Chapter 9

“You’re adding another day before I can get back into Mystery Cup?” Blake groaned. “I thought you said I could open back up the day after tomorrow.”

“Sorry, Blakey. The biohazard team won’t be able to finish up for two or three days, minimum.” Kyle frowned. “And don’t go thinking that gives you one more day to chase down suspects. You’re lucky I don’t lock your butt in a cage after what you pulled today.”

“Oh, come on. I got great information. Sean taught at KU! That’s proof he knew Nikki.” Unable to sit still any longer, Blake bounced up from her couch and began to pace back and forth across her living room.

“Blake, that doesn’t prove anything.” Kyle sat on the large overstuffed couch, stroking Ninja’s fur. “Half of the Kansas City metro area went to KU. It’s a big school. And by the way, what part of ‘stay out of it’ did you not understand?”

“You’re missing the point.” Blake stopped pacing for a moment to glare at her sister then started her trek around the room again. “Normally, I might say you’re right, but considering Sean and Nikki’s initial reaction to each other… well, don’t you think that’s a little coincidental?”

A loud sigh escaped Kyle, and she pressed her fingers to her temples as though Blake were giving her a headache, which in all actuality, she probably was. “Okay, look, I already know he taught at KU.”

Blake came to a halt so immediately that she scared Ninja, who leapt off the couch and quickly sauntered away. “You knew? And you didn’t tell me that?”

The look on Kyle’s face was one Blake was quite used to. Lips pressed together tightly, eyes narrowed to slits, it was the look of admonishment, the one that sometimes made her forget she was the older sister.

“Now, Blake.” Kyle’s tone was just shy of patronizing. “I didn’t tell you because you’re not investigating this case. I am. Because this is my job! You don’t seem to understand that there is a murderer out there. This isn’t a game. Someone could come after you. Leave this alone.”

Feeling defeated, she sank down onto the couch next to her sister. The flat-screen TV on her wall was tuned to an episode of Law & Order, but it was muted as Detective Benson pressed her palms against the table and leaned forward to interrogate a suspect. Blake turned her attention back to Kyle. “I just can’t sit here and do nothing.”

Her sister’s face softened, and she reached out to pat Blake’s leg. “I do understand. But if I tell you anything, you have to keep it to yourself, okay?”

Blake lit up, and she had to stop herself from clapping her hands together in glee. “I promise.”

Uncertainty crossed Kyle’s face, but she sighed and shook her head. “When you were in my office this morning, that was the information Jason had for me. He found out where Sean Larson used to work. We also talked to Todd Lang again this afternoon, and we know that he used to guest lecture at KU. Sean wasn’t lying about that.”

Blake could feel her forehead creasing as she thought. “So it’s possible they both knew her at KU. Come on, no way do you really think that’s a coincidence.”

“It’s not a matter of what I think, Blake.” Kyle sat back and crossed one leg over the other. “What matters is the evidence, and right now, we have nada.”

“But they knew her!” Her eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. “Oh goodness, Kyle, it could be any one of them. What if Todd wanted his relationship with Nikki to be over so he could work things out with Sabrina? And what if Nikki didn’t want to let him go? How good of a friend is Sean?”

Kyle cocked a brow. “You really think they’re good enough friends that Sean would commit murder for him?” She shook her head. “I don’t see it.”

“Then what about Sabrina?” Blake clenched and unclenched her hands as she thought. “Maybe she found out about Nikki and Todd’s relationship and went ballistic? Or maybe Nikki threatened to go public with the relationship and was trying to shake down Todd or Sabrina for money. Crap, there’s so much to work out there.”

“Well, Sean is coming in to the station tomorrow afternoon to answer more questions. I will be asking him about Todd, and you know I have a knack for being able to tell if someone is lying. If Sean really does know something, we will find out.” Kyle smiled and glanced in the direction of the kitchen. “Now, I’m pretty sure you promised me espresso brownies.”

Kyle’s obvious attempt at changing the subject did nothing to sway Blake from wanting to inquire about the information her sister had learned from Todd. But the question died on her tongue. She knew her best bet was to wait until after Sean’s interview tomorrow afternoon. Then she could try to glean more information.

