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“I understand.”
“But I promise to stay on it.”
“Thanks so much, Duke.”
“I love it when you say my name,” he said as he watched Garrett.
“Stop it, or I’ll tell Seth.”
“Seth?” Duke’s brows furrowed.
“I might not be able to kick your ass on my own, but the two of us can take you and leave you crying in the dirt. Don’t forget it.”
They shook hands. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then he winked at Jessica.
“You’re all goofy,” she said under her breath loud enough for the two men to hear her.
Garrett slung his arm around her possessively and they exited the sheriff’s office.
“Am I really your girl?”
“Yes. Well, technically, you’re our girl. Seth’s my best friend and we’ve shared for a long time. We like it that way. I want everyone to know you’re spoken for. Especially Duke.”
Jessica snuggled closer. “I love being your girl.” And I love you.
However, she didn’t dare say the words out loud. She might spook him.
* * * *
Seth entered the restaurant at a fast clip, knowing he was once again running behind schedule. Tardiness had been his perpetual foe during the construction phase of this, his new hotel venture at Old West Town. And it wasn’t like him.
Most recently, he’d been late, the evening they first met Jessica and now their first dinner together tonight. Seriously, he never used to be late for anything. Punctuality used to be his middle name.
The past several months during this pet project, he’d found himself lost in the minutia of every detail and aspect. He’d loved every second of creating an unusual yet comfortable place for people to spend the night when they were away from home. A home away from home, used to be his former hotel’s motto.
When he’d owned his previous chain of exclusive, boutique hotels, he’d enjoyed the rush of having created a successful business every single day. He’d given up that passionate joy to spend more time with Gina. He’d sold it off, not even worrying that if he’d waited he could have gotten more money. Gina didn’t like his eighty-plus-hour work weeks, or Garrett’s even longer hours as a prominent prosecutor. So they’d each given up careers they’d loved for the woman they’d loved. They hadn’t regretted the loss until discovering she’d betrayed them.
Even though Seth loved the project, now that Jessica was a part of their lives, she took precedence once she crossed his mind. He’d be chest deep in some report and suddenly the sound she made when she came would roar into his head like a freight train.
The thought would exit as quickly as it arrived, but then the reports would blur in front of his eyes. His mind would wander around the idea of what a future relationship might look like with Jessica.
Would he give up his new passion project if she asked? Given his track record, he hoped she wouldn’t. He wasn’t certain what his answer would be.
Seth walked past the restaurant’s host and his official podium. He grinned and nodded once. The host nodded once in response and also smiled. Seth quickly headed for their regular table in the back corner.
“Glad you could make it,” Garrett said as if he expected Seth to have begged off. Which was fair. He’d done it more than once in the past several months.
“Dinner is an important meal to me.” Seth seated himself in the half-moon-shaped booth. Now Jessica was sandwiched between them. The scent of a recently showered woman turned him on, as pretty much everything she did turned him on.
“Have you ordered yet?”
“Only our drinks,” Garrett said easily. He held up a glass of wine. Probably some pricy merlot. Seth could tell he was also hiding something by the way he didn’t look Seth in the eyes. Had they been late, as well?
“Good. Let me catch up.” He signaled the waiter to bring him a glass of whatever Garrett was drinking.
“I see. How long have you two been here?”
Garrett promptly looked away and took a deep drink of his wine.
Jessica answered without guile, “Only ten minutes. We were late too because we stopped at Duke’s office. He found a lead in who might have taken my car.”
