Tendrils of steam came off the piping hot platter of hot wings the waitress brought to the table for the three men who were actively ogling the pub’s female patrons. “Can I get you, gentlemen, anything else?” the waitress asked.

“Do you happen to know if that young lady over there is unattached?” Ethan asked about a young curvy redhead who was laughing as she talked to a couple of other women. Her hand on her hip, her lips pursed to one side, she gave off an air of no nonsense while still being incredibly sexy.

The waitress followed his gaze, finding a woman she did know. She knew her very well and wondered if she should divulge any information about her or not. When she looked at Ethan, she saw him cutting his eyes to look back at her. Taking a chance the man wasn’t a complete jerk, she said, “She’s available. Her name’s Caitlyn, she goes by Cait, though.”

“Cool, can you send her a Rob Roy from this gent here?” Ethan asked as he gestured to Phoenix. “He’s the interested party.”

The waitress changed her attention to the tall, handsome man with dark hair that was long and hanging free in a silky sheet that went to the middle of his back. A smile crept over her face as she was sure Cait would like the man. “I’ll get that to her. And can I tell her your name, sir?”

“Tell her Phoenix Nelson sent her the drink,” Phoenix said.

A nod had her leaving to fulfill the drink order as Griffin leaned in to whisper, “And I’ve found your woman, Ethan.”

“Which one is she?” Ethan asked with excitement.

“Not yet, you have to wait until the waitress comes back for me to give her the drink order.” Griffin chuckled and sat back.

Phoenix was still looking for just the right woman for Griffin, and when his eyes roamed past the bar, he found the one he thought would be perfect. A young looking woman, lithe, dark blonde, long hair, tall, the way Griffin had described his type of female. “And I’ve chosen yours, Griffin.”

“Great!” Griffin remarked as he looked around to try to find who Phoenix might’ve chosen.

The men watched as their waitress took the drink to the redhead for Phoenix. His eyes were trained on the woman. She was gorgeous. Wearing a tight white V-necked shirt the tops of her ample breasts spilled out of and a pair of tight black jeans that showed off her rounded ass, she was a vision of sexiness and Phoenix had a good feeling about her.

When the woman looked his way and waved at him as she smiled and mouthed, ‘Thank you,’ he smiled back and lifted his mug of beer in a toast from across the room. She raised her glass too, and they each took a sip then her eyes moved on from his as she went back to talking to her girlfriends.

“I like her, Ethan,” Phoenix said as he kept his eyes on the woman. “You picked a great one for me.”

The waitress came back to the table, holding a short, fat glass. “Cait said to give you this, Phoenix.” She placed the glass in front of him.

“What is it?” he asked before taking a sip.

“It’s called a Superman. It’s a fruity drink.” She waited for him to take a sip and watched a smile form on his lips.

“Yum,” Phoenix said. “Tell her I said thank you and that if she were any sweeter, I’d have to make jam out of her.” It was one of the dreadful lines Julia used to use, a thing the men had made a rule about using to reel in their catch.

With a short burst of laughter, the waitress said, “K, anything else?”

Phoenix gave her a nod. “That woman by the bar, is she free?”

“Jess?” she asked as she trained her eyes to see where his were set. “Yeah, she’s free.”

“Send her a Rob Roy and tell her it’s from Griffin Houser,” Phoenix told the waitress as he pointed to Griffin.

Griffin smiled at the waitress who looked him over. “Tell her if she was any prettier, they’d have to lock her up.”

“Sure,” the waitress said as she rolled her eyes.

Griffin added, “And that woman over there, the one who’s talking to the older woman. Is she unattached?”

“That’s Kellie, they call her Kel,” the waitress informed him. “She’s been broken up with a man she almost married for about a year. She’s free as a bird but also not looking for anything or anyone at the moment. You sure you wanna go there?”

Being that woman was for Ethan, he leaned forward and said, “Oh, yes. I want to go there. Send her a Rob Roy and tell her that her knight in shining armor, Ethan Southern, has come to rescue his damsel in distress.”

“Oh, my God, you guys have got to be kidding, right?” the waitress asked as she shook her head. “These lines are terrible. Let me tell her something that might actually work in your favor.”

Ethan placed a hundred-dollar bill in her hand. “Tell the girls exactly what we asked you too and your tips won’t stop coming.”

“Sure thing,” she said then sashayed away to get the drinks and toss out the stupid pickup lines the men had come up with. “Fools,” she mumbled to herself. The men had no idea who they’d all chosen to hit on. In her opinion, none of them would be seeing any action that night, if that’s what they were thinking.

Making her way to Jess, she placed the drink in front of her, making Jess look at her with confusion. “You know I only drink beer, Bonnie.”

“I know that,” the waitress said then pointed out the tall, handsome man who’d sent the drink. “Do you see that guy there?”

Jess looked in the direction Bonnie’s finger was pointing and smiled. “Damn! He’s hot as hell, Bonnie. You sure he meant that to come to me?”

“He did, and it comes with a message. He said to let you know that if you were any prettier, they’d have to lock you up. Oh, yeah! And his name’s Griff.”

Jess laughed and waved at the man who was staring her down. “What a moron. Tell him, if he was any hotter, I’d have to call the fire department. And take him this nasty drink and let him know I’m a beer drinker.”

Bonnie took the Rob Roy with her as she made her way to the man who’d sent it. He wasn’t smiling when she got to him. “She doesn’t want it?” Griffin asked.

“She said to tell you that if you were any hotter, she’d have to call the fire department. Plus, she told me to let you know she’s a beer drinker and nothing else.”

“Then get her a beer. Whatever kind’s her favorite,” Griffin said. “And tell her Griff said he likes her sense of humor.”

“K, I’ll let her know that,” Bonnie said then hurried off to take care of the orders. She was beginning to feel like a go-between for the men in their efforts to gain female companionship for the night.

She took the Rob Roy to Kel who was chatting it up with Miss Foster, the high school librarian. Kel’s eyes narrowed as Bonnie placed the cocktail glass of pinkish purple liquid in front of her. “What the hell is this about, Bonnie?”

“Do you see that Scottish stud giving you the eye, Kel?” Bonnie asked her.

“Yes, I see the dim-witted man. And why would you let him believe I wanted anything from him?” Kel asked as she turned her dark blue eyes back to her cousin.

“I told him the drink wouldn’t gain him anything with you, Kel. But he insisted. And he said to tell you that he’s your knight in shining armor or some shit like that. Anyway, his name’s Ethan Southern and he gave me a hundred to get this to you. He and his friends seem to have a thing for the Flannigan sisters this evening.”

“You don’t say,” Kel said with a grin that was somewhat evil in nature. “Who’s botherin’ my sisters?”

“Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome is asking after Cait, and the one with blonde curls is after Jess.” Bonnie sighed as she looked at the three hunky men who were trying to act as if they weren’t looking at the women they’d set their sights on for the evening.

“And I got the man with amber waves that hang to his shoulders that are as broad as any I’ve ever seen. A beast, I’m sure.” Kel sipped the drink and held up her hand in a motionless wave to let the man know she’d accept his drink as it was her family’s bar and they needed every dollar they could get.

“I’m sure he’s a sweetheart,” Bonnie said then giggled. “They’re all winners, cousin. You should give the man a chance.”

“And you should get your ass back to work before I send you home for this mischief you’ve managed to get us into,” Kellie said as she gave her cousin one arched eyebrow.

“I’ll get back at it. But I didn’t have a thing to do with who the men picked to pester this evening. They did that all on their own. Just so you know.”

Kel’s eyes settled on the man who’d so boldly called himself her knight in shining armor. As if she needed one, the nerve of him!