Gabe slid an arm around his wife’s shoulders and grinned. “Not sure you can accept on her behalf, hon.”
“Sure, I can.” Her friend winked. “I just did.”
Then Lyndsey stuck her tongue out at her, and even Emily laughed.
“Great. Now that’s settled, let’s eat,” Gabe said. “Which one is our server?”
Christa lifted her hand and waved at their waitress. “The pretty blonde over there.”
“Yeah, Colby just moved here from Houston,” Isla said.
Emily felt Holden stiffen where their bodies brushed, then she caught him exchanging a look with Hunter.
What was that about?
That question would have to wait because the waitress approached, and recognition appeared to flash through her gray eyes before a smile spread across her face. “Oh, wow. Hi guys.”
Holden nodded but remained silent.
“Hello. Colby, right?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah.” The woman nodded, standing between the chairs Holden and Gabe occupied. “My aunt broke her leg, so I came down to help her out.” Colby’s attention flicked to Holden, and adoration flooded her gaze. “I was wondering if we’d bump into each other.”
Was the pretty blonde his ex-girlfriend? If so, Emily kind of felt sorry for her at his lack of response. Even if she was an ex, she deserved some show of manners.
Her chest tightened and her respect for the man beside her began to dwindle.
“I bet,” he muttered under his breath, low enough for only Emily to hear.
Something weird was going on, and she planned to stay the hell out of it.
Holden sat back in his chair and finally tipped his head up to look at the woman. “Small world.”
Colby’s smile widened and a flush colored her cheeks.
Oh, wow.
Emily wondered if that was how she looked when heat funneled into her face whenever she locked gazes with the gorgeous man.
“I know, right?” The waitress laughed, then glanced at the other men at the table. “So, what can I get you guys?”
As the conversation shifted to food and the men placed their orders, she noticed Lyndsey flashing her eyes at her.
Great.
Her friend was just chomping at the bit to get the scoop, but Emily wasn’t sure she wanted to know. The last thing she needed was to get mixed up in someone’s baggage.
Been there, done that, and learned it was much better to stick with rescuing animals, not humans. Animals didn’t lie or have secrets.
“Okay, I’ll get these orders right in,” Colby said, setting a hand on Holden’s shoulder.
Talk about taking liberties.
Emily’s sympathy was quickly switching from Colby to Holden and brought with it the return of her respect for the man. She got the impression his lack of response to the woman was actually a huge show of restraint.
He shifted toward Emily, but the woman still didn’t remove her hand from his shoulder.
Holden growled.
