorite either.”

Rod chuckled and she loved how the dimples in the side of his cheek popped when he smiled at her. God, he was sexy. “Alex is everyone’s favorite, so I know just what you mean.”

The waitress stopped by their table and took their drink orders. She reluctantly ordered a glass of white wine when Rod ordered a bourbon neat. She didn’t want him to think she was a prude, but she had to hit the pavement tomorrow in search of a new job and she didn’t want even a hint of a hangover plaguing her.

“So,” she said, “first of all, thanks for meeting with me. I know that Nova can be a bit persistent when she wants to be. I wasn’t planning on going out on a date right now, but she insisted.”

“Yeah, my new sister-in-law can be a little pushy when she wants her way, but I don’t mind. I feel the same way about dating right now. I’ve just started at my brother’s law firm, and I really don’t have time for extracurriculars right now. I’m afraid that my life is pretty boring at this point, but it’s nice to get out for one night.” Ahh, so this was a one-night thing for him. Good to know—but Evie wouldn’t be anyone’s one-night fling.

“I understand,” she lied. She didn’t understand why he’d show up for a date that wouldn’t lead anywhere. There would be no promise of a second date. No, “I’ll call you soon,” or anything of the sort. Rod had met with her just to let her know that he wasn’t interested and that just plain sucked.

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