“Well, it’s time for the makeover, right?” Erin asked, her lips curled up in a mischievous grin. “You need music for your makeover. You can giggle and talk fashion and maybe get a mani pedi, and I’ll follow you around so you have a soundtrack. Theo’s phone is full of Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson. Was that Ariana Grande I spied on your playlist? We’ve got your girl-power jam right here for hours, buddy.”
Theo stood slowly, his shoulders squaring. “Gentlemen, I’m going to have a talk with my wife. I’ll be back in a second. Well, maybe not in a second. This might take some time.” He stalked toward her before turning briefly. “But she’s right about the makeover. Sort of. We’ll talk about it when I finish disciplining my incredibly smartass sub.”
Theo chased his wife down the hall, her laughter ringing through the place.
God, he loved the way Becca laughed.
Maybe Theo was right. He hadn’t asked her this morning if she wanted to spend the day with him. He hadn’t given them enough time to bring the subject up. He’d left her alone to deal with Carter and the police. Not exactly the signs of a man who was interested in altering their bargain.
There was nothing in their agreement that said he couldn’t try to lure her away from some other guy.
She’d seemed disappointed when he’d reminded her of her date this morning. There had been a moment when hurt had flared in her eyes, but he’d dismissed it because he’d been hurt, too. He was acting like a jealous boy, not a bloody operative. If he wanted her in his bed, he would have to work for it, tempt her into it.
Theo thought he needed to make an entrance. He might be able to do that. “Do you guys want to help me with a project?”
Robert frowned. “You really want a makeover? Like we go through your clothes and stuff?”
He rolled his eyes. Bugger all. “No, I want to go down and talk to a bloke about a motorbike. I can’t get to my clothes. Two Taggarts are likely already fucking on my bed. They better change the sheets.”
Robert nodded. “See, that’s how I felt about the island. Could they make sure they clean that? Or burn it down? Sure, let’s go out and talk about a new plan. I don’t know that I can listen to more fucking. I’ll get dressed.”
Tucker sighed. “I’ll join you, but can we use the elevator? My quads are killing me, man. Have you seen them? They’re getting huge. Every day on this op is leg day. What’s up with that?”
Owen groaned, but his mind was spinning.
She wanted a bad boy? He could give her that. After all, it was practically his profession.
Chapter Eleven
She was going to murder Cathy. She was a doctor. She could do it about a hundred different ways. It didn’t have to be painful, but she was going to make sure Cathy never set up another human being again.
Because she was terrible at it.
“Well, I told her she didn’t get Lacey for both Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he said, glancing up from his menu. “It’s not fair. Our custody agreement clearly states that we split holidays, and she already had Lacey for Victoria Day.”
It was a stunningly gorgeous afternoon. The sky was a beautiful baby blue with big puffy white clouds floating overhead. The sun was warm on her skin, but there was a nice breeze that cooled everything off. The restaurant was lovely and the patio was the perfect place to spend time talking with friends or getting to know an attractive, intelligent man.
Lawyer Larry was definitely attractive. He had thick, dark hair and soulful eyes. He looked fit and healthy. He was damn near her perfect type until he opened his mouth and couldn’t stop talking about his divorce and the ex-wife who was keeping him from his beloved daughter. It had taken her about fifteen minutes before she understood he was talking about a pug. Not that pugs weren’t cute or even that she didn’t feel for him missing his dog, but it was a lot to throw out there in the first couple of minutes of a date.
He winced as though he’d finally figured out she wasn’t responding as readily as she should have. It was good that he could at least pick up on social cues eventually. “I’m sorry. I’m talking too much and not about the right things.”
“Not at all,” she lied. “I understand the pain of divorce, though we didn’t have any pets.”
And now she thought that was a good thing. She loved dogs and cats but had always worried she worked far too much to give a pet the proper attention. Now she knew Fido could have far-reaching consequences.
He sighed and sat back. “Yeah, I’m afraid I got off the phone with my ex right before I came here. I swear she’s got a sensor or something that goes off the minute I’m going to do anything happy in my life. Do you see yours often?”
“I moved.” To a whole different country. “I needed a clean break, so when the job at the Huisman Foundation came up, I jumped at it.”
She’d been right to take a break from the emotional stuff, but she was starting to wonder if she was being too rational about Owen. She’d missed him. All morning she’d thought about going down to his apartment and knocking on the door. She hadn’t. She’d forced herself to stay away, but now she was wondering why.
Why did she have to play the field? Why couldn’t she play in Owen’s field? There wasn’t some dumb rule that said she couldn’t have a relationship with the first guy she felt something for, and if there was then she could break it.
“God, I wish I could have a fresh start,” Lawyer Larry was saying. “It’s impossible when there are children involved. We’ll be tied together as long as Lacey’s alive, and honestly, we’ve been talking about potentially breeding her. She’s such a light in the world that I can’t stand the thought of not having a piece of her with me for the rest of my life.”
He started going on and on about how difficult it was to find the right sire or something. It was a lot of information. Way more than she ever wanted to know about breeding dogs.
She smiled gamely and wondered where the waitress was. They’d put in drink orders but she was ready to eat and run as fast as she could. She’d been ready to order the quiche and salad, but if they made them individually that could add time to the process. Turkey sandwich it was. It took no time at all to slap some turkey between two pieces of bread and call it a day. She could choke it down in record time.
“And the breeding fees can be ridiculous,” he continued. “But I want the best for Lacey. It’s one more thing Jane and I fight about.”
Why hadn’t she come up with some kind of signal? She should have had a friend she could text 911 to and then she would call and save her, claiming some kind of emergency.
Could she fake a text? Was that rude?
Or she could fake a heart attack. That would get her out of here fast, but it also might get her an ambulance ride, and then everyone would freak out.
Her cell phone trilled and she breathed a sigh of relief. Cathy. Excellent. Cathy had gotten her into this. She could get her out. Holding her phone, she pushed back her chair. “I’m so sorry. I have to take this. I won’t be more than a moment.”
“Of course,” he replied, frowning at her. “I’ll see if I can wave down a waitress.”
She settled her purse over her shoulder and moved back into the restaurant. When she was out of hearing range, she slid her finger across the screen to answer the call. “Hello, Cathy. Would you like to know about the high cost associated with breeding your precious pug?”
A long sigh came over the line. “I was worried about that.”
“In the first fifteen minutes of this date, I know more about Larry’s divorce than I know about my own. Mine now feels like a beautiful mystery to me.”
“I’m sorry, Becca. Look, you’re only the second woman he’s gone out with since he and Jane broke up. It takes a while to get back into the swing of things.”
“He’s literally the first person I’ve dated since I got divorced.” Owen didn’t count because what they’d done hadn’t been dates. They’d been sexual encounters. They’d been hot and sweaty and perfect. And she’d enjoyed talking to him.