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Who knew. Probably not.
But Uncle Arthur was sixty-five with high blood pressure. The guy deserved a break.
Heading inside, Zoe flicked on the lights and fired up the computer to check messages at the front desk. Sherry and Tania made their way to the kitchen. Absently, Zoe pulled up the volunteer schedule. It took its sweet time loading, so she called, “Any idea who’s serving tonight?”
As paid employees, Sherry and Tania were the backbone of the organization’s meal service, but they couldn’t pull off feeding fifty people a day without an equally dedicated crew of volunteers. Businesses, churches, and schools fielded teams that came out to make the magic happen every night.
Sherry and Tania must have been out of earshot. Frowning, she wiggled the computer mouse and reloaded the schedule. Before it could come up, the door swung open. Zoe darted her gaze toward the entryway.
Only to be met with a pair of gorgeous blue eyes, a broad set of shoulders, a trim, muscular frame, and a bright smile.
“Meyer Construction, reporting for duty,” Devin said.
Zoe’s heart did a little jump inside her chest as she straightened up. “Oh, hey!”
“Hey.” Just like he had the last time he strode through that door, he raked his gaze over her. She swallowed. She wasn’t dressed to get good tips at the Junebug today. A flannel shirt over a T-shirt and jeans was hardly what she’d call sexy, but it didn’t seem to matter, based on the way his eyes darkened.
“I didn’t know you all were serving today.”
Devin moved forward into the space, making room for a half dozen folks to file in after him. He shrugged, tucking his thumbs into the belt loops of his dark-rinse jeans. “Arthur talked me into it when I was here telling him about my promotion.” One corner of his mouth curled upward. “Said it’d be a good use for my new leadership skills.”
The last guy to come in groaned. “Are we ever going to hear the end of that?”
Devin stiffened and flexed his jaw. “I haven’t even started yet, Bryce.”
Ah, okay, now Zoe recognized the guy shouldering past Devin. The mayor’s son, Bryce Horton, had been a couple of years ahead of her in school, but Lian had complained about him plenty at the time. He’d been a royal jerk, and it didn’t seem like much had changed.
“Then why am I even here?” Bryce asked, pulling out his phone and plunking down in one of the chairs meant for patrons.
Devin’s whole frame radiated tension, but however angry he was, he kept it out of his tone. “Come on. Kitchen’s in the back.”
Bryce rolled his eyes, even as he kept his gaze glued to what sure looked like a dating app he was swiping through. Zoe resisted the urge to sneak a peek at his username—just so she could avoid it if she ever ended up on the same site.
Devin’s voice dropped. “Now.”
Grumbling, Bryce lurched out of the chair and followed Devin down the hall.
“Right behind you,” Zoe called. She just had a couple more quick things to take care of out here.
Bryce looked over his shoulder at her and made a super-gross kissy face. Glancing back, Devin caught him, and his eyes narrowed, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
Interesting. When her brother shot his death glare at guys who were hitting on her at the bar, it made her want to strangle him. But when Devin did it?
A warm little shiver ran up her spine.
She probably shouldn’t like it so much, but she did.
She swallowed, fighting to calm the flutters in her chest as she shot Bryce a glare of her own. No matter how much Devin’s protectiveness gave her the warm fuzzies, she could handle herself. “Wasn’t talking to you,” she informed Bryce.
“Sure.” He clicked his tongue and brought his hand to his ear like a phone and mouthed,Call me.
Devin bustled him along, thunderclouds in his eyes. The coiled strength in him gave her even more little flutters inside.
As soon as they disappeared around the corner, she put her head in her hands to muffle her groan. Getting the butterflies over this guy was pathetic. She was acting like a swooning schoolgirl with a crush again.
Sucking in a deep breath, she dropped her hands from her face. She was too old for this pining nonsense.
Resolve filled her. Devin showing up to volunteer tonight might have taken her by surprise, but it was a golden opportunity. Han was working at the restaurant tonight, so he couldn’t appear from out of nowhere, football in hand or no. Devin would have his guard down.
