Page 49 of The Moment He Saw Her

“It’s like SJ moves on to the next Duke when one of us gets into a serious relationship. I just never realized before now how annoying her flirting is.”

“Yeah, I had it a time or two, and I have to say, I didn’t enjoy it,” JD said, stretching from side to side.

“Is my class too much for you, old man?”

“Zoe told me I have back pain because I’m lazy and don’t do enough physical stuff outside the bedroom?—”

“I could show you a few moves that will make your pain a whole lot worse if you say things like that in my hearing again,” Ryder said.

JD’s smile was slow. “You Dukes are such easy targets,” he said, pulling on his sweater. “So how’s Libby?”

“You say that like you know her well,” Ryder said.

“Oh, but I do, and we had a long talk. Plus LouJean came in for her monthly color today and said Libby was a sweet girl who’d suit you just fine. As Red Heckler was there getting his waxing, a discussion on the fact that you’d make a fine husband struck up. Your sister, who was also there annoying me on her lunch break, agreed. She added that she needed to check Libby over more thoroughly, though, before making a firm call on her suitability,” JD added.

Ryder didn’t groan, but it was close.

“The woman is leaving again when her car is fixed. There will be no wedding.”

“She’s hot?—”

“Should you be saying that seeing as you’re living with my sister?” Ryder said, sounding testy.

“Where is the rule that says you can’t comment on a woman’s looks if you’re living with the love of your life?” JD asked.

“I just threw up in my mouth.”

“Jealousy is ugly on you, and I know it’s just because you need the love of a good woman.”

Ryder grabbed his brother-in-law by hooking an arm around his neck. He then flipped him to the floor, making sure he didn’t land hard enough to hurt himself, but hard enough to shut him up.

“Is there a reason he’s getting a private lesson?” Phoebe’s brother, Caleb Stanway, looked down from the other side of JD. “Because I could do with one. I can’t quite get that straight punch right.”

“You can’t get any of it right,” his boyfriend, Jonathan, said from behind them.

Ryder pulled JD back to his feet. “Now shut up.”

“I was just asking him about Libby Gulliver,” JD said, moving behind Caleb far quicker than he’d moved all class.

“She’s nice and makes excellent coffee,” Caleb said. “She’s also classy and way out of your league. Her jewelry is high-end and expensive. The woman may not have money now, seeing as she’s roughing it in your cafe, but she comes from it,” he added, looking Ryder up and down. “I thought Brody was the slob in your family?”

“We may need another intervention,” JD said, still standing behind Caleb. “And I agree about Libby coming from money and lots of it.”

“I just got Dr. Hannah’s chicken dumpling recipe,” Jonathan said waving a piece of paper in his hand as he joined them. “I’ll make it for your dad tomorrow.”

“Do you think Ryder could do with some polishing?” Caleb said to his boyfriend.

The three men then studied him, which had Ryder growling.

“Dukes have the best hair,” Jonathan said. “But it could do with styling, especially now that Libby is staying with him.”

“Get the fuck out of my face,” Ryder snarled.

“No need to swear, Sensei!” Dr. Hannah called. “See you on Thursday.” Raising a hand, she left with the others, who all filed out the door like a gaggle of geese.

“You can all piss off and take your opinions with you. Libby Gulliver is a stranger who I helped out. Nothing more to it than that,” Ryder snapped.

“He’s protesting,” Caleb said. “Plus she’s been living in his new home for days now. You can’t tell me they’re platonic.”

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