She got up, and Kyle followed her to the kitchen. “You’re going to love these brownies. I think they’re going to be a huge hit at the café. I made extra so I can give some to the interview candidates tomorrow.”

Kyle’s firm hand on her elbow stopped Blake mid-stride. “Interview candidates? You’re interviewing people?”

She lifted her shoulder in a slight shrug. “Well, why not? I figure if they’re interested in working for me while my shop is closed for murder cleanup, then they must be pretty dedicated, right?”

Brown hair flipped furiously back and forth as Kyle shook her head. “Blake, you are not having strangers come to your house. Are you crazy? There’s a murd—”

A palm in the air stopped her sister’s diatribe. “Calm down, little sister. No need for a lecture. I’m doing the interviews at Sliced. I do have some common sense, you know.”

A bright shade of pink colored Kyle’s cheeks. “Sorry. I guess I’m a little on edge.”

“And that is why you need chocolate. Come on.” Blake hooked her arm through her sister’s and escorted her prom-style to the kitchen.

Her sister’s mouth dropped open at the sight of the brownies, and she reached up to wipe away imaginary drool. “Okay, my diet can suck it tonight. Cut me a giant brownie.”

As Blake laughed and reached for a knife, Carly Simon started singing in the quiet kitchen, signaling she had a call.

Glancing at the phone lying on the counter, she saw it was their sister-in-law. “It’s Rachel.” She reached over and hit Speaker. “Hey, babe, what’s up?”

“I’ll tell you what’s up. My mom is keeping the kids tomorrow night. That means you, me, Kyle, Giselle, and Molly. Karaoke at Crossbones!”

Kyle coughed, her eyes wide as she shook her head vehemently.

A grin curved Blake’s lips. “Kyle would love to. Right, Kyle?”

A squeak escaped her sister as a muscle in her jaw twitched.

“Kyle’s there?” Rachel’s bouncy voice asked. “Awesome. I’ll meet you two at Crossbones tomorrow night at seven. Karaoke starts at nine.”

Kyle stammered. “I… uh… but I’m so busy with the case. I don’t know if I can—”

“¡Cállate! You’re going. I think, after this week, we could all use some time to unwind, you know? Appreciate life. And I’m not taking no for an answer. Besides, they have awesome strawberry daiquiris there.” She waited a beat, most likely to see if her sisters-in-law would protest any more.

Finally, Blake said, “Well, I guess you can’t argue with that, right, Kyle?”

Folding her arms on the counter, Kyle leaned forward with a sigh. “They better have ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,’ or I’m not singing.”

A squeal erupted on the other end of the phone. “I’ll make sure it’s on the list before we even go. Now, I have to go get the kids to sleep. Ryan’s getting off soon, and I really want to jump his bones.”

Blake felt her gag reflex kick in at the thought of her brother and Rachel… “Huk… huk…”

“Oh, enough with the gagging, Blake. We’ve been married for ten years. We have sex. Deal with it.”

“Huk.” She clamped her lips shut and held her hand over her mouth before she finally stopped. Then she took a shaky breath. “I’d really rather not.”

“Suck it, Blake. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” The call ended with a click.

Blake shook her head as she picked up a brownie. Maybe Rachel was right. Maybe they could all use a night just to step back from everything.

Holding the brownie under her nose, Blake inhaled deeply, her body relaxing at the scent of dark chocolate. Kyle just scowled, causing Blake to roll her eyes. “Don’t give me that look, sis. If I have to get up and sing, so do you.”

Kyle snatched a brownie out of the pan as she glared at Blake.

With a big bite into her brownie, Blake made a sound of pleasure.

Kyle took an equally big bite, and her eyelids fluttered as she moaned. “You’re lucky you’re a good cook, or I’d kick your ass right about now.”

“Oh, come on, I need you there. Because I’m not fully convinced this isn’t some ploy to set me up with that new doctor I keep hearing about.”

A smile curved Kyle’s lips. “I’ve met him. You could do worse, you know.” She took another bite of her brownie. “You really think Rachel’s trying to be sneaky?”

Although she knew Rachel meant well, sneaky was definitely not beyond the realm of possibility. “I guess we’ll find out.”

