Cole doesn’t seem to notice me as he lowers into his chair. I should probably leave it that way to avoid an unpleasant interaction for both of us, but I can’t help myself…
I’m curious about the PI situation.
“I’ll be right back,” I announce to the booth.
“I was talking,” Rowan says.
“I wasn’t listening, and now I need to use the restroom.”
Bryn laughs. “Hey, I was going to use that excuse.”
“So was I,” Tina says, her eyes dancing.
“I feel like I should be offended by this,” Rowan says, but his tone is not without amusement.
“Probably,” I say. “I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it later.”
I’m laughing as I get up and head toward Cole’s table.
He sees me, and something on his face shifts. He’s probably rethinking his decision to come here for…well, whyever he’s here.
“It’s you,” he says without any enthusiasm.
“Have a thing for tea parties, do you?” I ask, lifting my brows.
His handsome face creases. “I thought I’d get something for Jane. She got in trouble at school on Friday morning for talking back, and after talking to her teacher on the phone, it doesn’t seem to be Jane’s fault this time. She likes this place.” He lifts a hand to gesture to the interior, that appealing mix of kitsch and homey that makes me feel like I’m getting a warm hug from someone else’s grandmother, but from the look on his face, it’s obvious he doesn’t share her enthusiasm. “Zach’s going to put together a basket for me.”
I take a seat opposite him. “You didn’t tell Jane about the PI, did you?”
He glares at me. “What do you take me for? I don’t want her having nightmares because some man’s been following her around.”
I suspect Jane’s not the type to have nightmares about such things. She seems more like me—the kind of woman who’ll cautiously walk toward danger to figure out how best to disassemble it—but then again, she’s only eight. What do I know about eight-year-olds besides that they’re apparently too old for accidents?
“So, I’ve been dying to know,” I say. “What did you do to him? The rack? Thumbscrews?” I make a face. “Shit, what’s his name anyway, I should have asked.”
“Horacio Duke,” he says with a flat affect.
Disappointment unspools within me. I’d hoped he might be more chatty than usual. “Ha. Ha. Very funny. I get it. You don’t want to tell me. No need to be a dick about it.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not being a dick. You asked for his name, and that’s his name.”
“No way. It can’t be.”
His mouth twitches a little, like it wants to smile. “He’s a second, named after his uncle.”
“Another person has that name?” I say, utterly entertained. “This keeps getting better and better.”
His expression twists away from amusement. “Let’s remember that he was stalking my daughter.”
I lift my hands. “I hadn’t forgotten. Still. Horacio Duke the Second. I mean…come on.”
He leans in a little closer before seeming to remember hislet’s keep a minimal distance from Holly at all timesrule. Pushing his chair back in an over-compensatory measure, he says, “Don’t look him up or whatever. I know you can do things with your computer.”
It’s such a vague statement that I have to laugh. “I’m not a magician, Cole. I can’t make something out of nothing.”
His mouth flattens, and he studies me for a long moment, his gaze incendiary. “You made up this feud between us out of nothing.”
“You have a short memory,” I snap back. “But you raise a good point. I’m good at internet-ing. Hell, I can try to find out what the Labelles are up to. When did they start showing interest in Jane?”
