If We Dare - J.H. Croix Page 0,40

in to the urge to look his way. Major mistake. The moment I met his eyes and saw the heat banked in his gaze, my stomach spun, and another wash of heat rolled through my body.

“No, it’s just crowded.” I forced myself to look away.

“So how is Dave?” Dani asked Walker.

Walker looked over. “He’s doing okay.”

“Can’t believe the guy had a heart attack on his wedding night,” Dawson offered in between bites.

“What exactly happened? I haven’t had a chance to ask,” Jackson chimed in.

Dawson replied, “Dave had a heart attack right after the reception.”

“Damn.” Jackson’s gaze swung to Walker. “So he’s okay?”

“Oh yeah. Now he’s gotta get used to eating healthier,” Walker said with a wry smile.

“We never did hear how your fake date went,” Dawson interjected.

“Clearly, I’m not up to speed on anything. What the hell is a fake date?” Shay asked.

I felt Valentina elbow me, and I returned the favor.

Dawson grinned. “Walker needed a date, so Jade went to keep his old girlfriend off his back.”

“Well? Did it work?” Dani asked, arching a brow.

Jesus. Now, this was a group conversation. I knew avoiding it would only raise more suspicions, so I shrugged. Everyone knew, so there was no sense in not talking about it. But everyone didn’t know that our date turned out not so fake after all. If you counted that we knew each other quite intimately now.

Walker finished chewing and took a sip of water before responding, “It went well. I mean, the whole weekend was overshadowed by Dave’s heart attack. Jade was convincing.”

I smiled. “I can be charming when I choose.”

Valentina grinned. “You’re always charming.”

“Not always,” I murmured in reply before draining the rest of my water.

“Huh? A fake date. At least now I’m up to speed on the gossip,” Shay said.

“It’s not gossip,” I retorted, perhaps a bit too sharply.

When I turned, I caught Dani watching me, a clear speculative gleam in her eyes.

A few hours later, the guys had left to go to the bar as planned. It was just the girls—the girls being me, Valentina, Shay, Dani, and Grace. I had to put up with more curiosity than I preferred. Evie had gone home with Dawson early after she managed to cut her hand on the serrated blade on the industrial size saran wrap holder, giving herself a nasty gash.

“What’s with all the questions?” I muttered on the heels of Dani asking me again about the weekend with Walker.

Dani lifted her wine glass and wrinkled her nose as she spun it in her fingers. “There’re always questions. Especially when someone looks at a guy the way you were looking at Walker tonight,” she said pointedly.

“This from you who took forever to admit you never fell out of love with Wade,” I retorted.

Dani blew a puff of air out of her lips, directing it toward a loose curl falling over her eye and expertly sending it up in the air and out of her eyes. “And I finally got around to it. So there,” she said firmly.

“I feel like I’m at a disadvantage.” I cast a pleading look in Valentina’s direction. But, damn her, she was replying to a text on her phone, probably from my brother.

“What do you mean?” Grace interjected.

“I don’t work here all the time like the rest of you.”

Valentina finally set her phone down. Her cheeks were pink, further proof that she was texting with Lucas. “It doesn’t matter. It’s quality, not quantity,” she teased.

I sighed. “I had a very nice time at the wedding. Well, except for Dave’s heart attack.”

“I wasn’t asking about the wedding, I was asking what you thought about Walker,” Dani returned.

“Are you telling me you don’t think Walker’s handsome? Because I don’t have a thing for him or anything, but that guy is like seriously hot,” Shay offered.

Valentina snorted a laugh, finally coming to my defense. “Jade just said they had a nice time at the wedding. Let’s leave it alone.”

Dani threw a knowing look my way, but shifted topics, turning her lasered curiosity to Evie. “Speaking of men, when is Mack moving home? It seems like he’s changed plans several times,” Dani commented, referring to Evie’s older brother.

Evie shrugged. “He has. When I talked to him last week, he said no matter what, he’d be home this summer.”

Shay piped up, “Jackson said he told Mack about the upcoming opening on the first responder crew here with one of the guys moving.”

“Did you want some wine?” Valentina asked from my side as she filled