Page 21 of Protect My Heart
‘I hope so,’ Nick mutters before taking a drink of his beer.
I look at him. ‘Why are you so against Brianna? There’s nothing wrong with her.’
‘I didn’t say there was. I just think she’s too young for you. And too immature. Matt said she showed up drunk to work yesterday.’
‘And how would he know?’
‘Tessa took one of the kids to the dentist and there was nobody there to check them in. Apparently, Brianna showed up drunk and was sent home so they didn’t have anyone to run the front desk.’
‘Are you guys still going out or not?’ Brody asks me.
‘We’re not going out. She wants to see me again, but I told her we’re better off as friends.’
‘Did she get pissed?’ Brody asks.
‘No. It’s not like we were serious.’
‘I know someone you could go out with,’ Sawyer says, returning with my beer. ‘Liam’s sister is coming to town nextweekend and she’ll need something to do when he’s working. She’s 25 and she’s hot. He showed me her picture.’
Liam is Sawyer’s new bar manager. He replaced Wade, the guy Sawyer fired last fall. Liam moved here from Milwaukee, so I’m guessing that’s where his sister lives.
‘Sawyer, you know I don’t do the long-distance thing.’
‘I didn’t say you had to marry her. Just take her out. She’s coming next Friday. You could meet her here for a drink, then take her to dinner.’
‘I’m busy next Friday.’
‘Doing what?’ Nick asks.
I don’t want to tell them. If I do, they’ll ask me a million questions.
Brody shoves my shoulder. ‘Hey, wake up. We’re waiting for an answer here.’
‘And I’m not giving you one. You guys don’t need to know everything. I’m allowed to have some privacy.’
Sawyer smiles at Nick. ‘Must be serious if he’s hiding her from us.’
‘Maybe it’s that librarian he went out with last week.’
‘It’s not her,’ I say, rolling my eyes.
‘Then who is it?’ Brody asks. ‘You know we’ll find out. You might as well tell us.’
I sigh in annoyance. ‘Okay, fine. It’s Mia. We’re having dinner next Friday. It’s not a big deal, but I know you idiots will make it one, which is why I didn’t tell you.’
‘Mia,’ Nick says, rubbing his jaw. ‘Do we know her?’
‘The girl from the wedding,’ Brody says. ‘She called him earlier this week saying she wants to see him. We haven’t met her.’
‘This is the girl you slept with?’ Sawyer asks.
I sigh again. ‘Do we really have to talk about this?’
‘Hell yeah.’ Sawyer sits down next to Nick. ‘Tell us about her. She’s going to school, right?’
‘Yes, in Madison. She graduates in a few weeks and then she’s moving back to Boston.’
‘So why does she want to see you?’ Nick asks.
