“Anyone up for a drink at the hotel bar?” Slade offered as they were walking out to their vehicles.
“I think we’re gonna call it a night,” Brantley said. “But y’all have fun.”
“We’re turnin’ in, too,” JJ announced with a grin. “Since I can’t drink, not much fun to hang out at a bar.”
“Well, y’all have a good night. But if you find you can’t sleep, you know where I’ll be,” Slade told the group before detouring toward Evan’s car, glancing over at the man. “What about you, big guy?”
If Evan meant to be subtle when he shot a glance in Becs’s direction, he failed miserably. Slade managed to keep his mouth shut rather than razz Becs about whether she would be joining so Evan could make an informed decision.
“I’ll join you,” Holly said with a beaming grin.
“No, you won’t,” Luca answered for his sister, his dark blue eyes locked on Slade’s face as though he’d been the one to ask her to join him.
Yeah, it was no longer a question as to whether the man was doing his best to ensure Slade and Holly weren’t left alone in the same room together. He’d suspected it, but Luca’s adamance now confirmed it. This wasn’t the first time big brother had inserted himself into a conversation Slade was having with Holly. Overprotective seemed to be the guy’s default setting.
Slade could’ve told Luca he had nothing to worry about, but what would be the fun in that? It was easier to let Luca think Slade might make a move on Holly than to inform him he had no interest. Not because Holly wasn’t attractive. She was. Most definitely. But Slade had an iron-clad rule about screwing people he worked with. Shit like that got messy, and he had enough upheaval in his life already.
“Yes,” Holly insisted. “I do want to join them. And that’s exactly what I’mgonnado.”
Slade smiled back at Luca, feeling as though he’d won this round, although, again, he hadn’t been the one to ask Holly to join him.
“Then I’ll get one, too,” Luca said, still staring at Slade.
“I’ll come,” Becs announced as soon as Luca did.
“I wouldn’t mind a drink,” Evan chimed in, seeming to make a decision now that Becs had.
And just like that, it was a group thing when the truth was, Slade hadn’t expected anyone to join him. He really wanted to go back to his room and call his ex-wife to find out what was going on. Her text messages had slowed, but he was still getting one every hour or so, none of them making a lick of sense. However, slinking away to sulk in his room wasn’t his idea of fun. Nor was it something he wanted his team to know he did on occasion. They thought he was the fun-loving, drink-until-you-black-out kind of guy, the life of the party.
He wasn’t and hadn’t been for a long time, but he figured they didn’t need to know that.
“We’ll see you there,” Slade told everyone as they started getting into their cars.
“You wanna ride with us?” Evan offered Becs.
Her blue eyes shot over to Luca instantly, a smile forming. “Would you mind if I rode with you?”
“I’ve got room,” Luca said, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Becs had been coming on to him.
What the hell was going on here? If Slade didn’t know better, he’d think he’d gotten caught up in some sorta weird love triangle.
***
Evan couldn’t believe he’d gotten himself mixedup in this.
He was a fucking idiot.
When Slade had asked if anyone wanted to go to the bar, his first instinct was to turn down the offer, go to his room, call his daughter to say good night, then try to get some sleep.
Yet here he was, sitting at the bar because Becs had decided to go.
Oh, he hadn’t missed the fact that her decision had hinged on Luca’s willingness to go. In fact, it wasn’t the first time he’d noticed that she tended to gravitate toward the man. Why wouldn’t she, though? Luca Switzer wasn’t only a good ol’ country boy with his cowboy swagger and rugged good looks, he was also a fucking genius.
“If you’re gonna sit over here and pout all night, why’d you even bother to come?”
Evan’s head snapped up, his eyes landing on Deck, who was standing just off to the side, a bottle of Corona in hand. He started to say he wasn’t pouting, but in his head, it sounded way too juvenile to allow to escape his lips, so he remained silent.
“Mind if I sit?”
