“So this is where you two disappeared,” Brandon said.
“Bran, chill. I bet you got to eat some of those ribs Shelby keeps telling me about.” Justin saw Brandon’s gaze zero in on Shelby. Yes, he’s into her already. Pretty bad by the looks of him. “How was the barbeque?”
“Fine,” his brother said, not moving his eyes off of the blonde beauty. “I’m headed back to Elko right now for my deposition. Wanted to say good-bye before I took off.”
Alex slapped him on the back. “Thanks for coming, Brandon. It meant a lot to me to have you here.”
“When will you be back in Wilde?” Justin asked, forming a plan to get Brandon and Shelby on a date together.
He shrugged. “I think day after tomorrow. I’m meeting with Jackson Wilde on a real estate case he and I are working on together.”
“Excellent.” Justin turned to Shelby. “Bran’s quite the dancer, too.”
“I’m the one she’ll be dancing with tonight,” Alex informed flatly. “Chinese and dancing.”
“In Elko,” Lily smirked. “Perhaps I could take one of you other Champion boys and we could have a double date.”
“No way,” Norma snapped. “We have a ton to do. Before we leave, we both need to fill out applications with Carlotta.”
“You want me to waitress again?” Lily asked with a frown.
Norma nodded. “It’s what we both know how to do and we need jobs.” The woman turned to them. “Please excuse us, gentlemen. Shelby, can we meet outside in ten minutes?”
“That will be fine,” she answered.
“Let’s go, Lily,” Norma said. Then the two women walked over to Carlotta, who was behind the counter.
“I guess I need to go, too,” Shelby said, slipping out of the booth.
He, Alex, and Brandon surrounded the sexy blonde. Looking down on her, Justin knew he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life. He glanced at his brothers, whose eyes were fixed on her, too. It would be difficult to get them on board with the Wilde way of things, but it would be worth it. Tough or not, he wanted to find out how far they could go down this path.
Shelby chewed on her lower lip, letting him know that she, too, wanted the same thing.
* * * *
The Chinese restaurant in Elko was packed. Shelby took another bite of her sesame chicken. She and Alex sat right in the middle of the room. Every eye seemed to be pointed at them.
“You sure are interested in your food,” Alex said.
She looked up at him and saw his wide grin. “What do you mean?”
“You keep looking down at your plate. Is everything okay?” he asked with obvious concern.
“Everyone is looking at us, Alex. No wonder. A Wilde woman and an Elko man aren’t the typical duo in this town or in Wilde either, I suppose.”
He laughed. “How do they know you’re from Wilde? They might be looking our direction because you’re a very attractive woman. Have you thought about that?”
Him calling her attractive caused heat to rush to her cheeks. “No, I hadn’t. Perhaps the stares are more about how handsome you are or because they miss their former doctor. Have you thought about that?”
A couple of women walked up to their table, a redhead and a brunette.
The redhead placed her fingers on Alex’s shoulder. “Dr. Champion, how are you doing?”
The other woman flipped her hair back. “We sure miss you around here,” she added
“I was right that everyone was looking at you, wasn’t I?” Shelby felt a tinge of jealousy sweep through her. Why? She was with him, not these two. Besides, this was a first date. Maybe he’d been with one or both of these women when he lived in Elko. That thought didn’t sit well with her. “Care to introduce me to your friends?”
He motioned to the redhead. “This is Lucille.”