“Goodness, these are delicious. I forgot how much I loved strawberry daiquiris.” Blake worked her straw around the bottom of the glass, making very loud slurping noises as she tried to suck up the last little bit of slush.

Micah slid into the booth next to her and pulled the empty glass away, shoving a fresh daiquiri in front of her. Blake looked up and saw Micah’s tousled hair swaying before her eyes. “You are so nice to me. Why are you always so nice?”

Micah put his arm around her as Molly cleared her throat. “I’m thinking you might not need another one, Blake, or you won’t be able to walk out of here.”

Their girls’ night out had grown to include Micah and Ryan, who was currently on stage with his wife, singing “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.” Kyle had gone to the bar to get a fresh drink, leaving Blake in the circular corner booth with Micah, Molly, and Giselle. Blake swiveled her head back and forth from Micah to Giselle and wondered if the girl even knew she was making googly eyes at him. Everyone else seemed to notice… except Micah.

“Ya know,” Blake said as she dragged her first glass back in front of her and stuck her hand in it, trying to reach the slush at the bottom. “Micah, you should really ask Giselle to dance.” She licked the strawberry dribble from her fingers and winced in pain as Giselle’s foot connected with her shin underneath the table.

“Ouch. Hey, watch it, or I’ll give your job to one of those people I interviewed today,” she teased.

A smirk tipped Giselle’s mouth upward. “Which one? The teenager whose mom forced him to apply or the reporter masquerading as a job applicant?”

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Giselle through her daiquiri-induced haze. “Smart ass.”

Someone was giggling somewhere nearby, and Blake was about to look around for the perpetrator, when Sophie sidled up with a tray of tiny little glasses filled with amber liquid. “Tequila shots! Who’s in?” Without waiting for a response, she set the tray down and began to pass limes around the table.

“Why are you serving trays of shots?” Molly licked the back of her hand and sprinkled on some salt. “You work at Sliced, not Crossbones, remember?”

“My skills allow me to balance trays of tequila. I use my powers for good, see?” She raised her shot glass in a mock salute then tilted her head back and drained it in one gulp.

Blake peered skeptically at the amber liquid then shrugged and gulped the tequila. The liquor burned its way down her throat, and she gasped as if she were coming up for air in a swimming pool. “Salt! Where’s the salt?”

Molly shook her red curls and tossed Blake a lime. “Salt first. Lime after.”

Blake popped the whole lime in her mouth, peel and all, and chewed until the burning went away. Maybe tequila shots weren’t such a great idea.

When she saw Giselle’s lips twitch with laughter, she remembered her quest. “Giselle, you were planning to dance with Micah, right?”

Micah blinked in surprise at the two of them as his sister just smirked and shook her head.

“I’m sure Micah doesn’t want to dance right now, Blake,” Giselle said through gritted teeth.

After his shock wore off, a slow smile spread across Micah’s handsome face. “Actually, I’d love to dance.” His hazel eyes sparkled as he looked at Giselle. “What d’ya say, pretty lady?”

The redness staining Giselle’s cheeks actually looked really good with her blue hair. “But they’re singing ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.’ You can’t really dance to Meat Loaf.”

But Micah was already scooting out of the booth. “Oh, I’ll bet we can find a way.” He reached out to her, and Blake happily scooted out to let Giselle slide around. When Micah took her hand, Giselle offered Blake a look that she couldn’t quite place, but she was pretty sure it was happiness. As they sauntered off, Kyle slid back into the booth next to Blake with a fresh vodka cranberry. She stumbled, grabbing the table as she sat down.

“Whoa, watch it, you big lush.” Kyle put a hand on her arm to stabilize her as she slid into the booth. She nodded toward the dance floor, where Micah had his hands on Giselle’s waist. The girl smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They seemed to be swaying and talking more than actually dancing. “Is that your doing?”

Blake took a big slurp of her fresh daiquiri. “Sure. They’ve been making gaga eyes at each other for months. Sometimes, you just need a little push.”

When neither Kyle nor Molly responded, Blake looked up. Her sister’s eyes danced with amusement, and Molly didn’t even try to hide her laughter.

“What? Wha’s funny?”

