Need You for Mine (Heroes of St. Helena)(37)

“I see your point.” He was so screwed. “Okay, tailgate it is.”

Adam grabbed a cart full of red plates, cups, and matching paper napkins. If he couldn’t do fire hats, at least the color would be firefighter approved.

Seth and Adam loaded up the rig and headed back toward town. He hit Send on his Bluetooth and called his sister.

“I’m busy,” Frankie said in greeting.

“Then I’ll make it quick,” Adam said. “I’m heading up Beat the Heat and was hoping you and Nate would donate the wine this year.”

“Even if we weren’t sold out for the next decade, you couldn’t afford me.”

The stress of the day settled behind his eyes. He’d assumed as much. After his sister’s Red Steel was crowned Cork King a few years back, which was pretty much like the Oscars of wine, her label had become one of the most sought-after in wine country. Which meant he needed to contact another winery.

Not that his family didn’t own a bunch, it was just Adam had never really been a part of the family business. Hell, he didn’t even like wine—he was more of a beer kind of guy—so sniffing around for handouts always felt wrong.

“How about donating a bottle or two then for the raffle?” he asked. “And asking Grandpa to provide the wine for the event?”

Frankie was quiet for a long moment. “I’ll donate a case for the raffle and ask Nate if DeLuca Vineyards is interested, but it will cost you.”

“Jesus, Frankie. If you could pull that off, I’d do anything.”

And he meant it. Owing Frankie was like owing the mob—if you didn’t pay up, she’d come after you with a bat. But walking into the meeting with the caterer and wine locked down?

Totally worth it.

“Nate and I are going away for a few days and we need you to come and stay with the alpacas.”

“I meant anything but that,” Adam said, his nuts already turning in on themselves. “You know that Mittens hates other men in his space. And the little one always goes after my boys.”

“He’s just sniffing you out. It’s all normal male behavior one would find at a sporting event or bar,” Frankie said. “And that’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

Adam weighed his options, and they weren’t good. Impressing Lowen or pissing off Frankie. He blew out a breath. “Fine, just let me know when and I’ll check my work schedule.”

Adam hung up and prayed he’d find himself stuck with overtime.

Half an hour later, he pulled into the engine bay to find that either he was late or Chief Lowen was early. Adam glanced at his watch. “Shit. Lowen is early.”

“And he’s talking to that sexy sweater set chick,” Seth said.

Adam paused from grabbing the bag off the floorboard to peer through the windshield and nearly choked. Because Lowen was indeed talking to a sexy chick, but she wasn’t wearing a sweater set. At least not today.

Nope, everyone’s best friend, Harper, was holding court with his boss and crew, decked out in a flowy sundress that hugged her curves and flirted around her thighs. It was soft yellow with little white flowers and exactly zero straps, leaving her silky shoulders completely bare, and him begging the question of exactly what she had on beneath.

A question that f*cking McGuire was probably also asking himself. He was using Harper’s trusting nature to peruse more than just the items in the big pink pastry box she held.

McGuire said something, Harper said something back and touched his arm, then laughed. Real and loud, throwing her head back in a way that tempted the elastic holding up her dress.

Jesus. The guy was practically drooling all over her. And Chief Lowen was no better. The man seemed completely disarmed, smiling at Harper as if she were the most charming person on the planet. Which she was.

Harper had this way about her that was warm and welcoming and, as he was discovering, compelling. But when she smiled, man oh man, he couldn’t seem to stay away. Which only made him wonder why he had never noticed it before.

Sure, he’d noticed Harper around town. It was hard not to with her bright clothes and everything is awesome attitude. But somehow he’d overlooked just how sexy she was. Or maybe it was that she was finally letting her sexy show, and he was lucky enough to witness it.

Either way, he wasn’t about to let a prick like McGuire witness any more than he already had.

“McGuire, I need you to help Seth empty the engine,” Adam said, and all four sets of eyes were on him. “Hey, Cap. Chief.” His gaze met Harper’s, and that buzzing inside that was constantly set to Go shifted. It was still there, but if felt softer somehow. “Harper.”

“Hey, Adam,” she said, gifting him one of those bright smiles that made everyone’s day brighter. “I stopped by to drop these off.” She held up a box of cookies, but her hands shook slightly, telling him she was nervous.

And he knew why. She needed his answer on modeling for her grandma’s shop. An answer that, two seconds after he said he needed to think about it, he’d made up his mind about.

Posing shirtless in a calendar for charity was one thing, but posing in silk boxers and a man’s leisure robe would invite Hugh Hefner jokes. If word ever got out about the shoot, and it would, then his guys would call open season on him and the wisecracks would be never ending. That was saying nothing to how it might weigh in on Lowen’s morality meter.