Billy grunted, swiping his hand through his hair.That headache was coming back with a vengeance.“You need to hold some things back.Don’t show all your cards at once.”
Roxie turned in her seat and that bouncing leg of hers brushed against his knee.“What do you mean?”
His gut began to twist.This was not something he wanted to get in the middle of.“Post that you’re sisters looking for your family.Maybe you could even post the triplet thing, but make the people who respond give you more.The pieces of info that you hold back could be the biggest confirmations you have that someone is telling you the truth—when and if they contact you.”
He wrapped his hand around her knee when her leg bumped into him again.He didn’t want to burst any bubbles, but they needed to be more careful.If they charged right into this without preparing themselves, they could get hurt.“You girls know how the world works.The moneygrubbers show up where people are the most desperate.They know how badly you want this, and they’ll use that desire against you.”
“So, what are we supposed to do?”Maxie asked.“We don’t want to stop looking.”
Hell, now he felt like the Grinch.He could feel the ache of their wanting in the air.He could practically taste it.
“There are other places you can look than just online.”
He suddenly became aware of Roxie.She’d gone quiet.Very quiet.
And her leg had stopped bouncing.
“Where?”It wasn’t just one of them.Their voices blended as they all asked at the same time.
Shit.Billy shifted uncomfortably.Now he knew exactly what kind of hell he’d gotten himself into.It was hell times three.
“Libraries, hospitals, churches…” He looked deliberately at her sisters.“How did you find each other?”
Maxie’s eyes widened.“Didn’t you see it?”
“See what?”
“The billboard on I-67 just before the bridge.It’s an advertisement for The Ruckus.Roxie posed for it.”
Billy slowly drew around to her.“Do I even want to ask?”
“Hey, I look good, and it brought in a buttload of new customers to the bar.”She examined her nails.“We put up a billboard for the bar, and Lexie came to see what it was all about.”
“Really?”her triplet said.“That’s all you’re going to say about it?”
“Come on, Miss Marketing Maven.Admit it.It’s a good ad.”
“Whoa, ladies.”Billy held out his arms, feeling like a ref in a women’s MMA match.
Lexie smiled wearily and rubbed her temple.“It is eye-catching.My entire family thought it was me up there on the big screen.”
Roxie inhaled sharply, and both her feet hit the floor.Billy looked at her face quickly.He recognized one of her ideas forming and braced himself.
“We should go see it,” she declared.“We’ve never been there, not together.”
Energy humming, she leaned forward.“We should go there this morning.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Maxie said, looking at her watch.“I have to meet Zac soon.We need to head back to Indigo Falls for his shift.”
“Well then, we need to get hoppin’.”Slapping the table, Roxie bounded upright.“Let’s do this.”
As far as her ideas went, this one seemed pretty tame.And it reminded Billy he had other plans—like running in the opposite direction.The walls were starting to press in, and the cursor on that damn screen was winking at him.He’d expected uncomfortable conversation when he’d walked in The Ruckus’s door, but nothing like this.
“I suppose we’d have time if we went now, and it is kind of important to us as sisters.”Maxie looked at the website they’d pulled up on the computer.“Could you show Roxie what you’re talking about later today, Billy?Maybe help us word things better?”
“And these other resources,” Lexie said.“Could you help us make a list?”
Damn it.He’d been so close to escaping.
