“Morning, barkeep,” she breezed, as if he wasn’t firing eye-daggers at her. “If you’re looking for Amy, she stepped out for a bit. In the meantime, can I get you something?”
“What are you doing back there?” he sputtered.
She held out a hand presenter-style, which was when he noticed her wrist splint. His eyes drifted to her split lip and an uncharacteristic smudge on her cheek. “Well, Amy needed help and I needed a job, so we decided to help each other out.” She gave him a warm smile, and either she was a top-notch actress or it was genuine, damn her.
“Hailey lost her job,” Shane huffed, his voice filled with indignation.
She slanted the deputy a look. “I quit, Shane. My choice.”
And a sore point, apparently.
Meeting Shane in the eye, Noah jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “I saw someone shoplifting at the soap shop,” he lied. The store wasn’t even open for the season yet, but it would take Shane a few minutes to remember that detail and figure out Noah’s ruse.
The deputy twirled his hat and plopped it on his head. “On it. Thanks, Noah.”
Yeah, I wouldn’t be thanking me, dude.
Noah took a few casual steps toward the counter while Hailey’s gaze tracked Shane out the door.
“Aw, look at that,” she gushed. “Red hot on a dangerous criminal’s trail, and he still takes time to give Chance an ear rub.”
“Which is why he never catches anyone,” Noah grumped.
Hailey narrowed her eyes on him. “I assume youarehere to order something?”
“I’ll have your strongest brew at double strength. Haven’t gotten much sleep lately.”
“I don’t expect you have.” Her expression was pure empathy, which both confused him and added to his irritation. Then she had the gall tomutter under her breath, “Neither have I,” as if her life had been turned to shit like his had.
Before he could craft a witty retort, she ducked behind some equipment and went to work on his drink. He kept an eye on her after it occurred to him she might slip something nasty in it—it also occurred to him he might deserve it if she did.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she went on lightly, not looking at him. “I’m still on a learning curve here, so I’m a little slow. In the meantime, why don’t you take a look at the pastry case? Fresh this morning, and the chocolate croissants are to die for. You could always come back tomorrow and get them at half price—if there are any left—but they won’t taste nearly as good.”
Before he knew what hit him, he’d bought an expensive coffee andtwopastries. Christ, she could sell an igloo to a polar bear.
He opened his mouth to say what, he didn’t know, and she lifted her chin toward the front. “Chance looks anxious or cold. You might want to hurry along.”
“Glad to see you landed on your feet,” he grumbled.
“Nice that you think so. I actually landed on my ass, but I’m working on picking myself up. Thanks for asking.”
Again, he opened his mouth without a clue what might come out, but another customer came through the door, and her attention shifted completely to that person. She barely gave Noah a wave when he uttered, “Later,” on his way out. If he was the injured party here, how come he felt like a prize dick?
“Oh yeah,” he told Chance as he unwound his leash. “I got her good. You would have cheered.”Not. Why was it his brain and tongue had a habit of disconnecting whenever he was around her? Truth was it didn’t matter whether he was lusting after her or supremely pissed at her. He couldn’t remember another woman tangling him up so thoroughly—not even Ursula.
These thoughts careened around the banked corners of his mind, and he didn’t notice Bruno Keating until he practically tripped over the guy heading his way on the sidewalk.
Chance parked his butt between Noah and his rival. A low warning growl rolled from him.
Keating spared him a disdainful glance and sprouted a nasty smirk. “Preoccupied these days, Hunnicutt? Must suck to be you, on the verge of losing everything.”
“I’m not on the verge of losing anything, Keating.” Though the lie slipped off Noah’s tongue with ease, it caused acid to bubble in his belly.
“You’re either out of touch with reality or you’re clueless. Either way, you’re fucked, but I’ve got a way for you to get out from under without having to go through the humiliation of bankruptcy.”
Noah narrowed his eyes, and Chance rumbled another growl. “And how do you plan to do that, Keating?”
“I’ll give you thirty cents on the dollar for the building and the equipment.”
