his hand against the steering wheel, letting out some of the pent-up frustration that had kept him up most of the night tossing and turning thinking about Liz, their relationship, and everything Declan said to him last night.
“Her boyfriend walked her out to her car last night, then came back into the bar alone.” Declan leaned back in the passenger seat, head back, eyes closed, calm as could be as he dropped that bomb.
Tate had been so lost in thought, he’d forgotten his brother was with him. “Why’d he go back in alone?”
“To dance and flirt with a few of the women.” Declan didn’t bat an eye. “One took a shine to him. They had a couple drinks.” Declan fell silent after that.
“And?”
Declan opened his eyes and rolled his head to look at Tate. “After a lot of flirting, he left alone.”
“Are you sure she didn’t go with him? Maybe in her own car?”
“She stayed another ten minutes or so, then left with friends.”
Tate didn’t know if he wished Clint left with another woman or was relieved that the shithead hadn’t cheated on Liz. She didn’t deserve that. And she deserved a hell of a lot better than her boyfriend hanging out and chatting up other women in a bar behind her back.
Wait, something seemed off. “Why didn’t he go home with Liz?”
“Is it really any of your business?”
Yes! Why was there even a question about it? “I’m looking out for my best friend.”
“I thought I was your best friend.” Declan’s mocking pouty tone nearly got him decked.
“Do you want a friendship bracelet to prove it?” Tate teased back. But he wanted Declan to start talking, because his brother held something back.
Declan stared out the windshield for one long second, then spilled. “After you left, they danced and seemed to be having a good time. Then . . .”
“Then what?”
“He grabbed her arm on the dance floor and again at the table while they were talking. Looked intense.”
“Did he hurt her?”
Declan’s mouth dipped into a frown. “Not sure. But it didn’t seem friendly.”
“I don’t like this.” You do not grab a woman that way. Ever. End of story.
“You mean you don’t like him.”
“I don’t like anyone who thinks they can put their hands on her.”
Declan’s head rolled toward him again. Mirth shone in his eyes. “Is that right?”
Tate swore and huffed out a frustrated sigh. “That’s not what I mean.”
“Are you sure?” The teasing tone said Declan already knew the answer.
Yes.
No.
He wished he knew.
He spent half the night thinking about that and still hadn’t untangled his jumbled thoughts and didn’t even want to consider his feelings one way or the other because . . . Liz. Enough said. She was his friend. He liked it that way. Simple. Uncomplicated. Easy.
They’d never mucked things up by getting personal. Yet their relationship went deeper than any other he’d had with another woman. Maybe because those had been heavy on the physical side of things and light on deep emotion. Liz knew him better than anyone. If he mixed in a physical relationship with her—
He couldn’t go there.
The friendship meant too much to him. And yet, it was because of her that they’d remained so close. She drove the relationship.
He counted on her to keep them connected.
Not that he didn’t call her or drop by to see her now and again. He did. But he reluctantly admitted that normally that was because he wanted something.
“I can practically feel you thinking.” Declan interrupted his thoughts. “You keep grinding away on this, smoke is going to come out your ears.”
“Shut up.”
“Very mature.” Declan settled back, eyes closed. “If you want things to be different, if you want to keep her, you need to be different.”
He’d taken her for granted. He owned that. He owed her an apology for it, but it didn’t mean they shouldn’t be friends anymore. He could do better. He would.
If she’d give him a shot.
That if scared him.
He didn’t want to lose her.
Liz was special.
Clint saw that. Maybe whatever they had wouldn’t last. He hoped it didn’t because Clint seemed like an asshat. The arm-grabbing thing definitely sent up a red flag. And he’d talk to Liz about it if she didn’t do something. Like leave the guy.
But someone else would surely come along and see what a wonderful person she was and he’d be right back here faced with losing her as a friend. Because no way some guy would allow her to be best friends with him when she