Page 27
As she stepped outside and Flossie searched for the perfect place to relieve herself, Summer thought the wildest animal around might be her starved libido.
A little over an hour later, Summer found herself back at Old Glory. This time, however, she sat beside Lex at the big corner table, surrounded by his friends and their significant others. She held Flossie on her lap—who the women all cooed over—and tried not to fidget under all the curious looks. Like she was an oddity. If she had to guess, they weren’t used to Lex bringing a woman around. Especially one with a little fluffball.
Since it was still early, the bar was closed, giving them the opportunity to talk freely. Lex introduced her to the group, and she didn’t miss the looks they all kept exchanging. She wasn’t sure exactly what it meant, but she pasted a smile on and reached for a pastry Corey Emerson had made. She remembered him sitting up at the bar the first night Lex had approached her. There was no forgetting his brilliant arctic blue eyes, or the pretty blonde who’d been bartending and who Summer now knew was Sera, his wife.
“Cor, you need to open a bakery,” Wes said, stuffing half a Danish into his mouth. Weston Murphy sat beside his wife Ellie, who nodded enthusiastically. Summer noticed the prosthetic limb he wore below his knee and wondered what happened. It didn’t seem to slow him down, though. But the way he looked at Ellie? That was what hit her the most. Like Ellie was his sun, the biggest and brightest star in his galaxy. It made Summer’s heart clench.
No one had ever looked at her like that.
“Nah. Because then I’d have to pay rent and utilities on top of still giving you all free desserts. Kinda like Brand.”
Brandon Ward, the bar’s owner, sighed. Beside him, his fiancée’s lips twitched. Julia had the prettiest red hair streaked with gold, so bright and striking. Summer was willing to bet it was her natural color since a few silver strands were intertwined. “Pretty much. Although I’m willing to bet a donut is cheaper than a bottle of Macallan.”
“We don’t always open the good stuff.” Jayson Knight grabbed his wife Sabrina’s hand and leaned back in his chair with a smirk. Sabrina shook her head as she munched on a pastry, a knowing look on her pretty face.
“Just usually,” Chaz Madden added with a grin.
Summer remembered him sitting up at the bar, too. He’d been doting all of his attention on the other bartender—the petite woman now sitting next to him—whose name she remembered was Lottie. Summer had always been good with names, maybe because she’d always tried to be personal with her patients, striving to possess a good bedside manner. To help them feel seen and valued, especially during what was likely a stressful and scary time in their lives.
“Okay, Battle, fill us in,” the last man said, impatiently clapping his hands together. “I have to pick up some more crackers and ginger ale for Essie after this.”
Xander Hawke was an especially easy name for her to remember because it fit him so perfectly. He had a cunning look, always observing. A little mysterious and broody, and completely obsessed with his wife. Essie had stayed home, sidelined by a bout of morning sickness, and it was clear Xander wanted to get the meeting underway and head back home to her asap.
“I hated that.” Chaz turned toward Lottie, dropping an arm along the back of her chair. “Sometimes you had morning and evening sickness.”
“I swear, I thought I was going to puke Micah right up,” Lottie lamented, making everyone chuckle.
As Summer looked around the table, she thought they all made such striking couples, and she couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Lex. Yeah, we’d make a pretty good-looking couple, too. His sandy hair brushed the edge of his collar, and he immediately looked her way, feeling her eyes on him. He gave her a reassuring look. One that promised everything would be okay.
“Thanks for coming over,” Lex began, addressing his friends. Summer chewed on her lip as he proceeded to tell the group what had happened the night before. When he got to the part about her calling him and saying two men had broken into her house, Julia gasped.
“Oh, my God, that must’ve been terrifying,” she exclaimed, sending a concerned look Summer’s way.
Summer nodded. “They were so brazen, just lounging on my couch, waiting for me.” She shivered, running a hand over Flossie’s cream coat, and blinked back angry tears. “They threatened me and Flossie, saying they would be back.”
“And they’re looking for your ex?” Sabrina asked, leaning forward.
Summer exchanged a look with Lex. Earlier that morning while they were drinking their coffee, he’d revealed more about his encounter with the second set of intruders. Before his scuffle with one of them, the man had demanded to know where the container was.
“They said he has a container,” Lex said. “And they want it.”
“What kind of container?” Wes asked. “What’s in it?”
“I have no idea,” Summer murmured.
“Could be any number of things,” Brandon stated matter-of-factly. “He could’ve been transporting weapons, drugs, a body. Who the hell knows?”
“Summer said the first two men who broke in were rough-looking. One had a scorpion tat on the back of his hand and the other had an ace of spades on his cheekbone. The ones I dealt with wore expensive-looking suits. Definitely not your average pay-for-hire thugs.” Lex tapped a finger on the table. “We need to find Scott—” He turned to Summer. “What’s his last name?”
She cleared her throat, shifting in her seat. “Holt.” A surprised look flitted over Lex’s face before he quickly covered it.
Shit. At that moment, she wished more than anything she’d gone back to her maiden name. But she’d been so busy caring for her mom, filled with worries and responsibilities, and it hadn’t seemed very important at the time. Just another thing she’d added to her list of endless things to do once she could breathe.
“Scott Holt, originally from Rockland, Massachusetts.”
“Any idea where he’s living now?” Corey asked.
“Last I heard, Las Vegas.”
