The Inheritance (Contemporary Reverse Harem 1)

“Um, yeah, I’m fine.” I forced a small smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. Are you sitting here?” I gestured to an empty seat at the bar. His twin, or whatever he was, had already made himself at home on his other side.

“Yes. But I want to make sure you’re okay.” There was a sensitivity in his eyes that contradicted his muscular bulk. I hadn’t known a man like that really existed. It was like seeing a unicorn.

“I am okay, thanks to you. Let me get you a beer.” I waved over my coworker, who was chatting it up with the regulars at the end of the bar. God, I hoped none of them had witnessed my humiliation. No more meeting potential dates at my place of employment. I thought it would be safe, and look where it got me.

“Really, you don’t need to.”

“Well, I’d like to, and don’t worry. I work here so I get them for free.” He laughed with me, which lightened the moment, thank goodness. I grabbed the stool next to him. Maybe the night wouldn’t be a complete bust, after all.

He studied me and nodded. “I knew you looked familiar. You work here. Okay.” He sipped his Mic Ultra. I never could believe anyone drank that tasteless low carb crap.

Funny he recognized me, yet I didn’t remember seeing him. It was doubtful I could forget a man like that, but maybe he’d come in when we were busy.

“Do you come here regularly? I’m surprised we haven’t met.” I extended my hand. “I’m Garnet.”

“Garnet, nice to meet you. I’m Linc.” He turned to his twin. “And this is my brother, Jack.” The universe must have been in a good mood when it made these two guys.

“Ha! I thought you guys were related! Twins?”

“No. But a lot of people ask us that. My brother here is the older one.” He slapped Jack on the shoulder. “I still have my youth,” Linc said with a crooked grin.

Jack pushed his brother’s hand off his shoulder like it was an annoying fly. “Yeah, but I got the good looks.” They both laughed. Must have been a joke they’d told before.

“So Garnet,” Linc said when his brother returned to his beer. “What was that creep doing in here anyway? And what were you doing with him?”

Ugh. He had to ask that. Of course. With my luck, it was inevitable. So I could make up a story. Like he was an abusive ex-husband, or an actor practicing lines for an upcoming play.

“He was an online date.” I couldn’t lie to save my life.

“Ouch. Damn. Talk about the dark side of internet dating,” he said, nodding slowly.

“Yup. Live and learn. I’ll never do that again.” I’ll probably also never have five million dollars, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Linc furrowed his brow. “You seem like a very nice woman. You need to be careful.” He took a sip of his beer. “I don’t understand why you did online dating to begin with.”

“Why?” I asked. If he was going to be all judgey, he could go to hell.

“Well, because look at you. I mean, you must have guys pounding your door down.” He was completely serious. Now that was funny.

“Yeah, well. The same could be said of you,” I told him.

“What? Me?” he asked.

“Yeah. Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

Ooh. Did I just say that? Rude! But I was already humiliated, so why not completely ruin the evening?

He turned pink, then bright red, looking into his beer like he wanted to crawl inside it and die.

He shook his head slowly, still not looking up. “Yeah, no, I don’t have a girlfriend.” He glanced over at his brother, who was chatting up the cute girl sitting on his other side. Then he turned to me.

“Why’d you put yourself in a situation like that, where you ended up with someone who really could have hurt you?”

Well, shit. I could tell him the whole Grandpa story, but that was so un-freaking-believable even I doubted its authenticity.

/> “Um, you know. Just thought it might be nice to meet someone. So I put an ad on Craigslist.”

“Craigslist? Why not a real dating site, like Match.com or something?”