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I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to do anything illegal.”
“Z, I already know you cut the power to Eric’s restaurant.”
“What? I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“You don’t have to pretend. I saw Eric at the Steaming Mug this morning. He told me.”
“There was nothing illegal about it. I had his full cooperation.”
She sighed. “He did laugh about it, but that’s the problem. He shouldn’t be encouraging you.”
“He was just helping a guy out. He knows where his loyalty lies and it isn’t with some rich out-of-towner.”
“My loyalty isn’t with him, either.”
“That’s not what I meant. Besides, I know you’re secretly rooting for me to win. And if you’re not, you should be. There’s something off about that guy.”
“Of course you think that. You also think you’re in love with the woman he’s dating.”
I groaned in frustration. “I am in love with her, and they’re not dating. They’ve been on like two and a half dates. But that’s not it. My gut tells me there’s something shady going on.”
“Z, what are you talking about?”
I hated it when she talked to me like I was one of her kids. I mean, I understood why, but I still didn’t like it. “I don’t know, I just don’t trust him.”
“I guess I can’t defend him when I’ve never met him. But I trust Marigold and she really likes him.”
I gagged a little. “Yeah, I get it. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Z. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I ended the call. Ask Garrett first? Right. I’m sure my robot brother would be a big help. She might as well have told me to talk to Dad.
But that did get me thinking. When I’d told my cousin Eric I wanted to cut the power to his restaurant to mess with Marigold’s date, he hadn’t hesitated. He wasn’t a fan of some rich out-of-towner swooping in on one of our local girls. He’d been happy to help.
This was my town, damn it. Who else could I get to help me out?
Luke would have my back. So would Theo. Josiah might help if I bugged him enough, but he was busy. I’d call him in as backup if necessary.
And there was one other guy who came to mind. I didn’t know if he’d help me, but this stuff was right up his alley.
One way to find out.
I drove home and made some calls. Then cleaned up a bit and headed to the Timberbeast.
Luke and Theo were already there when I arrived. Luke’s light brown hair was a little longer than usual, practically brushing the neckline of his black t-shirt. Theo’s faded blue hoodie and shorts made him look like he was ready to step out onto the football field and coach. He and I had always looked a lot alike—he was bigger than me, but we had the same blue eyes and square jaw. We got the eyes from our mom. The jawline was one of the only good things our biological father had given us.
I grabbed three beers from Rocco at the bar—the least I could do for my brothers for showing up—and brought them to the table.
“What kind of emergency is this?” Theo asked as I took my seat.
“The most important kind.” My tone was grave. “A love emergency.”
“I told you he was fucking with us,” Luke said.
Theo took a sip of his beer. “Figures.”
