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“Anything.” He said it so quickly, a rush of excitement swept over her.

“In case I fall asleep—”

“Likely, given what happened last night.”

She looked him in the eye, suddenly embarrassed, which was unusual for her.

“Will you . . . will you wake me up when you get back?”

Lawrence froze. Her meaning was clear, as she’d meant it to be.

His eyes answered for him, and Toni only hoped she could stay up. Because if the smile he gave her just before winking and walking away was any indication, Toni was in for the night of her life.

* * *

Lawrence ignoredthe advances of the pretty blonde who brushed her fingers against his hand as she took her beer. He ignored everything, in fact, but the man who sat against the wall, surrounded by friends. Tyler Hayes.

When he’d learned the profession of their thief, Lawrence had done some digging. Sure enough, his employer was none other than Toni’s ex, a connection he didn’t consider coincidental.

At first when Tyler came in the bar, Lawrence had thought it was his lucky night, in more ways than one, but he’d been listening carefully, and none of them had mentioned the incident. A few of his buddies had looked as if they’d try to ruffle his feathers for holding their friend up against a wall, but his expression effectively nixed their intentions. Except for one guy who stood up earlier, presumably to come his way, but Tyler wisely stayed his approach.

Good move.

“Hey, are you the guy from Amendment 18?”

A forty-something couple had just sidled up to the bar—he remembered waiting on them the previous week.

“I am,” he said, blocking out Tyler’s current rant on the merits of Nascar racing.

“I thought so, I—”

“You’re a dentist, and you just moved from upstate New York to Stone Haven a few weeks ago.”

Smiling, the man turned to his wife. “I told you I liked this guy. Remember him from the speakeasy?”

The wife’s smile didn’t quite reach her ears. But it wasn’t the husband who’d upset her. Something saddened her to her very core. Lawrence knew that look, having seen it many times before. His ability to read people was a burden to him at times. Whereas his brother would simply move on, Lawrence found himself unable to do so. He wanted to know her pain. To help.

His father had always tried to change Lawrence. To make him harder. Once, he’d hoped to harden himself too. To be more like Alec, or even Torr. But he had decided instead to embrace it.

“What can I get the lady this evening?” he asked, smiling without flirting.

She glanced at her husband, who reached out to touch her hand. She pulled away.

“Anything is fine,” she said. “A white wine, I guess. Or a mixed drink. Doesn’t matter.”

His eyes narrowed as he watched her. She didn’t care about the drink, and her husband’s efforts to cheer her up fell short. Lawrence thought he knew why. His hands moved quickly as he tossed together ingredients, thankful the poorly stocked bar had what he needed. Lawrence slid the glass toward her.

“What is it?” the husband asked.

Lawrence looked at her when he answered. “A pomegranate ginger paloma. On the house.”

She made a little sound of pleasure as she took a sip.

“They say pomegranate has very special properties,” he said. “Some even believe it aids in fertility.”

He may have overstepped, but if she thought the drink could help, perhaps she could relax enough to forget the problem that plagued her and her husband.

Both of their eyes widened, and Lawrence planted the most innocent expression he could muster on his face. “On me.”