Kyle leaned into Blake and bumped her shoulder with her own. “You are, drunkard. Does that mean I should tell Ryan to call Dr. Bryant? He can meet us down here, you know.”

Her eyes widened. “No! No hookups… meetups… dateups… whatever. You promised.”

Kyle’s face was a mask of mock innocence. “But, Blake, sometimes you just need a little push.”

“That’s not what I… oh, bite me.” She took another slurp of her drink as Kyle tossed her head back and laughed. “How about you, Mols? Would you be—”

“Heck no!” Molly’s red curls shook furiously. “You know I do not do hookups. I can find a guy on my own if I want one, thank you very much.”

Kyle arched a sculpted brow. “Like the guy sitting at the bar you scared off?”

Blake’s head ping-ponged back and forth between the two women. “You scared off a guy? What happened?”

The noise that escaped Molly was somewhere between a hiss and a groan. “The waitress charged me double… double… for my margarita. Like I wasn’t going to notice that.”

“Uh-oh.” If Blake knew her thrifty friend, Molly would have used her fiery Amazonian presence to terrify any mild-mannered waitress who overcharged her.

“Yeah, uh-oh.” Kyle shot a look of admonishment at Molly. “It happened right before you got here, Blake. It was that bitchy waitress with the high-pitched voice. You know, the one with the perpetual eye roll. Anyway, the girl turned her snooty back on Molly when she was mid-complaint, and Molly yanked her back by the ponytail.”

A bark of laughter bubbled up before Blake could stop it. “You did not do that! How are you still here and not kicked out?”

“Because she’s my friend, and I have a lot of influence around here, you know.” Kyle blew on her knuckles and brushed them on her shirt to jokingly show how cool she was.

“Whatever,” Molly said with a laugh. “It was more likely because I gave the manager my phone number.”

Blake choked on a gulp of daiquiri slush. “No way!”

“You didn’t tell me that!” Kyle practically shouted. “Details! We want details!”

“Oh no!” Molly twirled her finger at Blake. “I’d much rather hear about your prospects.”

Blake started to shake her head and regretted the motion as the room spun a little bit. “The last thing I want to do is contemplate my nonexistent love life.” Maybe she should take Ryan up on this most recent blind date offer. Goodness knew she wasn’t getting anywhere on her own. The only person she’d been even remotely attracted to recently was Sean Larsen, and… well, she might be better off narrowing down her dating choices to members of the community who weren’t suspects in a murder investigation.

“Ooo, there’s Jason. Yay!” Kyle clapped her hands together, reminding Blake of Rachel and her bouncy excitement. “Molls, scooch out so I can go snag him. I don’t want to make Blake get up. She might fall.”

“I have not had that much drunk… drinking… to drink. I haven’t had to drink much. Oh, shut up.”

Kyle scooted out of the booth, laughing. “Oh, Blakey, I love you. Be right back.”

Molly sat back down as Kyle sashayed away in her black-striped mini dress, and Blake wondered how every other woman in the world managed to look so much more elegant than she did.

“I need more tequila.” Sophie scooted out of the booth too. “Plus, there’s a super-hot guy at the bar who has muscles on top of muscles. I’m thinking he really needs to buy me a drink.” Sophie made her way across the bar, and to her credit, she managed the trip with only a minimal bit of wobble—a bit of a surprise, considering how much tequila she’d consumed in the last hour.

“So, Kyle sure does have quite a catch in Jason,” Molly said, tipping back her bottle of beer.

Even though she was happy that Kyle seemed to have found love, Blake couldn’t help the stab of jealousy she felt as she looked over to see Jason wrap his arms around her sister. The love in Kyle’s eyes was evident.

Blake glanced at the stage, where Ryan and Rachel were singing about half the words to the song in between kisses. Then she looked at Micah and Giselle, who were still swaying on the dance floor.

“I’m going to die alone,” she moaned. “The good news is that Ninja will probably eat my body before the smell has a chance to drift out into the street.”

Molly barked out a laugh. “Well, join the club, sister, because I sure as heck don’t have any male suitors knocking down my door. At least you have prospects.”

