Page 99 of Average Joe

Joe pulled off his T-shirt in that sexy way only men can do and jogged across the street to join the other shirtless boys.

Lilly appeared at the back door of Pink Sweets. “I swear, boss, I had no idea Marco was in on this. I just found out and, believe me, that man will be sleeping on the patio for the foreseeable future.”

“Marco? What do you mean?” I rubbed my aching temples. “I’m so confused right now.”

“Marco. Joe.” Her volume rose. “A couple of Joe’s buddies. They partnered on this bullshit.” She waved her hand in the direction of Average Joe. “I swear to the good Lord above, if that asshole thinks he can spy on me…” Lilly’s rant trailed off, her face turned a shade of red I’d never seen, and she curled her lips between her teeth, shaking her head and fighting tears.

Spy? Marco was protective, but he’d never crossed a line.

A million questions bubbled in my head, but two cars pulled into our lot, and Lilly headed inside.

Bruce whined. I ignored the rising irritation and shot one more glare in Joe’s direction before slinking back into my car and heading home.

Joe

“You’ve been quiet today.” Frank slammed the locker door shut. “Neighbor lady still mad?”

“Haven’t heard from her.” Three days had passed. Ginger and I missed the hell outta Bruce and Marley. I’d almost crawled to her door last night and begged her to come to bed with me, even just to sleep, but I’d made a dirty play by keeping Average Joe a secret, and the ball was in her court.

Frank shoved his trainers inside his duffle and checked his face in the mirror before following me out of the locker room. “Those guys you hired are great, by the way. Cyn drove through, gave them hell, and they handled her like a princess.”

“Yeah?” I shoved through the exit and headed toward my bike. “They better be great. We’re paying them too much to fuck up.”

“Gotta admit”—he laughed, matching me stride for stride across the parking lot—“wasn’t sure this idea was gonna play in our favor, but shit, the guys stayed almost an hour over closing time last night. There was an endless parade of horny housewives driving through.” He tossed his bag into his truck bed. “I’m just worried the novelty will wear off, and in a few months, you’ll have to shut down.”

That’d been a concern, but I tried to assure him that we hadn’t made a mistake. “Sex sells, brother.” I clapped his shoulder. “And we’re in Seattle. Coffee is everything.”

“Do you even like making coffee? I mean, it’s a far cry from being a cop.”

True. Though a million times better than sorting people’s trash.

“I like being my own boss.” Bonus? The view across the street was every man’s fantasy. Plus, the shop was mine. I waited for two women to pass before saying, “And the business is legit.”

Frank held my gaze and nodded in understanding. The Kaine genes were defective, and he’d watched me struggle to stay on the straight and narrow for too many years.

Our silent communication teetered on uncomfortable before Frank broke the tension and said, “And let’s not forget the most important thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re doing it to impress the woman you love.”

Love? Hmm… Hadn’t considered my stake in staying close to Marley, pushing her buttons, proving her wrong about what I was capable of accomplishing. But, hey, the shoe seemed to fit. I ached when she wasn’t with me. And regardless of whether we fucked or fought, my soul calmed when she was in eyesight. I hadn’t taken time to consider what that meant but, yeah, Frank was right, so I didn’t argue.

Instead, I asked, “Any luck with that license plate?”

Frank shook his head. “The guy has a clean record. Not even a parking ticket.”

“Nothing, huh?” Not good enough. “Sure you can’t give me a name?”

Frank gnawed his lip, looked over my shoulder, fighting an inner battle. “You know damn well I can’t tell you that his name is Logan Shaw.”

God bless Frank Garcia. I played along, shrugging. “Can’t blame a guy for trying. I have a bad feeling about that man.”

“You know I’ve always got your back. I’ll look deeper into this guy if it eases your mind.” Frank rounded his truck and shouted over the hood, “Just stay away from him in the meantime.”

I waved in agreement.

Staying away wouldn’t be a problem as long as that creep did nothing more than buy coffee from my girl. Seriously, how dangerous could the guy be? He drove a Prius, for fuck’s sake.

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