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Belle shifted in her seat.
“And we’ve seen each other at the hospital a few times because of work,” Bently supplied, taking a sip of a beer.
The fact that he’d left out how rude she’d been to him, saving her the scrutiny of his friends, brought a sharpness to her chest. She’d never had anyone stick up for her, or try to protect her besides TJ.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Remy asked, her gaze boring into Bently’s.
“I took his self-defense class too. How old are you, Lyra?” Belle asked, changing the subject.
“I’m six!” the little girl said around a mouthful of asparagus.
“So, you’ve known each other for a couple months, then?” Mikel asked, eyeing his brother suspiciously.
Bently grunted.
Mikel smirked and nodded to Andre. “Seems like Bently here is speechless for once in his life.”
Bently sighed and drained the last of his beer. He covered Lyra’s ears beside him and said, “Enough, you two dickheads. Eat your dinner and shut the fuck up.”
He returned his hands to the table and took another bite. His friends were grinning but she was really out of the loop.
“How’s business at the inn, Jas?” Mikel asked.
“Pretty good. I’m saving up to finish the reno downstairs,” Jasmine answered, nursing her little one.
“You own an inn?” Belle asked.
“Yes.” She beamed. “The Lighthouse Inn. It’s right on the coast—a couple miles from town.”
“That sounds like a pretty cool job to have.”
“TJ, you up for a game of hoops after dinner? You and me against Dre and Mikel. A hundred bucks says we can take ’em,” Bently asked. Her chest tightened again.
“I’m game,” TJ answered.
“How about we make it two hundred?” Andre asked, smiling while eyeing TJ.
She wasn’t sure she liked that man. It would be nice to see TJ wipe that smirk off his face.
“You’re on,” Bently agreed.
After dinner, the guys went outside to play while the women popped a bottle of wine. Both babies were asleep, and Lyra was watching a cartoon about an ice princess and her sister saving the kingdom.
This was so easy, so comfortable. The ladies talked, laughing and making jokes. She felt right at home, like everything just clicked. This was her new tribe.
Belle sipped the crisp white wine.
“So, Belle,” Jasmine started, and Belle gave her new friend her full attention.
“Did you fuck my brother?”
Chapter 13
Belle
Belle choked, spurting alcohol onto the table in front of her.
“Jasmine!” Remy scolded.
