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Piper wanted to hug them as they hurried away. She wanted to grab hold of her friends and keep them close. They were her rocks, her anchors, the only family she felt like she had, and she had to let them go.
Tori put her arm around Piper's shoulders. "You think he saw us with Maddie and Keira earlier?"
Piper looked at her. "Crap. Maybe."
Myles frowned. "If he saw you together earlier, they could be in danger, too. I'm telling them to stay at the bar as well until Lucas can get here." He raised his brows at Tori. "You engaged to anyone handy as well?"
Tori snorted. "I'm engaged to myself."
"Independent woman. I like it." Then he turned and strode to the other end of the bar.
Tori stared after him. "That man exudes pure danger. He's not a bartender. At least not in his soul."
Piper smiled at the way Tori was watching Myles. "He's very rugged."
"He is, isn't he? I feel like a woman could get lost in a swamp, and he'd plunge in, wrestle a few alligators, take down somepoachers, and then cart her right out of there without even getting bitten by a single mosquito."
Piper leaned on the bar, grinning at her friend. "Damn, girl. You're attracted to him."
"I definitely am," Tori said, dragging her gaze off him. "That is so unexpected. I need to hydrate more."
Piper chuckled. "Hydrate?"
"Yes. Hydration is the magic elixir for all ailments, including being attracted to dangerous bartenders with secret lives and too much muscle."
"What about part-time bartenders who are ex-cops, dog whisperers, and obscenely wealthy? Does hydration work for that too?"
"Damn straight it does."
Piper grinned and raised her hand. "Myles! Can we get a couple waters?"
"Make it a pitcher," Tori called out. "A pitcher for each of us!" She sat back as Myles nodded. "Dammit. Even his nod is sexy. This is no good. No good at all." She looked at Piper. "Our friendship is ruining me, Piper. It's your fault I know his name and spoke to him."
"Well, you guys made me start thinking of Declan as a man, not a grumpy landlord, so it's payback."
Tori made a face. "I hereby recant all attempts to make you notice Declan. It's very disconcerting to be attracted to a man after a self-commitment to a life of being solo."
"Right?" Piper relaxed a bit, relieved that at least one of her friends understood how stressful it was to be thinking about dating again. "After this is over, let's go on a girls trip."
"To an all-women resort," Tori said. "No men allowed."
"Absolutely." Piper glanced in the mirror over the bar. At first she didn't see Dick anywhere, and she relaxed slightly. Maybe he'd left. Maybe they'd overestimated the level of threat he was. Maybe?—
She suddenly saw him off to her left. He was leaning against the wall, holding a glass of wine.
Watching her.
He met her gaze in the mirror, and raised his glass to her in a toast.
She jerked her gaze off him and looked at Tori.
Her friend squeezed her arm. "We got this, babe. You know we do. And we have Declan, Myles, the Harts, and the Stocktons, too."
"I know." She was grateful for all of that, but at the same time, it came with a cost. Having to rely on protectors meant she was losing the most important thing.
Her freedom.
Then she saw Declan sprint into the ballroom, and her entire body shuddered with relief. She hadn't realized how scared she'd been until she saw him. He was in jeans and a black t-shirt, and he looked rough and dangerous, a man who even a guy like Dick would have to notice.
