Defending Harlow (Mountain Mercenaries #4)(16)

“He’s too skinny. He needs to eat more,” Harlow said.

Black almost choked on the sip of beer he’d just taken.

“I’d like to see you tell him that,” Ball said.

“I will,” Harlow said. “But maybe not today.”

She smiled over at his friend, and Black frowned. Maybe having his buddies here wasn’t the best idea. Yes, he needed their help with the situation at the women’s shelter, but both Meat and Ball were single. The last thing he wanted was for one of them to decide they were interested in Harlow.

“She doesn’t date,” he blurted—then immediately cringed.

“Yeah?” Meat asked.

“Interesting,” Ball added.

“I don’t either,” Ro threw in.

“You’ve had some bad experiences too?” Harlow asked him, seemingly oblivious to the undercurrents between Black and the others.

“Of course. But that’s not why I don’t date,” Ro told her.

Black silently steered her to the table on the right in the back room with gentle pressure on her back. There were pool tables all around the room, and this particular table was where they did all their business. It was set off to the side and private.

“It’s not?” Harlow asked.

“No. I don’t think my wife would approve of me taking out someone else,” Ro told her with a straight face.

Harlow grinned. “Probably not.”

Black knew he was being irrational, but he didn’t like Harlow smiling at Ro . . . even though he also knew without a doubt that his friend would never cheat on Chloe. He tamped down his jealousy as best he could. “Meat, did you find out anything about the exes of the residents at the shelter?”

And just like that, the easygoing feeling among the group disappeared. Black hated seeing worry lines replace the relaxed look on Harlow’s face, but the sooner they talked business, the sooner he could get to the “not dating” part of the night.

“I put the names that you gave me through my database,” Meat said, “and I have to say, most of those men aren’t exactly pillars of society.”

“I think we guessed that,” Black said dryly.

“Right. So, Nathanial Taylor, otherwise known as Nate, is twenty-four and has been arrested once for domestic battery. His ex-wife, Carrie Taylor, is twenty-seven and moved out while he was incarcerated.”

“Any evidence he’s been in contact with her?” Ball asked.

“The residents aren’t supposed to call or talk to their exes,” Harlow threw in. When all four of the men around the table turned to stare at her, she quickly said, “Not everyone has an ex, but it’s a general condition of living at First Hope. I know that doesn’t mean that they don’t, but it’s against the rules. The waiting list to get into the shelter is pretty long, and I don’t think any of the residents would risk breaking the rules and getting kicked out.”

“I agree,” Ro said. “I’ve been there enough to get the vibe that they all know how lucky they are to be there.”

“Exactly,” Harlow said.

“Right. So if I can continue,” Meat said a little impatiently.

Black was ready to tear him a new asshole if he upset Harlow, but her lips twitched as if she was trying not to smile, so he let it go.

“The divorce went through without any issues. Since neither Nate nor Carrie had much money, and they didn’t have kids, it was fairly straightforward. Wyatt Newton is currently living with his new girlfriend and her kids. He—”

“Wait—she has kids?” Harlow asked, leaning forward in her chair.

“Yeah,” Meat said. “Two. An eleven-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl. Why?”

“What an asshole,” Harlow said before taking a long drink from her glass. “He just up and left Julia and Jasper, telling them he didn’t want a family anymore, said he’d found a new woman to love. Looks like that was a big fat lie. At least the part about not wanting a family.”

“Did you expect him to be an upstanding citizen?” Black asked gently.

“Well, no, I guess not,” she said, turning to him. “But Jasper isn’t doing well. He’s only thirteen, and he’s upset that his own father threw him away. He doesn’t trust anyone anymore, and that’s just wrong for someone his age. If you can’t count on your father, who can you count on?”

“He can count on us,” Black said firmly. “And you. And Loretta and his mom. It sucks that had to happen to him, but would it be better for his father to still be living with them and cheating on his mom and treating him like shit?”

“No,” Harlow said grudgingly. “But he’s struggling. And if he knew his father’s new family included a boy around his age, it would devastate him. Heck, maybe that’s why he’s struggling,” she mused. “Maybe he overheard his mom talking about it or something.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Black said.

“Me too,” Ball chimed in.

“We could invite him to play football with us . . . er . . . soccer to you Americans,” Ro added.

“Um, he’s not exactly athletic,” Harlow told them. “His dad always wanted him to play football—real football, I mean, American football—and Jasper didn’t want anything to do with it.”