“She called me, too,” Nicky volunteered. “I told her I’d leave the matchmaking to Vita and her.”
“Vita?” Eve groaned. “How is she involved in this?”
“My mom is usually involved in stuff that isn’t any of her business,” Mila piped in. “I don’t think she’s actually matchmaking this time, but she’s got it in her head that Lawson and you have some bad karma or something together.”
Many people probably thought that, Eve included. Because of Brett. And just like that, her mood was even lower than it had been when she’d been focused on Aiden and the sitter.
“Don’t worry,” Mila went on. “I’ve told my mom to stay out of it, that you don’t think of Dylan as lover material, that he’s more like a brother to you.”
Sophie, Cassidy and Nicky all made sounds of agreement.
That was absolutely true about Eve’s feelings for Dylan. And it seemed they were all on the same page there.
There was probably nothing Eve could say about the Granger men that would be news to this bunch. Well, other than the fact that Lawson and she had done all that kissing just a week and a half ago. That would be a shocker since everyone at the table believed Lawson and she were succeeding in keeping their hands off each other.
Eve heard the chatter and laughter by the main entrance of the bar, and when she glanced in that direction, she saw someone else who would be surprised and no doubt upset about the Lawson kiss fest.
Darby.
No raincoat tonight. She was wearing her green nursing scrubs and was with two other women dressed the same way. Maybe they were also having a girls’ night out after work. Darby shot her a cool glance as did the other women. Eve turned her attention back to her wine, but Cassidy gave the trio a big smile and waved before they disappeared into the bar.
“Remember, Lawson dumped her,” Cassidy reminded Eve in a whisper. “And he did that before you were even in the picture.”
Darby would argue that Eve had never been out of the picture. Her, and her heart-crushing memories. Darby’s opinion of her wasn’t going to improve once everyone learned the truth about what she’d done. Not just the kissing, either, but also about Lawson being Tessie’s father.
“So, has Eve told you all about her steamy romance with Lawson?” Sophie asked Cassidy. “All that kissing!”
Eve hoped her eyes hadn’t widened too much because Sophie quickly added, “When they were in high school.” Eve unwidened her eyes, but she was certain that Sophie hadn’t missed her reaction.
“Yeah, I know about Hot Cowboy.” Cassidy smiled. “Eve always had a picture of him. In fact, if you ever watch episode nine of Demon High, you’ll get a glimpse of Lawson’s picture.” Eve groaned softly, but Cassidy didn’t pick up on the cue to stop. “Eve was moping around, looking at it while she was waiting for the scene to start, and she left it on the table on the set. It made it into the shot.”
Mila and Nicky muttered something about having to rewatch that episode. Great. Eve didn’t want them focusing too much on that one because her stomach had just started to show. She hadn’t been using a body double just yet, but the camera crew had been careful about catching her at a side angle. It hadn’t always worked, and she’d gotten some “fan mail” about her getting fat.
“Moping around, huh?” Sophie questioned. “I remember Lawson doing plenty of that after you left.”
Eve figured there’d been gobs of anger to go along with that moping. Lawson hadn’t taken her calls after she’d broken things off, but the last conversation they’d had back then had not been a pleasant one.
Sophie smiled, leaned in closer to Eve. “So, does Lawson know your secret?”
Eve got choked on the sip of wine she’d just taken. “Uh, what secret?”
“That you still think he’s Hot Cowboy and—” Sophie stopped, and her smile changed when she looked at who was making their way toward their booth.
Roman, Garrett, Clay and Lawson.
Roman, Garrett and Clay were smiling, too, their attention on their spouses. But Lawson looked as if he were being led directly into a brushfire while his protruding body parts were coated with accelerant.
“Ladies,” Garrett greeted them. “We stopped by for a beer before heading to poker.” He tipped his Stetson. But he saved the best greeting for Nicky. He leaned down and kissed her.
Clay didn’t do the hat-tipping, but he also kissed Sophie.
“Hell, I can do better than that,” Roman grumbled. He hauled Mila to her feet and did indeed do better with the kiss that he delivered. It went on so long and was so scalding that it caused Cassidy, Clay, Sophie, Garrett and Nicky to laugh.
“Keep that up, and I’ll have to arrest you,” Clay joked.
Lawson wasn’t laughing though. Neither was Eve. That was mainly because the kiss was a reminder of how it felt to have Lawson’s mouth on hers. It didn’t help that she could see him now. He was a hot visual aid. One who was looking at her.
“Can we talk?” Lawson asked her. “In private,” he added one skipped heartbeat later.
Eve wasn’t sure who was more shocked at the table, but she thought maybe she was the front-runner. Lawson’s request certainly got everyone’s attention though, and they turned toward her, waiting for her to answer.
She tried to sound casual when she smiled and answered, “Sure,” but she wasn’t fooling anyone.
Especially herself.
Her hand was trembling a little when she set her glass on the table and followed Lawson away from the booth. He didn’t take her to another part of the bar but rather out the side exit that was usually reserved for those on the prowl for a make-out spot or for avoiding someone you didn’t want to see.
Eve hadn’t realized it was drizzling until they stepped outside. Lawson immediately took hold of her arm and moved her away from the steps and beneath the awning. That let her know just how important this had to be for him to take her out in the rain. This was probably about that kiss at her house. He was no doubt going to tell her that it could never happen again and that he was moving to Alaska or someplace else to put some distance between them.
“Tessie called me about an hour ago,” Lawson said after he put his hands on his hips.
Of all the things she thought he might say, that sure wasn’t one of them, and her heart skipped another beat. Oh, mercy. That couldn’t be good. “Uh, what did Tessie want?” Eve managed to ask.
His short hesitation didn’t help her rattled nerves one bit. “For me to tell you to give her some space, that she didn’t want you to keep asking to see her.”
That stung because Eve had already given Tessie so much space that she didn’t have any more to give. A year of it, as a matter of fact. But she knew Tessie could have said something much worse to Lawson.