“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Luke snapped, earning a glare from Jamie.
“I’ve got no problem with you, Luke, but I heard about your divorce. You’re not the kind of guy I want dating my younger sister.”
Luke’s shoulders snapped so quickly into solid tension that pain shot down his spine. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“I may never have met your ex-wife, but she has lots of friends still in Boulder. People come to
a bar to talk, and I’ve heard enough to warn you to steer clear of Tessa.”
They glared at each other for a long moment. “Plus,” Jamie added, “there’s the little issue of your—” Voices from the back room alerted them that the other Donovans were about to join them.
Luke cracked his neck. “She’s not my type. Let’s just leave it at that, all right?”
“Good enough,” Jamie muttered.
Luke wanted to defend himself. Hell, he wanted to go on the offensive and punch his old friend in the face, but he was too busy reeling, so he just turned and left.
He’d been aware that people must have talked about his divorce, but he and his wife had been living in L.A. at the time. He’d hoped the worst parts of it had been lost in translation. But clearly some of the details had crossed state lines.
Not that it mattered. Tessa Donovan’s smile was wide and pretty, but the girl was as fresh and new as a wildflower. And Luke… Luke felt bruised and broken already at thirty-one. No, Jamie didn’t have to worry about his sister. Luke wasn’t going anywhere near her.
CHAPTER THREE
TESSA HAD PLANNED to sneak into Eric’s office and search for Roland Kendall’s mobile number, but Eric kept hanging around. The only number she’d been able to nab was Detective Asher’s. Taking that as a sign, she slipped his card into her pocket just as Eric came back in.
“How are you holding up?” he asked.
“I’m fine!” she answered too loudly. “Why wouldn’t I be fine?”
Eric gave his head a puzzled shake as he collapsed into his chair. “It’s not every day that we’re robbed.”
“Right. Yes. The robbery. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse, I guess.”
Eric ran both hands over his face. “Well, I’m exhausted, even though I haven’t gotten a damn thing done today.” He squinted at her past his fingers. “You look like crap yourself. Why don’t you head home?”
Leave it to a brother to boost a girl’s spirit. She had a brief fear that Luke Asher had only checked her out because he’d been worried about her health. But surely her breasts looked okay despite the pale worry on her skin.
“Go,” Eric said.
“What about you?”
“I’m going to stay to help Jamie close down tonight.”
“Eric, it wasn’t his fault.”
“I didn’t say it was.” The flat tone of his voice belied the words.
She felt Jamie’s presence at her back before he spoke. “You didn’t have to say it,” he growled. “We all know exactly what you’re thinking.”
Eric sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.
“I know you think I’m an eternal screwup, Eric, but there’s no question I set the alarm. Even you can’t argue with that.”
“No, but somebody turned it off.”
“And?”
“And you’re the one who hires the extra bartenders around here. We both know their qualifications rarely extend beyond ‘guys you once partied with.’”