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What the fuck?“I am.”
“Yeah?” Quinn scowled at him. “If you’re serious, then why the hell are you on a date with another woman?”
Alarms blared in Joe’s head.Holy shit.
“No, no, no, man,” he said, gesturing toward the restaurant’s entrance. “This isnota date.”
“Really? You’re having dinner at Watermark with another woman.” Quinn shook his head, his impatience evident. “But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that the woman inside there?Shethinks you’re on a date. And she told Roxie exactly that when she came to the house looking for you earlier tonight. And you, asshole, told Roxie you were having a business dinner withCadeandGavintonight.”
Fuck. Shit. Fuuuck.Joe’s breath left in a whoosh, and he squeezed his eyes shut in self-disgust.
“It’s not like that,” he said, voice quiet but firm. His eyes flew open when Quinn scoffed. “I swear to you, man.”
“You’re talking to the wrong person, Buchanan.”
Growling, he scrubbed his hands over his face. This was the biggest clusterfuck ever. “Is Rox at the house?”
“Last I saw.”
He cringed at Quinn’s sharp tone. “She’s completely pissed, right?”
“Not that I saw.”
Ice crawled up Joe’s spine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means it was hard to tell how pissed she was since she was crying, you fucker.”
Joe’s stomach sank.Holy shit, no.
He had to see her. He had to explain to her what a colossal, fucked-up misunderstanding this was. Once he explained, surely she’d see how he wasnoton a date with Candie.
She had to.
Patting his pockets to make sure he had his keys, he left Quinn standing at the front of the restaurant and raced to his car. Minutes felt like hours, but he finally made it home. The downstairs lights were all on when he rushed through the front door.
“Rox?”
“She’s upstairs. She wanted to be alone.”
He jumped at the quiet voice, his gaze flying to Alex, who sat on the couch, a sleeping Annie snuggled against her chest.
He bolted up the stairs and came to an abrupt halt in front of Roxie’s closed door. For a split second, he hesitated. Then he knocked. “Rox?”
Silence.
Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob and peered into the dark room, careful to leave enough space to duck in case she threw—or swung—something at his head. “Roxanne?”
His skin prickled.Dammit. He flipped on the light switch, knowing what he’d find.
An empty bedroom.
He checked the remaining rooms on the second level, just to be sure, and came up empty.
“Alex,” he called, racing back down the stairs. “Rox isn’t here. Did she mention—”
“What do you mean Roxie isn’t here?” she asked, frowning.
“She’s not here. I’m going to check the café. Did she mention wanting to go anywhere?”
