Dan opened the refrigerator and pulled out eggs and sausage. “Glad I found you. Bear asked me to keep an eye on you while he’s gone.”
“Oh, so he’s not here?” I looked around the kitchen, stupidly hoping Dan was wrong and Bear would pop out of the pantry.
Dan shook his head. “No, he’s got some business out of state.”
“Out of state?”
My brain short circuited as I tried to comprehend what I was hearing. All those things he’d said about wanting to be with me, but then he up and left the freaking state without saying anything?
“And how long are you supposed to keep an eye on me?” I swallowed and masked my face into a neutral position. This was a shorter honeymoon period than I was used to. Usually families enjoyed having me around for a few weeks, or at least until they got their first couple checks. Or maybe I was overreacting and he was just running to Virginia and back. Maybe he had to pick something up and would be back in time for dinner.
Dan shrugged. “Couple days, not more than a week or two.”
Jordan put a pan on the stove and turned it on while Dan grabbed a bowl and a whisk.
My heart sank. Right. I was no expert in relationships, but I was fairly certain you didn’t leave your new girlfriend for a week and not say goodbye.
“Oh, well I’m not sure why he would ask you to keep an eye on me, but don’t worry about it.” It was an odd thing for him to ask of Dan. Was he worried his new toy would hook up with someone else while he was gone?Jerk.
Dan scanned the room, checking that it was empty. His voice lowered. “Lex, we’re still not sure who stabbed Tracker.”
Of course. Until they figured that out, everyone was a suspect, including me. I sighed, cursing my stupidity. Bear had come back to his room to find a girl in his bed. Of course he’d want to hook up with her. He was a man. And I’d played right into it. My hands tightened into fists. I needed a distraction before I screamed and made an even bigger fool of myself.
“Shit, that’s hot!” Dan swore as he jerked his hand from the stove.
“Let me guess, making breakfast for the brothers is part of your prospect duties?”
Dan grinned. “I always knew you were a smart one.”
“Want some help?” Cooking was the perfect distraction, and I could handle my heartbreak better with a full stomach.
Jordan nodded. “Desperately.”
Dan narrowed his eyes. “Dude, she’s a guest. She can’t be doing prospect jobs.”
I shook my head. “I’m not a guest. I’m the caterer.” Damn, that stung. Twelve hours ago, I was over the moon about being the caterer. Now, the word felt cold and sad.
“After saving Tracker and sleeping with Bear, well, I don’t know what you are, but you aren’t just the caterer anymore.”
Jordan whistled. “Get it, new girl.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and focused on pulling spices from the cupboard. “I didn’t sleep with Bear.”
“No?” Dan raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure you spent the night in his room.”
I sighed. “That doesn’t mean we—you know what, forget it. It’s none of your business. But right now I have nothing better to do, and I like my scrambled eggs fluffy and seasoned, so I’m taking over breakfast. You can help, or you can move on to one of yourother duties.” I might not be in control of anything else right now, but I could take charge of breakfast.
Dan rolled his eyes. “Fine. As long as the brothers know this was your idea and we didn’t ask you to do it.”
“Not a problem.” I knew they’d enjoyed the food last night, but that was a cook-out. I might have made a mistake with Bear, but given how loose they all were with women, I didn’t think they’d hold that against me. I still had a business to get off the ground, and I wasn’t about to give up a chance to show off more of my skills. I wasn’t sure what the bar manager position entailed, but I would make sure they knew I was the best person for the job.
I set Jordan to chopping up peppers and onions while I cracked the eggs and Dan kept an eye on the sausage.
“Speaking of Tracker, do you guys know how he’s doing?” I asked.
Dan nodded. “They had to take out his spleen, so he’ll be in the hospital for a while, but he’s okay for now.”
Jordan looked up from his vegetables. “Did you hear if he saw anything?”
