“Pretty sure that won’t be hard to do, since I can’t fucking believe you’re going out to lunch with him, baby.”

“So you’ll meet me?”

“What do you think?” He sighs.

I press my lips together to keep from smiling. “I’ll see you soon.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do to punish you for this, but I guarantee you I’ll spend the next forty minutes coming up with something,” he mutters. “Be good.”

Rolling my eyes at his clipped tone, I hang up and put on my seatbelt before backing out of my parking space. Then, thinking it’s probably smart to kill some time, I drive to the gas station, fill up my tank, and wander the aisles inside, coming out with a bag of Hot Cheetos and a couple candy bars for later tonight.

I arrive at the restaurant about fifteen minutes later than I said I would, and when I finally walk through the doors, I notice the place is packed for lunch. I spot Harry seated at a booth in the back of the room, facing away from the door and distracted by the phone he’s holding to his ear. He’s obviously waiting anxiously for me to arrive.

“Are you eating alone?” a cute elderly man with a Spanish accent asks, making me jump.

“No, sorry.” I point toward the booth Harry’s sitting in. “I’m meeting someone.”

“Enjoy your lunch.” He smiles, and I grin back before heading across the room.

When I reach the table Harry is at, I slide into the booth across from him, sighing dramatically. “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t know my tank was on empty until I was halfway here,” I lie. “Then I had to drive five minutes out of the way to the gas station.” I take my bag off my shoulder and place it next to me before resting my hands on the table. “Then my credit card wouldn’t work in the machine at the pump, so I had to go inside to pay.”

“You’re here now.” He gives me a placating smile, patting my hand.

“I’m here now,” I agree, picking up one of the two menus from the middle of the table and quickly looking over what kind of alcohol is available, because I don’t think I’ll be able to make it through this lunch without a little bit of liquid courage.

“Are you two ready to order?” a soft, sweet voice asks, and I look up at a very petite, elderly woman with long gray hair and know instantly that the man who greeted me when I arrive must be her husband, and if he’s not, he should be.

“I think so.” I glance at Harry and get his nod. I point at a picture of a margarita that comes in a cute little sand bucket and let her know I’ll have that along with an order of shrimp fajitas.

“You’ve got good taste.” She smiles at me then looks at Harry, who rattles off his order, something I can’t even pronounce, with a beer and a shot of some kind of whiskey. We both hand over our IDs when she asks to see them.

“Thank you.” I accept my ID and hand her the menus, and she smiles before she walks away.

“So.” I turn my attention back to Harry as I rest my elbows on the table, something I’d never normally do. “How does it feel to be the proud new owner of twelve trucks?”

“It doesn’t feel any different than being the part of a multimillion-dollar business.” He shrugs, loosening his tie, his comment about money rubbing me the wrong way.

“Hmm,” I mutter, and then my eyes widen when a very large bucket of ice and what smells like a whole lot of tequila is placed in front of me. “Umm.” I look up at our waitress and ask her quietly, “What’s your name?”

“You can call me Tita.”

“That’s sweet.” My chest warms, because I know that’s similar to “aunt.” “Tita, is this really the drink from the picture?”

“It is.” She beams.

“Well, okay then,” I mutter, and she laughs before letting us know she will be back shortly with our food.

“So where’s your boyfriend today?” Harry asks. “You’re still dating him, aren’t you?”

“Talon, yeah, we’re still seeing each other. He’s working today.” I wave him off, taking a sip from the straw while praying Talon gets here soon. “So tell me about yourself, Harry.”

“There’s not much to tell.” He picks up his beer, taking a drink from it, so I take another sip from my straw, the alcohol burning my throat. “I grew up here in town, went away to college, and moved back when I was given the opportunity.”

“What do you do exactly?” I ask, leaning in and hoping I look interested.

“I own part of a land developmental firm. We buy land to build subdivisions on.”

“That’s impressive.”

“I don’t know about impressive, but I’ve done well for myself.”

“Have you always wanted to do what you’re doing?” I take a long sip from my bucket.

He seems to think about my question for a minute before answering. “I always wanted to be successful. I was just lucky enough to find a job that made that possible.”

“That is lucky,” I agree then jump when a hand comes down hard enough on the table to make my drink shake.

“Mia!” Bax booms, looking between Harry and me, and I look up over his shoulder at Talon, fighting back a shiver when I see the look on his face. “Told you it was her. What are you doing here?” he asks as he takes a seat next to Harry, forcing him deeper into the booth.

“We’re having lunch to celebrate Harry’s new purchase. What are you guys doing here?” I scoot over, making room for Talon to sit, then grab his thigh when he rests his arm around my shoulders. “I thought you were working.”

“We were, but everyone needs lunch, right?” Bax drags my bucket of tequila across the table toward him and takes a sip from the straw. “Shit, babe, that’s strong,” he hisses, and I laugh. I can’t help it; there is something about Bax that is endearing and adorable even if he is a little rough around the edges.

When Talon’s arm around my shoulders tightens, I remember this isn’t just a normal lunch. “Sorry.” I clear my throat. “Harry, you know Talon, but this is his brother Bax. Bax, this is Harry.”

“Nice to meet you, man,” Bax mutters before taking another sip of my drink, something I doubt will affect him like it is currently affecting me right now, because he’s about four times my size. Even after just a few sips, I feel warm. Then again, I probably just took two maybe even three shots of tequila without even knowing it.

“You too,” Harry says, not looking even a little happy.

“You look familiar, man. Do we know each other?” Bax asks, and Harry seems to tense at the question before composing himself.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Talon agrees.

“I don’t think so. Then again, this town is small. We’ve probably passed each other a time or two at the grocery store.”

“You’re probably right,” Bax mutters, grabbing the laminated menu from the holder in the middle of the table. “I hope you guys don’t mind if we join you for lunch. I don’t want to ruin your date.”

“It’s not a date, just a celebratory lunch,” I repeat, not to make a point to Harry, but because, although I’m sure Talon talked to Bax about what is going on, I don’t want him to think I’d go out with another man when I’m seeing his brother.