Page 15 of The Fixer

She gave him a roll of her overly made-up eyes. “No, you know what I want.”

Unfortunately, he did. “Not sure I do, but either way, I gotta take care of your boss.”

Neve seemed to realize Lauren was behind her, and she swiveled on her stool. “I have dibs, Lauren.”End of discussion.

Charlie nearly barked a laugh.

He found Noah at the end of the bar and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m out, bro.”

“Let me give you your tips.” Noah counted out a stack of bills into Charlie’s hand.

Charlie thanked him and immediately tracked down Dixie. She raised a russet eyebrow. “What’s on your mind, handsome?”

He turned her palm up and pressed the bills into it. “Didn’t want you getting shorted because of me.”

“I was joking.”

“Too late.” He bent to kiss the top of her head, thought better of it when he didn’t see a clear path through her hair-sprayed strands, and kissed her cheek instead. “Night, gorgeous.”

He spun, leaving Dixie to shake her head in his wake as he made his way back behind the bar. Joy’s and Micky’s heads were bent together in serious conversation. He jerked his head at Neve. “Let’s go.”

Her eyes widened with fake innocence. “Go where?”

“I’m taking you home, remember?”

She leaned across the bar, and a naughty gleam lit her eyes. “Yeah? And what are you going to do to me when you get me there, Charlie?”

“Only one way to find out. Come on, sweetheart.”

This was a game he and Neve were comfortable playing, but as he hustled her toward the front door, she leaned into him. “I hope I didn’t go too far. I was trying to throw Lauren off your scent.”

“When it comes to her,” he whispered back, “I don’t know if anything will throw her off the scent short of me getting it on with someone else right in front of her.”

“Which you would never do because that would be cruel.”

“Which I would never do because I’m also not an exhibitionist.”

Neve elbowed him in the ribs. “What about that one time—”

“Come on! That was high school. Can we let it go?”

“You mean like you ‘let it go’ under the bleachers with that cheerleader?” Neve cackled.

“I hate you.”

“Maybe, but you need to be nice to me because your dogs love me.”

“Maybe it’s time we switched to the clinic in Ridgway. I’m gonna talk it over with them.”

She swatted his chest, and he burst out with a laugh. Outside on the sidewalk, he felt eyes on him, and he turned and looked through the window at the people lining the bar. They either faced each other or away from him. All of them except Joy Holiday, who watched him as if appraising him, and he couldn’t help but wonder how much she’d overheard and whatherimpression of him might be. It shouldn’t have mattered, but it kinda did.

Chapter 5

The Rules

Joy awoke in afog, her head pulsing with pain and her mouth as dry as a packet of silica gel. How much wine had she put away last night, anyway?Toomuch. Wine was usually something she saved for business dinners, and she never had more than two glasses. One before, as people and conversations warmed up, and one during, so her dinner companions believed she was keeping up with them. She would nurse the hell out of that last glass, rarely finishing it.

Always remain in control.

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