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Save for Meredith. If anything, she looked even more uncomfortable, as if not sure how to react to the teasing banter.
Probably not helped by the fact that his sister was obviously Team Allie and had kept the conversation on Allie and her gallant hero, Sam Fratto, with a few derisive glances thrown Meredith’s way. He’d almost jumped in at one point to defend her and then checked himself. She’d probably have killed him for his interference anyhow. Think it’d make her appear weak.
Allie, however, in that unassuming way of hers, was Team No One as she smiled in embarrassment at Claire’s attention, while Rick, from the ingratiating smiles he was giving all the women, was clearly any team that involved a pretty woman. And Grandma Molly? She wasn’t afraid to let everyone know she was completely Team Travis.
He was sure she had been checking out his package.
The loud ring from his cell phone stopped the banter, and he pulled the phone from his back pocket. Without looking at Meredith, who he sensed was watching him, he got up and stepped away, trying to hear the voice on the other end.
After a couple of minutes, he returned to the group, who weren’t attempting to disguise the fact they’d been trying to hear the conversation. Meredith looked almost stricken.
“Thanks for the lunch, ladies. But we should probably get going.”
Meredith stood and brushed crumbs from her dress.
His sister and Allie jumped to their feet to say good-bye, Rick right behind them. Molly remained seated with that same salacious grin on her face.
“Nice to meet you, Molly.”
“You too.” She glanced over at Meredith and then back to him. “I was gonna see if maybe you’d like to meet Allie’s sister. She’s a doll and could really take having a real man with some testosterone between her legs—going through a pretty heartbreaking divorce, you see. But maybe you have a friend instead, eh?”
“Travis,” Allie interrupted almost desperately, her face reddening and not because of the broiling sun, “I hope we get a chance to see you again. And Mer? Let me know if there’s anything more I can do to help.”
“Okay, little brother,” Claire said and stood on tiptoe to place a kiss on his bristly cheek. “Be careful.”
With a last wave, they started across the grass. “Who was it? What’s going on?” Meredith asked when they were out of everyone’s earshot.
“It was Bryce. Said he received a text. There’s a party tonight.”
It was a lucky break, something they needed right now as the clock was ticking with no new information from Meems or the police. He just hoped it didn’t get her hopes up too high. It could be a dead end.
“Bryce said he’ll meet us there around eleven.” Which would give him a few more hours to look through the files Meems had put together, even if he doubted he’d see anything that she hadn’t.
He hit the unlock key on the car, and the alarm chirped. He’d be lying if the thought of the car’s cool air and soft leather bucket seats didn’t offer some relief after suffering the past few hours on the lumpy hard seats of his sister’s car.
“So where is it at?” she asked as she reached the passenger door.
“It’s a few blocks southeast of the warehouse. Another crappy area of town.”
They both stared at the shiny black Range Rover, almost feeling the cool air blowing relief on them.
“Mer,” he started, his voice heavy with regret.
She sighed heavily. “I know. Guess you better go get the keys.”
Looked like Bonnie might be their ride a little bit longer.
Chapter Nine
Travis navigated through the streets, getting used to the way the old machine handled. “My sister is pretty enamored with that guy Rick. You seem to know him. What do you think about my future brother-in-law?”
She shrugged. “He’s not my type. But he makes Claire happy.”
“That’s not exactly answering my question.”
“You don’t really think I’m going to walk into this one, do you? I tell you what an utter creep I think the guy is, and you’re going to accuse me of being a judgmental bitch.”
Ordinarily…maybe. But she’d answered enough for him to know. “You think he’s a creep?”
