Burke smiled easily. “Not when the conversation sounds interesting. His gaze shifted to my face, and he leaned a little closer. “And speaking of interesting… those bruises have made you popular.”
I sighed. “Don’t start.”
“Too late,” he said with obvious amusement. “You’ve become quite the local celebrity. Someone added to the photos of the ones already up about you on social media. They show you being escorted out of the bank by FBI agents. It’s already making the rounds.”
Amy perked up. “I missed that.”
Burke grinned. “The caption reads something like Pepper Madison involved in yet another bank robbery.”
I groaned. “Wonderful.”
Burke settled back comfortably in the chair he had claimed. “You might want to start charging admission. At the rate you’re going, people will begin following you around just to see what happens next.”
I shook my head and took another sip of wine, trying not to picture my dad seeing that photo.
Watching Burke, I was reminded how easily he moved through town. Being in real estate meant he knew who was buying, selling, moving in, or moving out. If something unusual was happening, Burke usually heard about it sooner or later.
Which made me decide to test something.
“Amy and I were actually talking about Thomas,” I said.
Burke lifted a brow. “Should I be worried?”
“We don’t think Lola is a very good fit for him,” I said plainly.
Burke chuckled. “You two should probably stay out of Thomas’s business.”
“That’s easier said than done when you care about someone,” Amy said.
Burke opened his mouth to reply, then paused a moment before he continued. “Now that you mention it, Lola seems familiar to me.”
Amy and I both leaned forward.
“Familiar how?” I asked.
He shook his head. “That’s the problem. I can’t quite place where I saw her or if it was even her. But I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen her before somewhere.”
“Bothering our women, Burke?”
The voice came from behind him.
Ian stood there with Beau beside him.
“Not on your life, Ian,” Burke said with a laugh and stood. “I thought my evening would be dull having a supper business meeting, and then I spotted Pepper. She never fails to entertain.” He cast a glance at his watch. “I’ll leave you all to your evening. No doubt my party is already seated and waiting for me.” He pointed at me. “Pepper, I’ll see you on social media.”
He laughed as he turned to walk away.
“Burke,” I said and he stopped and turned. “See if you can remember where you saw Lola. It could prove helpful.”
“Of course,” Burke said with a grin that oozed charm. “Anything for you, Pepper.”
“What’s that all about?” Ian asked as he pulled out a chair beside me, sat, then shook his head. “Let’s save that for later. First tell me about the bank heist.”
The server appeared then, menus already in hand. Orders were taken, drinks refreshed, and the conversation drifted easily between food, work, and the now unavoidable topic of the latest bank robbery.
Each of us tossed out possibilities, some more believable than others, the discussion moving the evening along while plates arrived and glasses emptied.
I had just finished explaining for the third time why getting knocked over by a rug should not count as losing a fight when a familiar voice spoke behind me.
