A buff, dark-haired young guy at Xander’s elbow chuckled. “Living in TC is kinda like landing in a spider’s web.”
The older man snorted. “Terrible metaphor, Matteo. You’re gonna scare the poor guy to death.” He smacked Xander’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, son. TC ain’t got no more spiders than any other town. What this knucklehead means is we’re all connected here. Makes it hard to keep secrets, but it’s easy to find help when you need it, as long as you’re willing to help in return.”
He tucked the card into his pocket. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” The old guy moved off, and Xander scanned the crowd again. Still no sign of Hannah.
Matteo nudged him with his elbow. “Sorry about Gus, man. Good guy. He never let life squash the fun out of him, you know?” He offered his broad, callused hand. “Matteo Verducci. I refinish furniture, upscale old pieces, do a little creative carpentry. Hey, I’ve got some salvaged sheet metal we could use to rebuild that UFO out front. You could put in some seats, make it a selfie spot for tourists.”
Again with the space crap. Was the whole damn town conspiring to keep him mired in little green aliens?
Or was this Hannah’s doing? And why was she twenty minutes late?
Matteo grinned over the rim of his beer glass. “Or I could help with new shelving. I heard yours keep falling down.”
Xander’s brows snapped together. “Did Hannah—”
“Naw, man. I help out at my uncle’s gelato shop up the street. Your dry wall guy has a sweet tooth. Jittery type. He was spooked by the falling shelves. Said you’ve got a ghost.” Matteo scoffed. “It’s obviously just uneven floors, right?”
“Heyyy, Matteo.” Two of the giggle squad trotted over and grabbed him by the elbows.
“See ya,” he called over his shoulder. “Can’t wait to see what you do with the place. Hi, Han.” He shook off his groupies long enough to enfold Hannah, who’d just rushed in looking beautifully disheveled, in a big, rocking hug.
The sight of his lover’s hands clutching Matteo’s muscular back did nothing good for Xander’s mood.
She extricated herself and hurried to his side, where she kissed his cheek and huffed her green-glitter-dusted hair out of her eyes. “Sorry. Mom had an episode. I had to make sure she was okay.”
His irritation melted away. “What’s wrong?”
“She gets migraines. This one was wicked. It made her throw up, and that twinged her bad back. I had to help her to bed and call Doc Rivas.”
He grabbed her hand. “You should’ve called me. I could’ve helped.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, driving? Fetching medicine?” He pressed her palm over his heart. “If you’re in need, Hannah, I want to help.”
The irony smacked him full in the face. Here he’d been for the last twenty minutes, grumbling to himself about her interference with Souvenir Planet—most of which turned out to have nothing to do with her. And now he was butting his stubborn ram horns right into her family business.
She cupped his cheek. “Okay, Sir Galahad. Next time we have a crisis, I’ll give you a call. Anyway, Marquetta came over to sit with Mom until the doc gets there. She’ll be fine.”
“Uh huh. Then why does your face look like that?”
“Like what?” She massaged the furrow between her brows.
“Like you want to rush back home and take care of your mom.” He upended his glass and shivered at the sweet burn of Irish whiskey. “Let’s go.”
Just then, Hannah’s phone shrilled. She pressed it to her ear. “Yeah? Uh huh. Okay.” Her worried frown smoothed out. “Wonderful. Thanks so much, Doctor.”
“Good news?”
She pocketed her phone and gave him the sweet smile he’d craved since he left her after lunch. “Doc prescribed something strong. She’s feeling better already. I’ll check on her later.”
That meant no cozy night in his RV, but her mom’s health came first.
Hannah greeted Quinn and ordered the cocktail special, an emerald martini garnished with sugar-dipped mint leaves. She sipped, then closed her eyes, licked her lips, and hummed a sexy “Mmmm.”
Of course, Xander’s dick responded as if she’d issued an invitation. He quickly adjusted himself so as not to embarrass her in public.
She surveyed the rowdy scene. “Great party, huh? Did you recognize Allyson from the farmer’s market?”
