She frowned, but shrugged. “No,” she said to Gary.
“Whatever. Give me a sign if you need anything.” Gary shuffled off at his usual speed—a mosey.
“I’m on duty,” Dan said in response to Lindsey’s questioning look.
“I’m not.”
He spooned gumbo over his rice, then added a liberal dash of hot sauce. “Since when do you drink beer?”
“I don’t very often. But sometimes it’s good with Chuck’s gumbo. I am of age, Dan—want to see my ID?” she asked a bit too sweetly.
He knew very well that she was old enough to drink legally—which didn’t mean he had to like it. How often did she show up here like this, anyway—dressed this way and drinking beer?
He was seeing an all new side to B.J.’s little sister—one he wasn’t sure he liked. But then, Dan had never liked change.
They ate in silence for a few minutes—until their meal was interrupted by a big-shouldered young man with a shock of brown hair, his blue eyes focused squarely on Lindsey’s petite, but prime, cleavage. “Hey, Chief,” the intruder said without looking at Dan.
“Hey, Jimmy. What’s up?”
“Not much. How you doing, Lindsey? Haven’t seen you around in a while.”
She responded with her usual friendliness. “Hi, Jimmy. How are things at the muffler shop?”
“Lot better now that Delbert Farley’s behind bars. I always hated working with that as—that jerk.”
Dan found it extremely irritating that Jimmy’s gaze had hardly wavered from Lindsey’s neckline. “It was good to see you, Jimmy,” he said abruptly, not caring if he sounded rude. “Enjoy your dinner.”
“Oh, uh…yeah. See ya, Chief. You, too, Lindsey.”
“See you, Jimmy.” Lindsey waited until Jimmy was out of hearing distance before commenting to Dan, “You’re in a mood tonight.”
“What do you mean?” he asked a bit too sharply.
“See? You’re snappy. And I’m not even hassling you for a story.”
He shrugged. “Sorry. Guess I’m just hungry.”
She smiled a little and nudged the platter of corn fritters toward him. “So eat.”
Their hands brushed when he reached for one. Even as he reacted to the contact—not quite a static shock, but a similar feeling—he noticed that she’d had a manicure, her usually unvarnished nails now sporting a dark polish.
For some reason the observation made him frown again.
Chapter Three
Her makeover had been a massive waste of time, Lindsey decided glumly. The primping, the fussing, the shopping—all for nothing. Dan hadn’t even noticed.
Trying to feign enthusiasm for the food, she finished her meal.
“Do you want anything else?” Dan asked.
She shook her head. “Thanks, but I couldn’t eat another bite.”
“I’ll see if I can get the check, then.” Dan lifted a hand, trying to catch the young man’s attention. “Seems like Gary’s moving slower than usual tonight.”
“I’ve noticed that, myself. I wonder if he needs vitamins.”
Chuckling, Dan shook his head. “I think he’s just slow.”
“I’ll pay for my own meal, of course.”
Shooting her a glance over his coffee cup, Dan replied flatly, “You will not.”
“Look, I didn’t join you so you could buy my food.”
“Lindsey—I’m buying. Now drop it.”
She hated it when Dan used the same voice her brother used when he was annoyed with her. Dan wasn’t her brother, damn it. But it seemed as though there was nothing she could do to change his perception of her—which meant she’d blown a few hundred dollars worth of hairstyling aids, cosmetics and a great new dress.
“Hi, Lindsey. Looking good tonight.” A lean cowboy in a flashy red shirt and sprayed-on jeans strolled past the booth, tipping the Western hat he hadn’t bothered to remove as he sent Lindsey a slow smile.
Her feminine ego had needed that boost. She smiled back at him. “Thanks, Bo. How’s it going?”
“Can’t complain. Save me a dance later?”
“Maybe.”
The vague response seemed to satisfy him. He touched his hat again, nodded a greeting to Dan, then sauntered on.
Dan was wearing another frown. “Someone you know?”
She was tempted to point out how silly the question was, since she’d spoken to Bo by name, but considering that Dan wasn’t in the best mood, she merely replied, “We went to school together.”
“Were you expecting to see him here tonight?”
Lifting her eyebrows in response to the inquisition, she answered a bit coolly, “No.”
“This isn’t really a great place for a single young woman to hang out on a Friday night. Especially later in the evening when the booze has been flowing for a few hours. We get a lot of calls out here on weekends.”
Drumming her painted nails on the scarred table-top, she replied, “Perhaps I should remind you again that I am an adult? And this is one of the few places around here for single young adults to hang out.”
He held up a hand, a peacekeeping gesture that did little to appease her. “Just making a comment.”
Nothing about this evening had gone the way Lindsey would have liked. She might as well have stayed home in her T-shirt, shorts and fuzzy slippers. She could have crashed in front of the TV and dined on chips and dip. That would have spared her the humiliation of having Dan sitting right across the table, totally oblivious to the changes she’d made during the past week, lecturing her as if she were a naive high school student.
Sure, Jimmy and Bo seemed to find her attractive—but face it, those two were attracted to anything with breasts. It was Dan’s interest she’d hoped to catch tonight—but not like this.
Throwing some money on the table, Dan glanced at his watch. “I need to run by the station for a few minutes. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“Who said I was ready to leave?”
Dan went still for a moment. “You’re through eating, aren’t you?”
She glanced toward the dance floor, which was just starting to come to life. “Yes, but I’m not necessarily in a hurry to get home. There’s nothing waiting for me there.”
“So you’re going to do what? Hang out here drinking beer and dancing with cowboy Bob? Is that why you got all gussied up tonight with the hair and makeup and the low-cut dress?”
So he had noticed the changes. And this was his way of acknowledging it—not as a compliment but a criticism. She slammed both hands on the table. “His name is Bo. And, yes, maybe I’ll dance with him. Maybe I’ll even sleep with him. Heck, I could have a quickie with him out in the parking lot and then come back for a tumble with Jimmy.”
Her quietly furious outburst made Dan’s jaw clench, his eyes going hard and narrow. “Just what the hell is your problem tonight?”
She stood and leaned over the table, making sure he had a good view of what Jimmy and Bo had seemed to find intriguing despite her small size. “My problem is that I’ve grown up, Dan Meadows. And it seems