Page 56 of Nothing to Win

Her fingers twined between his on his thigh.

“You’re at a social function,” Bram said.“Share with the group.”

“Fair enough.I said your wine sucks,” Brogan said.“Gia has a nose for wine and particular tastes.Refined tastes.”

“Expensive is what he tells me,” she said.

“She doesn’t.”Bram scoffed.“Since when?”

“Color me surprised that you don’t pay attention to your sister.”

Man could deliver deadpan better than any person she’d ever met.Sarcastic, facetious, and cutting all at the same time.Shit, he brought out every primal feminine instinct.

“My daughter is—”

“You’re no better if…” Brogan sealed his lips and inhaled through his nose.“Apologies, I assured Gia we’d be civil.”

Only if they’re civil in return.

“Yes,” her father said.“Show some respect.”

“That goes both ways,” Gia said, fixed on her brother, stretching a false smile.“We can all be civil, can’t we?”

The silence was hardly resounding reassurance.Civil was a leap.Bigger than she’d thought.Eating was something they could do without communicating.No one uttered a word until the first course was replaced by the second.

“I have your card and present, Bram,” she said after the first few bites of the entree.“Would you like them tonight or tomorrow?How many guests are you expecting?”

“Did you hear if Zairn Lomond is back in town?”Bram asked their father at the head of the table like she hadn’t uttered a word.

“His office wasn’t confirming last I called.”

“Irish?”Brogan injected them into the conversation.

“He was on a plane last I heard,” she said, surprised but grateful Brogan nudged her into telling the truth while her family ignored her.“He won’t be back tonight and should be back in town tomorrow.”

“How would you know that?”her father asked, curious.

That her father didn’t have his finger on the pulse of “it” party society didn’t surprise her.

“Were you expecting him at the party?”

“He was invited.”

“Zairn Lomond gets invited to dozens of events he can’t attend,” Brogan said.“And if he’s been separated from his wife…”

“That is the clincher.”Her joy was automatic.“They do like to spend some time getting reacquainted.”

“Roxie would come if Gia asked her to.”Brogan picked up his wine.“Wherever his wife is…”

“I wouldn’t put that to them.I like seeing them in love,” she said.“They deserve time together too.They do so much for others, it’s nice to take the pressure off them when we can.Mister, sometimes when we haven’t seen each other all day we…”

And that thought would not be finished.They weren’t in love, but they could enjoy reuniting after a long hard day.Her family didn’t need the details of that and, luckily, they didn’t seem to be listening to her specifics anyway.

“You know Roxie Kyst?”Bram asked.

She shrugged, wincing at the pressure of her brother’s hard scrutiny.“Just a little.”

“Since when?”