She snorted, listing a little to the left as she sucked up more daiquiri. “What prospects? My last boyfriend dumped me and married his ex less than three months later. It’s like dating me made him realize what he didn’t want. And the blind dates Ryan and Rachel have set me up on?” She shivered at the thought. “They seriously need to get out of the matchmaking business.”

“Uh-huh, and what about him?” Molly asked, nodding toward the front of the bar.

Blake followed her friend’s gaze, and heat suffused her cheeks. “Oh God. What’s he doing here?”

Standing in the door of Crossbones, his eyes searching the room, was Sean Larson. He wore a black T-shirt, and Blake nearly started drooling over his arms. She’d thought his inked forearms were sexy, but they were nothing compared to his sculpted granite biceps. His intricate tattoo seemed to form symbols of some sort as it wrapped up his corded arm muscles. Her gaze traveled down to the worn jeans that hugged his hips as though they were made for him, and somehow, the whole package made her heart speed up.

Molly sighed, a dreamy sound. “It’s really not fair for him to look that good all the time.”

Blake thought it best not to comment on Sean’s looks because she really didn’t think the whole town needed to know that she heard angels singing every time he walked into the room. “Did he come in by himself? Is he here with someone?”

Molly lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I didn’t see anyone else. I just looked up, and there he was. Hey, I totally forgot to ask about Kyle’s interview with him. Did she learn any new info at all?”

“It was a no-go.” Even though Blake was speaking to Molly, she didn’t take her eyes off Sean. “Kyle had to leave on a domestic violence call, so she had to push Sean’s interview until tomorrow. It would have been nice, though, if she’d texted to tell me that instead of me having to call every fifteen minutes until she got back to me.”

Sean continued to drag his eyes across the room, and as if he could feel her staring at him, his gaze shifted to her. His lips parted, and Blake felt her insides heat up as those emerald eyes seemed to drink her in. She wanted to look away, but his intense stare pinned her in place.

Is he here to see me? Her heart stuttered as he took a step in her direction. He made it only a few feet before a hand landed on his back. The hand was connected to Todd Lang.

“Todd?” Blake grimaced. “How long has he been here? I didn’t see him come in.”

“Yeah, I saw him when we came in. He’s sitting over in the corner with Sabrina.” Molly nodded to a table on the opposite side of the small dance floor. Sure enough, Sabrina sat at a table, clutching a martini glass as she stared at Todd and Sean.

“Huh. Usually, my anti-witch alarm goes off when Sabrina’s in the same room. You’d think I would have noticed her.” She looked back at the men. Todd jerked a thumb over his shoulder and turned back toward Sabrina’s table. Sean shot one last glance over his shoulder at Blake before following Todd.

Blake watched him sit down and prop his elbows on the table as Todd launched into a conversation.

“What do you think that’s about?” she asked. They seemed to blur in front of her, and she blinked rapidly. It must be the lighting.

“Hmm, well, I know they’re friends. Seems normal they’d be out for a drink together, right?”

“I guess.” She turned back to the table, stabbing her straw in her drink as if she were trying to hurt it.

“You know, Blake, you really should go after that boy before someone snatches him up. I’ve seen how some of the women in this town have already started tripping over themselves to get to him.”

“Like who?” she asked a little too quickly. Not that she was interested. Liar. Nope, she was just fine on her own. Batman didn’t need a man.

“Elaine Page, for one,” Molly continued. “I’m surprised she’s not here, actually. Friday’s usually her night to hunt for dates.”

Blake was well aware of Elaine’s reputation since the woman had been divorced, and she knew that Molly was being nice by using the term “date.” Still, the thought of Elaine and Sean made her stomach clench.

She continued to stir her drink. “Right now, I’m just focused on figuring out who Nikki killed.”

“You mean who killed Nikki?” Molly offered.

“Yeah, that too.” Maybe that third daiquiri wasn’t such a great idea.

“I thought Todd was at the top of the list.”

Blake leaned back, the smoke-filled bar leaving a bad taste in her mouth. “He has an alibi according to Kyle. He was home with Sabrina.”

“Sabrina’s his alibi? Pfft,” Molly said in disbelief, shaking her head. “Puh-leez. They’ve been separated for months, and now he says he was with her the whole night? That seems awfully convenient.”

