Twirling the straw slowly around the mixed drink, she sat at the bar with one elbow propping her up.

“You’re scaring off all my customers with this bored or depressed aura you’re putting off tonight.” Michael slid a fresh drink in front of her.

“I’m exhausted. Did you know that place has four bathrooms? Four!” She held up four fingers and took a long drink. “I’m starting to think I got myself in over my head with this job. I’ve been working for two weeks, and I’m not even halfway through the house.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ll get it done.” Michael looked toward the door as the entrance bell rang and his eyes went wide. Shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, he cursed under his breath as January turned to see what was going on.

“January, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”

Carrie’s overly cheery voice was a far cry from her usual laid-back tone and demeanor. Shooting Michael a confused look, January patted Carrie’s back as the woman wrapped her arms around her and squeezed hard.

“What are you doing here?”

As far as January knew, Carrie had never stepped foot in Michael’s bar before.

Carrie honed in on Michael’s face as she responded. “Michael told me he owned the place, and I thought I would stop in and see what all the fuss was about.”

A guilty look crossed Michael’s face, which told January everything she needed to know about why Carrie was actually there. Standing, drink in hand, January motioned for Carrie to sit. “Here, sit down. I need to talk to Michael for a minute. What can we get you to drink?”

She looked put out, but January didn’t care. She needed to talk to Michael.

“Oh, okay. Just a Sprite.”

January smiled sweetly while she waited for Michael to pour Carrie’s drink and set it in front of her. She followed behind him as he headed to the small kitchen area of the bar, his head hanging down.

When they were as far away from Carrie as they could get, she stepped in front of him and whispered angrily. “Oh my God, Michael, tell me you didn’t sleep with her!”

Rubbing a hand over his five o’clock shadow, he kept his mouth closed.

“Oh. My. God.” She punched him in the arm, and he stepped back with his arms raised.

“Okay, okay. You’re pissed. I should have told you, but I thought she understood it was a one night thing.”

“Not. Making. It. Any. Better.” January glared. “I have a total of like five friends. You couldn’t sleep with one of the other five hundred thousand people in this city? Just tell her I’ll talk to her later. I’m gonna go home.”

He nodded and disappeared as her phone vibrated in the back pocket of her jeans. Opening the message, she slapped a hand over her mouth. The man had sent her a picture of his ass. Well, his ass covered by more animal print underwear. It was the most ridiculous sext she’d ever received. The man couldn’t send a selfie of his face or a mirror picture of his shirtless upper body like every other guy. Nope, he’d sent a picture of his ass.

She slipped out the back door of the bar and walked quickly to her apartment. She showered, scrubbing until her skin no longer itched with the dirt and dust of the ranch. Throwing on a tank and a pair of sleep shorts, she climbed into bed and video called Brecken.

“Hey there, beautiful.” His voice was gruff, and he was barley a visible in the dim light from the phone.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“Nah, I just laid down. Did you get my text?”

“Yes, and I think we need to work on your sexting skills. I’ve never been sent a picture of an ass before.”

“Oh, that wasn’t sexting, sweetheart. That was a reminder. I don’t want you to forget about me while I’m gone.”

Fat chance.

“How was your day?” he asked.

She let out a breath and brought the phone closer to her face. “It was okay. I’m feeling a little behind at the ranch, but I did get the bathrooms done today. I’ll start on the bedrooms tomorrow.”

“There’s no rush. I’ve told you that. Don’t stress out about it.” He placed one arm behind his head, and she got a glimpse of a muscular bicep and a hint of his chest. Her body warmed as she realized he was shirtless in bed, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up against him and have this conversation while she let her fingers rove over his upper body.

“I’m not. Well, I am, but—sorry. I found out Michael slept with my friend Carrie. You met her at Sensual last week… or, at least I think you did. That night is a bit blurry.” January stopped rambling and waving her free hand about and settled back on Brecken’s face through the phone, surprised by the confused he was giving her.

“Is that not a good thing that your two friends are hooking up?”

“Not when it’s Michael. He never sleeps with the same woman twice, and I don’t want it to be weird if we’re all out together.” Her anger bubbled to the surface again. “I can’t believe he did this.”

“What about Carrie? She doesn’t get any of the blame?”

“What?”

Brecken shifted in his bed and repositioned the phone so it was closer to his face. A dark lock of hair fell forward onto his face and she wanted to push it back and run her fingers through his thick mane. “Well, you don’t seem to be mad at Carrie, just Michael. Seems a little hypocritical.”

“I guess so, but Michael has always stayed away from my friends before. It isn’t like him to sleep with someone that runs in our circle.”

“Maybe he likes her.”

“Yeah right,” she mumbled, not ready to admit that he had a point. “How was your day? How’s Kansas?”

“I spent more than eight hours holed up in a conference room with other heads of companies, trying to decide if we should merge and what that looks like if we do.”

“You’d sell Blackstone Software? Why?”

“Not selling, exactly. The company would become part of something larger.”

She leaned back against the pillows at the head of her bed and let her body relax against the soft support. Moving the phone above her face so that Brecken’s face hovered above her own. “And here I was complaining about organizing bathrooms all day. I feel so petty by comparison.”

He laughed and ran his fingers back over his hair, pulling the stray lock back in place. “Not even close. You’re doing a job I would never be able to do. I think that means that you’re far from petty.”

This time she didn’t agree with him, but still she didn’t comment. A beat of silence passed before he asked, “So, what are you going to do about Michael?”

“I suppose I’ll wait up for him tonight and try to talk to him.”

“No, don’t do that. Give him the night. Give yourself the night.”

Nodding, she yawned and covered her mouth.

“Call me tomorrow and tell me how it goes. Night, beautiful.”

Turning on her side and staring into the phone, she desperately wished she could transport him beside her. “Good night.”

* * *

With her hair pulled up in a messy bun, she slipped into her ballet flats and strolled to the kitchen in search of coffee. A glance toward Michael’s shut door indicated that he was home and sleeping. She sighed as she was slammed with a pang of guilt over her reaction last night. Brecken was right about one thing, sleeping had helped her see things a little clearer.

A scribbled note in Michael’s small, sloppy handwriting laid on the kitchen counter.

She wrote her response underneath and tossed the pen on the granite. With her coffee cup in hand, she hurried downstairs where Edward was already parked at the curb. He stood next to the car with a smile on his face.

“Good morning, Edward,” she chimed merrily.

“Mornin’, Ms. Lyle. Beautiful morning out.” He opened the door, and the smell of flowers was so strong she took a step back. The entire backseat was filled with flowers—roses, daisies, lilies, and tulips.

“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed, looking at Edward, who grinned at her excitement.

“He did well.”

“He certainly did.” She slid into the seat and examined every bouquet, gravitating toward the yellow tulips.

Edward leaned down as he held the frame of the door. “I meant you, but the flowers are nice, too.” He winked and shut her in among the flowers.

Not wanting to interrupt Brecken in case he was in a meeting, she snapped a picture of the backseat filled with flowers and typed a short message.

She added a kiss emoticon for good measure, pressed send, and relaxed into the cool leather.