And Dani was melting on the inside. “Aunt Mae.” She placed her hand on the bar.
Mae covered it with hers, giving it a light squeeze. “You know I love you. I trust you, just couldn’t take seeing you hurt even more.”
“I’m the runner, remember?” It was meant as a joke.
Mae barked out another laugh. “True. Of the two of you, you’re the runner. I said my piece. I’m done. Consider the Aunt’s Obligation fulfilled. As long as you’re being smart, have all the sex you want.” Her voice picked up at the end, carrying through the bar.
Dani cursed silently, catching movement from the corner of her eye. The other dwarves looked over. “Thanks, Aunt Mae.”
Mae shrugged, picking up the boxes from the counter. “What do you expect? You’re in the town whore’s bar?” She winked, then nodded toward the restaurant side. “Your sister’s over there, along with her hoity-toity friends. Save yourself. Every O’Hara for themselves.” She laughed, dipping into the back.
Dani stayed back.
Her aunt was wrong. This wasn’t the ‘town whore’s bar.’ This was her aunt’s bar, and the rumors might’ve been horrendous and widespread, but they were wrong. Mae probably hadn’t shared her bed with a man in years. And she really probably hadn’t done it if the guy also wasn’t in her heart.
Dani felt a dip in humility. She was proud to come from the same family as Mae.
Dani was about to follow her when someone coughed behind her
Jake had on a half-scowl, and her eyes tracked to the right—she gulped. Boone wore a full-scowl.
Shit.
They knew each other.
Jake pointed next to him. “Dani, this is Mitch Quandry. He’s—”
Fuck’s sakes. She was about to be introduced to her ex-fiancé.
“You can call me Mitch.”
That was all Boone offered. No handshake.
She muttered under her breath, “Oh, boy.” Then nodded. “Hi. I’m—” This felt wrong. Neither knew who the other was, or she didn’t think they did. She was pretending right now, and when it would come out. The truth always came out eventually.
Jake cut her off. “This is Julia’s sister.” He nodded to Boone. “This is Jenny’s boyfriend. Jenny is—”
Boyfriend? Dani gulped again.
Boone cut Jake off a second time. “Jenny’s a friend of mine.”
“Oh.” Jake frowned at him, scratching behind his ear. Then he cleared his throat. “Okay.”
“Boyfriend.” Dani couldn’t stop herself. She shouldn’t care. She soo shouldn’t care. The caring was burning in her chest.
Boone’s smile was tight. “It’s nice to meet you. Julia seems lovely.”
“Yeah, uh—” Jake coughed a second time. “They’re not real tight, but they’re sisters. They care about each.”
Dani hissed, “He gets the picture.” She clenched her teeth.
Jake shut up.
The air was tense. Jake was frowning still, and still itching behind his ear. Boone was staring right at her, like he wanted to drill holes into her skull. She focused on the counter. It needed another washcloth over it, but unable to stop herself, she flicked another glance up. She looked right smack dab back at Boone, and he adjusted. He clipped his head to the side, as if he’d never been staring.
“Where’d Mae go?” Jake looked around the grill. “I wanted to introduce him to her.”
No! That was Dani’s first thought, but she couldn’t say that. She saw a rag under the counter, and reached for it without thinking. Her hand tightened around it. “Really?”
Mae was hers. Why was Jake introducing Boone to her? Boone, who suddenly had a girlfriend? Whose girlfriend was friends with Julia? Mae was hers, not Julia’s.
Jake’s head dipped down under her stare, still holding her gaze. “What’s with you?”
“She’s a thief.” Julia came around the corner, along with another female. She moved to link her elbow with Jake’s. “That’s what’s wrong with her.”
This day couldn’t get any better. The only ones missing were Erica and Aunt Kathryn. Hell. Throw in the crazy grandmother, too.
She turned to her sister. “Excuse me?”
She tried not to study the other woman, who stood a little too close to Boone. All-white clothing molded to the slim redhead, with white pearls circling her neck and wrist.
“I called you a thief.” She said to Jake, “Arrest her.”
“For?”
Jake was frowning.
Julia’s eyes flashed. “I want Mom’s photograph back.”
Dani kept looking at Boone, and the hand that was resting on his arm. A part of her wanted to snatch it off him, but that wasn’t her place anymore. Feeling jealousy that she had no right to be feeling, she shoved it all down and concentrated. Her sister was trying to get her arrested—what a shocker.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know what I’m talking about.” Julia stepped toward her.
Jake hauled her back. “Whoa!” He clamped a hand on her arm. “You don’t take a threatening stance here. That’s not how anything’s going to get resolved.”
“There’s nothing to resolve. She stole a picture of my mother—”
“My mother.”
“Excuse me?” Julia’s eyes narrowed, her entire body went unnaturally still.