“Tell me about it.” She’d racked her brain, trying to figure out a way to prove they were lying, but her alcohol-addled mind wasn’t having much luck figuring out a solution. “They were together the whole evening except when Todd went out to pick up pizza at Killer Tomatoes.”

“Killer Tomatoes?”

“Yeah, but that wouldn’t have taken long. Even if he had to wait a few minutes for pizza, he still wouldn’t have been gone more than thirty minutes.”

“Yeah, except for one small problem. Killer Tomatoes was closed Tuesday night.”

Blake’s jaw dropped, and she searched Molly’s face to see if she was joking. “What are you talking about?”

“The night Nikki died, I stopped for pizza on the way home. Killer Tomatoes was closed because Gino’s contractor was painting the dining room. So if Todd was gone for thirty minutes, it wasn’t because he was getting pizza.”

Blake set her straw down and stopped stabbing at the slush in her glass. Her mouth dropped open as she sat back. She cast a glance at Sean’s table, where she watched him rub a hand over his face. When he started talking again, his cheeks and forehead had reddened, and the cords in his neck stood out as he poked his finger in Todd’s direction, emphasizing each word.

“What do you think that’s about?” Molly asked.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “But he doesn’t look happy.”

Sean stood up abruptly, and for a moment, she honestly thought she could see steam coming out of his ears. He appeared to be shouting at Todd, then he turned and stalked to the bar.

Anguish seemed to overcome Sabrina, and she covered her face with her hands. Todd’s arm went around her, and he leaned in as he rubbed her arm. But Sabrina didn’t seem to want his comfort. She dropped her hands and shoved his arm away. Then she jumped up, her face tight with anger. Blake couldn’t understand what she was yelling, but her cheeks turned bright red, and she waved her hands angrily, before she turned and ran in the direction of ladies’ room as fast as her stiletto boots—Seriously? Stiletto boots?—would carry her. Todd got up and rushed after her down the hall.

Blake didn’t waste any time as she started to slide out of the booth. Just as she got up, the room spun like a merry-go-round, and her stomach pitched.

“Whoa, Blake.” Rachel and Ryan had been on the way to the table, but Rachel dropped Ryan’s hand and rushed over to her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine. Bathroom.” She pressed a hand to her stomach. “I need the bathroom.”

“I’d let her go, Rach,” Molly said. “Especially before she finds out whether those daiquiris taste as good coming up as they do going down.”

“Oh God!” Rachel backed up as if Blake might spew at any moment.

Blake made a mental note to thank Molly for distracting Ryan and Rachel so she could continue her plan to follow… somebody. She hadn’t really decided which one yet in all honesty.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Rachel asked.

“Nope, nope, I’m good.”

“Blake,” Ryan called after her.

“Nope, really, I’m good.” She was actually quite proud of how quickly she was able to move, considering she was teetering a bit. She yanked at the hem of the short blue dress Rachel had forced her into and thanked her lucky stars she hadn’t been talked into wearing heels.

She started down the hallway to the bathroom. It forked off in two directions. One path led to the restrooms, and the other led to the back exit, which had been propped open, most likely so people could go outside to hang out in a quieter spot where they could hear each other and not have to shout over the music.

But the people out there weren’t speaking quietly. She heard Sabrina’s voice raised in anger. Gone was her baby voice that she used most of the time. Her voice was hard, tinged with rage. “I’m not doing this. You cheated on me! I’m not lying for you, Todd. I’m not!”

“I’m not asking you to.” Todd’s voice was pleading. “Sabrina, baby—”

“Don’t ‘baby’ me.”

Blake heard a strangled sigh. “Sabrina, I’m not lying. I’m telling you the truth.”

“Well, gee, you’ll have to forgive me if I’m having a hard time trusting you.”

Heels clicked quickly on the pavement, the sound growing fainter.

“Sabrina! Sabrina, wait! Wait!” Todd’s voice grew fainter too as he strode off after his wife.

Blake inched forward in the hall, ready to follow. But the toe of her shoe caught on an edge of loose carpet. She lost her footing and started to pitch forward, bracing herself for the impact of the ground.

