I didn’t expect to see Rhett again so soon. Even more than that, I didn’t anticipate that his eyes would soften when he saw me like I was a welcome sight. This morning, part of me wondered if he was trying to get away from me as quickly as possible after our . . . um . . . run-in. Yet only hours later, his expression said he wouldn’t mind if I were on the menu.

To every guy who has cursed women for giving off mixed signals, screw you. Guys are worse than women on every level. Just when I decided I was well and truly over Rhett Hennessy, he sucked me back in with a single look. And some groping. And rolling around on the floor of the gym. But how was I supposed to act now?

Too bad there wasn’t facial-recognition software out there to interpret mixed signals. I pulled out my phone to make a quick note to check into the concept and brainstorm commercial applications.

All through lunch, I forced myself to keep up with the flow of conversation instead of disappearing into my own head like I would have done under other circumstances. Being fully engaged instead of distracted, I noticed two things. First, my dad’s forgetfulness was worse than I’d realized. I’d flown him out to California to see me three times in the last year, and it had never been as apparent as it was now.

He’d asked the waitress twice where his order was, and that was after he’d devoured a plate of fried oysters. I was glad he was staying with Heath, because I was concerned about his ability to function by himself. I added another note to my list to research doctors for blood work and cognitive testing as soon as possible. Dad would bitch, but we needed to know if this was the gateway to dementia. I wasn’t leaving Louisiana until we had answers, which meant I needed to get Esme and Erik on the phone to sort things out for an extended absence.

The second thing I noticed was that my brother had taken a turn for Crazyville. He asked Rhett about his plans for staying in town, and when Rhett said he didn’t know yet, Heath shocked the crap out of us both.

“Flounder has that rental place for at least a week. You should just crash with her. I’m sure she wouldn’t care.”

I choked on a sip of water, and all the noise in the restaurant seemed to go silent as my heart pounded while I waited for Rhett’s response. Using only my peripheral vision, I studied him as subtly as possible. He seemed as stunned by the suggestion as I was.

“Where’s my dinner? I ordered an hour ago,” my dad said.

This time, I didn’t try to explain, but continued holding my breath, waiting for Rhett to speak. I counted the seconds as they passed, all twenty-seven of them.

“I’ve got a hotel.”

“But she’s got tons of room, and you could hit that kick-ass pool. Might as well make your trip back a little better by enjoying it.”

Rhett didn’t have a chance to give a definitive answer because my father stood up and yelled across the restaurant.

“Where’s my damned dinner?”

Heath and I shot to our feet to calm Dad down, and the conversation was over.