Page 163 of The Bluffing Game

“Hey, there you are.” Lucia looks up at us, a glass of water in her hand, and she smiles. “Moving in with Izzy and me then or⁠—”

“No, but thanks.” I sit back down next to Rosie and give her a look that warns her to keep her mouth shut. I don’t need her harping on about how much she’s not looking forward to living among the cockroaches and rats again, making me feel guilty. “Though we will accept Dalton’s offer of letting us use his truck to transport big furniture. I’m assuming that includes free manual labor.”

“I suppose.” Dalton grins at me and then looks over at Roman. “You free tonight?”

“I can help.” Brett is still standing there, looking all stiff and proper, and I notice that even Dalton is surprised at the offer. “If you need some muscle, I’m here.” He offers a small smile, and I can see Rosie grinning from ear to ear.

Then she nudges me in the ribs and whispers, “Now I’m buying whatever he’s cooking.”

“No, you’re not.” I shake my head.

My sister doesn’t need a grumpy, no-nonsense Army type in her life. She’s far too fun-loving to be with a bore. And while I don’t know Brett, he’s not exactly Mr. Personality.

“Thanks, Brett.” Dalton nods at his friend. “Very much appreciated.”

“I’ll help as well, of course.” Roman looks at Dalton. “How long do you have the babysitter tonight?”

“Mrs. Polk is looking after Toby tonight. She comes once a week to do the groceries and offered to babysit while I find a new nanny.”

“Oh, wow, that’s nice of her.” Roman grins. “So, we have all night?”

“To help Sage and Rosie, yes.” Dalton looks over at me. “I have no idea what Sage is expecting me to do tonight.”

“I’m not expecting you to do anything.”

“Or maybe I should say, what do you want me to do?” He grins. “How much energy should I build up? Will I be going all night?”

There’s a teasing twinkle in his eye that makes me want to tell him to forget about it, but I am grateful for the help. Plus, he’s hardly going to try and make a move with so many people there.

“Hopefully, we won’t be going all night. We don’t have that much stuff to pick up and move.”

“I offer other services to make your life easier …” He grins, and my heart thuds because as much as I can’t stand his teasing, there’s a part of me that loves it. “Like cooking, shopping for groceries, making the bed.”

“You’re not shopping for my groceries. That seems like an odd offer if you pay someone to do your groceries.” I pause and tilt my head to the side. “Almost like a false offer.”

Brett grunts, and as my head swivels to him, I see a hint of a smile on his face. So, he’s not all stone then. Interesting. Still not good enough for Rosie, but maybe he’s not all bad.

“Maybe … or maybe I’m just willing to go out of my comfort zone to help you. You know, like a good guy would do to help.”

“So, from that, I’m to assume that you consider yourself to be a good guy?”

“As opposed to what?” He looks at me with a confused expression, like he didn’t just attempt to turn my world upside down when we were outside. The man is full of far too many games for me. I can barely keep up. “I hope you’re not inferring that I could be a bad guy.”

“I think you’re leaning more toward gray-black.” I glare at him, and he laughs.

He glances down at his watch and then back at me. “It’s getting late, so we don’t have many hours left tonight. Can you ladies finish up your food and drinks within fifteen minutes? Then we can head out. I’ll cover the check, and then we can figure out the logistics.” He signals to Brett. “Join me. We can chat at the bar.”

Dalton and Brett head over to the bar, and then I turn to Lucia. “I feel really bad. I didn’t expect your brother to help. I’m sure he has better things to do tonight.”

“I’m sure he doesn’t.”

“Excuse me, I’ll have you know we were planning on going to the strip club tonight.” Roman looks over at Lucia and grins.

“Why does that not surprise me?” Lucia shakes her head. “At least you’re saving these men from a night of debauchery. Though I suppose that’s the only way you’re able to find a woman, huh, Roman?”

“Oh, of course … I’m such a troll. Women don’t look at me unless I’m in a strip club.” There’s a flirtatious look on his face as he banters with Lucia.

The man is extremely handsome, and from what I can tell, he’s well off also. Obviously, he’s just joking, but I can see he’s getting under Lucia’s skin. I wonder if they’ve ever explored something physical because the chemistry is clearly there. But then I remember that he’s Dalton’s best friend, and I can’t imagine that Dalton would be too happy if the two of them ever did anything.