Page 72 of It Runs in the Family

I glanced around at the décor that had to be nearly half a century old. “I suppose not.”

“I’ll cover it,” a guy behind me said, then moved up to the bar next to me. I recognized him as the man who’d just come in a few minutes before. He looked to be in his thirties and plenty rough around the edges, but he had dark eyes Selena would declare sexy, along with short stubble on his jaw. He looked like a guy who threw out pick-up lines and expected women to fall for them.

“That’s very generous,” I said, forcing a smile, “but I’ll just get the money from one of my cousins.”

He glanced over at the booth where Mary Ellen and Ava were sitting. “Cousins, huh? I can see the family resemblance.”

That was a crock of shit. They were blond and blue-eyed, and God had been generous when doling out their boobs. I was a brunette with brown eyes and lucky to fill out a B cup. I didn’t look anything like either of them.

He placed a twenty on the counter. “No need. I’ve got it.”

The bartender scooped up the money and walked to the other end of the bar.

“Look,” I said gently, hoping I didn’t piss him off but wanting to draw a line. “I’m here with my cousins while they work on their schedule for the week. I’m not looking to make any new friends right now.”

His eyes turned cold. “Sounds like you wanna be friends with Tommy T.”

Crap. “I just wanted to ask if he knows anything about my cousin, that’s all.”

“Your cousins are over there.” He gestured to our booth.

“Not them. A different one. Selena.”

His eyes widened slightly.

“You know her?”

He rested his elbow on the counter. He was like a copperhead, relaxed but ready to strike. “You could say that.”

I swallowed, trying not to look as nervous as I felt. “I know Selena was seein’ him a couple of months ago. I wanted to see if he knows anything about what she’s up to.”

His brow lifted. “She’s your cousin. Seems like you’d know better than Tommy.”

He had a point, and I wanted to extricate myself from this situation as quickly as possible. “You’re right,” I said graciously, taking a step back. “Thank you for your time.”

I reached for the beers, but he grabbed the handle of the one closest to him.

“Seein’ as how I paid for your drinks, the least you could do is sit and have a chat with me.”

I nearly groaned. I was not in the mood for this. While I was terrified, I was also tired of men thinking they could intimidate me. “Dude, keep the beer.” I left both beers on the counter and headed back to the booth, but I knew he’d follow. They always did.

I’d just reached the table when he put a hand on my shoulder.

Ava and Mary Ellen looked up in surprise.

“Looks like you made a new friend,” Ava said carefully, glancing from the guy’s face to mine.

“He’d like to think so,” I said dryly.

His hand was still on my shoulder, but at least it wasn’t on my ass.

Mary Ellen closed the planner and scooped up the pens, sliding them into her purse in one smooth motion.

“We were just about to head out,” Ava said, grabbing her purse.

“Were ya now?” the guy asked, his fingers squeezing my shoulder.

I flinched as they dug in.