Believing he was the kind of guy who’d lie to her stung. It hurt in a way finding out about Mark hadn’t. Her chin quivered and she sucked in a deep breath. She refused to cry over another guy.
“Zoe Acevedo?”
Swiping a finger across her cheek, she plastered on a smile and turned. “Yes.”
A tall black man stepped through the door, followed by a shorter, younger black man. “We’re here to set up POS.”
“Great! Where would you like to start?” She had a business to get running. There was no room for mistakes or distractions and she needed to remember that.
* * *
“Knock, knock.”Tim rapped on the screen door leading into Jase and Bree’s kitchen.
“We’re in the living room,” Bree called out.
He pulled open the door and wound his way through the kitchen. The changes in the house were exponential. Before Bree moved in, it had been the definition of a bachelor’s place. Now the small touches Bree had added, as well as the newer furniture, made it feel like a home and not someplace he’d always worried he’d find his brother’s body.
Both Bree and Jase stared at him over the back of the large sectional. Charlie, one of Bree’s rescue dogs, hopped over to him on his three legs.
Tim reached down to scratch him behind the ears. “Hey, tripod.”
“What’s up, man?” Jase asked.
“Do you have a few minutes?” Tim asked.
He caught Bree’s glance between the two of them. “I’m going to run to the store. You need anything?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, grateful she was giving him some time to talk alone with Jase. “I’m good, thanks.”
Bree patted him on the arm as she walked passed. Jase pushed up from the couch to walk her out and returned with two longnecks, holding one out to Tim.
“Thanks.”
Jase pointed his bottle at the back door and led the way out onto the deck. “What’s up? You look like someone kicked your dog.”
“How did you know Bree was it for you?”
“Huh.” He took a drink of his beer and leaned against the railing.
Tim sprawled onto one of the chairs. “Huhwhat?”
He shook his head. “Later. How did I know Bree was the one?” His gaze became unfocused and he grinned. “When she punched me in the junk.”
“Huh.” Well, wasn’t that some shit. He was pretty sure that was the exact moment he fell for Zoe.
“Huh what?” Jase’s eyebrows rose. “Oh shit, did some chick punch you in the junk?”
“Kneed me—on accident. And not some chick—Zoe, my neighbor.”
“The one from lunch?”
“Yeah.”
“So what’s the deal? Is she dating someone? Married? Lesbian? What’s holding you back?”
“No. No. No. I don’t know. Everything was fine up until last night. I spent the night before at her house, saw her in the morning, then nothing. She was supposed to come over after I got home from work, but she didn’t answer her phone or her door when I went over. If I hadn’t seen her moving around in her bedroom, I would have been worried that something had happened, but she was fine. She was ignoring me.”
“How did you see her in her bedroom?”
