The Family Gathering (Sullivan's Crossing #3)(73)

“I didn’t do anything to make her think we had a relationship,” Dakota said. “I didn’t encourage her. And I didn’t do anything to purposely offend her. I was polite. Just not interested.”

“You don’t have anything to defend, Dakota. It’s just one of those weird things. We might never get to the bottom of it.”

“I’m sure you’re far too busy for this kind of BS.”

Stan laughed. “This is Timberlake, Dakota. We don’t have that much going on. But let me be straight with you here—I don’t like the thought of someone doing nasty things to one of my people. Lying about assaults, stabbing tires, fouling someone’s car with garbage, and I frankly don’t care if it’s a man or a woman. So I’m checking out this Neely character. I’ll let you know what I find. You let me know what’s on your camera.”

Dakota smiled. “Thanks, Stan.”

*

Sid was serving in the bar in the afternoon. The happy hour and dinner crowd would be descending on them soon and she’d heard from Dakota that he was on his way over. She was completely unprepared to see Neely come into the bar, dressed to the nines as usual, and jump up on a bar stool, all smiles.

“Hi,” she said brightly. “Sid, isn’t it?”

Sid frowned. This was a leap from her finger-snapping order for a chicken Caesar. “Have we met?” Sid asked.

“Well, I guess not officially,” Neely said, putting out her hand. “I’ve heard other people in here call you Sid. I’m Neely.”

“I know who you are,” Sid said. She took the offered hand reluctantly. “What can I get you?”

“Let’s see... I almost always have a salad, but I missed lunch. How about a BLT, fries and... Let’s see... I don’t drink... I just don’t like the taste... How about a tonic with a sliver of lime. Two slivers of lime.”

“You got it,” she said, turning away. She keyed in the food order, then prepared and delivered the drink.

As she was turning away, Neely spoke. “Excuse me, but you seem a bit aloof. Was it something I said?”

“You ordered your meal,” Sid said. “And I said, ‘You got it.’ I think we’ve covered everything.”

“Then why are you so unhappy with me?” Neely asked.

Sid was stunned for a moment. Then she smiled. “You’re reading me wrong. I have things to do before the happy hour crowd arrives. Will there be anything else?”

“I was just wondering, when do you get off work?”

Sid tilted her head. “And you’re asking because...?”

“Maybe we could get together sometime, get to know each other. Maybe for coffee or dessert. Or if you have days off, I’d love to have dinner. I don’t know that many people and we’re about the same age. I bet we’d find we have things in common.”

“Thank you, that’s very nice, but I’m very busy with my job and family and I don’t think we’d have much in common.”

Neely smiled chillingly. “We have Dakota in common. Dakota and Sierra. Sierra is a good friend of mine.”

“Is she?” Sid asked, as if surprised. “I didn’t know that. Then you’re pretty well fixed up. Excuse me.”

Sid went to the kitchen. Rob wasn’t there. She went to the small office he kept in the back, behind the kitchen. He appeared to be on the phone with a vendor. She couldn’t tell if he was arguing about the price of something or complaining about the cost of a delivery, but she lingered in the doorway until he hung up. “Problem?” he asked.

“A very unique problem,” she said. “I’m sure I didn’t tell you about this before but there’s this woman who’s been hitting on and aggravating Dakota and she’s in the bar, waiting for her sandwich. She wants to know if we can be friends. Will you please take the bar for ten or fifteen minutes? I’ll do anything you ask in return.”

He raised his eyebrows in curiosity. “Now I can’t miss it.”

“She’ll hit on you,” Sid said. “Don’t hook up with this one. She’s pure poison.”

“I’m a big boy.”

“No, you’re not all that big. This has fatal attraction written all over it.”

“Yeah, and now I have to see her,” he said.

Because it was irresistible, Sid peeked through the cook’s glass to watch as Rob fastened a white apron around his narrow hips and picked up a cloth to wipe off the bar. He completely ignored Neely, but Sid knew he checked her out. Rob never missed a thing. And she’d loaded the bait—Rob was hot. She knew that, even though he was her brother—he was just plain hot. Six-two, strong shoulders from lifting crates of drinks, narrow hips, long legs, big hands and a face that would cause Hugh Jackman to file charges for theft.

She watched as Neely signaled and Rob went to her, cloth in hand. She said something humorous, he said something back, they laughed together for a moment, then he fetched her sandwich and fries and took it to her. There were only three customers in the place so he went through the swinging door to the kitchen.

Sid was waiting. “What did she say to you?”

“She asked where the waitress was and I said, ‘What waitress? I just have the bartender until four o’clock.’ She asked for you by name and I said you were working in the kitchen for a little while but you’d be back in the bar soon. Then she asked if I was married and I said that I was, to a very jealous woman. She thought that was very funny. But she accused me of making it up.”