Then she let out a hmph as an arm hooked around her midsection, pulling her upright. She gasped for a breath, steadying herself. “What the—”

Strong arms spun her around, and emerald-green eyes looked down at her. Sean reached up to brush her hair back from her face. “What are you doing, Coffee Goddess?” His hypnotic gaze trapped her, and she felt a tumbling sensation as if she were on a roller coaster.

“Doing? Uh, bathroom. I need the bathroom.”

His big hands rested on her shoulders, steadying her. “Right.” He tilted his head to the left. “Bathroom’s that way.”

“Oh, um, the halls look the same. Thanks.”

She started to pull away, but his grip tightened. “You sure you’re okay?”

Other than the fact that she felt her heart beating in her cheeks? Lord only knew how red her face must be. She raised her hands to fan herself. “Hot. I’m just hot.”

His gaze traveled down her short blue dress to her exposed legs and back up again to her face. “Yes. I’d say you certainly are.”

Oh God. Did that just happen?

She opened her mouth to say something, but all that escaped was a squeak.

Sean’s mouth curved up as his perfect eyebrows rose in question. “What was that?”

“Um, what about you?”

His eyes danced as they assessed her. “What about me, Coffee Goddess?”

“Are you okay?”

His thumb stroked little circles on her shoulders. “I’m fine. But it is hot in here. In fact, I’m heating up right now.”

Her eyes must be bugging out of her head. Her mouth was certainly hanging open. And all thoughts left her as she stood stock-still, staring at Sean, confused. He was obviously talking to the wrong person. He doesn’t mean me.

“Breathe, Blake, breathe. I don’t want you to pass out on me, sweetheart.”

She sucked in a deep breath then tried to take a step back and staggered.

Sean’s arms were around her in an instant, his face growing serious. Then he was holding her close, her cheek pressed against his hard granite chest. “You’re not much of a drinker, are you, Coffee Goddess?”

“Not s’much. I think daiquiris are the devil.”

That whiskey-rich laugh rumbled through his chest, and she felt it through her whole body.

“Really, you should let me go. I should get to the bathroom.”

“I’m not letting you go when you can’t even stand upright. Where is your sister? Your friends?” His hand stroked her hair, and she was really glad she’d taken the time to flat-iron it.

“Out there somewhere.” He was so warm, and she was so sleepy. “Where are your friends?”

His hand paused for a heartbeat before it continued its trail, rubbing up and down her back. “My friends?”

“Todd and Sabrina. I saw you talking. You seemed upset.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh, Blake.” His fingers threaded through her hair. “You’re good at sticking your nose in where you shouldn’t, aren’t you?”

“Me? Just lil’ bit.” She could hear herself slurring her words. That couldn’t be a good sign.

“Let’s just say that sometimes it can be frustrating figuring out who your real friends are.” He almost sounded sad, and her heart hurt just a little bit for him.

“I’m your friend,” she mumbled.

Pulling back from her, he held her at arm’s length. Green eyes assessed her, and there was a warmth in them she hadn’t seen before. “Are you, Blake? Are you my friend?”

She nodded, furrowing her brow. “Of course I am.”

“What’s going on? Blake?” Rachel’s voice startled her, making her jump.

Sean’s arm returned to her waist as they both turned to Rachel. “I found Blake swaying like she was on a boat rather than solid ground. I didn’t want to let her go since I wasn’t sure she could stand upright for very long.”

Rachel’s dark eyes shot back and forth between them, then her face split into a wide smile. “You are so thoughtful, Sean. I was just coming to check on you, Blake. Ryan wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Sean turned to look down at her. “Well, I’ll turn you over to Rachel. Looks like she’s got it covered.”

His arm tightened around her waist, and he held her gaze for several seconds before he let her go. Rachel’s arm went around her as soon as Sean’s left, and even though Rachel was supporting her, Blake immediately missed Sean’s warmth and strength.

He backed up, still holding her gaze. “Later, Coffee Goddess.” Then he disappeared back into the main bar.

“Wow,” Rachel breathed. “Care to tell me what was going on there?”

Blake shook her head, stopping when the motion made her stomach lurch. “I wish I knew.”