The waitress brought their drinks. As Greer took a sip of the excellent wine, a shadow fell across the table, and she glanced up to find Daniel standing in front of them. A tiny, dainty-featured blonde woman hung on his arm. Greer recognized her from her TV show but couldn’t remember her name.
“Mind if we join you?” Daniel motioned the actress into the booth next to Logan and then pushed in next to Greer.
As Greer shifted over, she noticed Logan’s face. He looked completely surprised, especially when the blonde woman slipped closer to him with a tiny purr. Daniel simply smiled.
“What are you doing here?” Logan asked, his voice sounding choked.
“Got to eat,” Daniel replied. “You’re my best friend and I thought I’d join you. We don’t get to spend much time together.”
“You normally take your dates to your parents’ restaurant.”
“Not tonight,” Daniel said cheerfully. “Pass me the bread please, Greer.”
Greer pushed the bread basket toward him, shifting a little further away. “You’re interrupting my date.”
“I’m saving you from boredom. Logan has two subjects—himself and sports.”
“I do not,” Logan objected.
“You told me last week you wanted to meet Melody Wilkerson. So I called her up and invited her to meet you.”
Melody giggled, putting a childlike hand over her mouth. “I’ve been dying to meet you for years.”
Greer sat back and watched as the woman walked her fingers up Logan’s arm and pouted prettily. “Why did you bring that woman on my date?” she half whispered to Daniel.
“You shouldn’t be dating Logan.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because you should be dating me.” Daniel grinned at her.
“You didn’t ask me out.”
“I didn’t expect Logan to work this fast.”
“I see. So you brought Melody as a distraction while you fling me over your shoulder and carry me out.”
He laughed. “That wasn’t my plan, but I’m terrific at unexpected modifications.”
Greer shook her head, trying not to laugh. “You’re too funny.”
Daniel gave her a cheeky grin. “The only people who think I’m funny are my brothers.”
“Oh no, this was funny.” She gestured at Melody, who’d totally captured Logan with one hand on his arm and the other touching his hand playfully. She was so tiny, Greer wondered if she bought her clothes in the children’s department.
“Look at him,” Daniel told her. “He’s so easily distracted.”
Logan was studying Melody’s low-cut top and the perky breasts beneath it.
“I guess those things are mesmerizing. And most likely fake.”
Daniel shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Really?” Greer glanced back at Melody, who leaned into Logan’s arm, brushing her breasts against the sleeve of his jacket.
“Melody isn’t my type.”
“You brought her.”
“I’m just being a good friend.” He gave her an innocent, almost angelic look.
“I think you’re being diabolical.”
He gave her an evil henchman laugh, and she shook her head. Daniel Torres was charming. Too charming. And yet she could see that he’d chosen a good distraction. Logan was falling under Melody’s spell.
“You chose your weapon well,” she finally said. “Though why you two are dueling over me, I don’t know. Let me ask you something. Do you really want to date me, or just win? If my float had feelings, it would feel cheap, used, unappreciated.”
He leaned toward her and half whispered in her ear. “Do you feel cheap, used and unappreciated?”
“Goodness, no. I’m amused. You’re like two kindergarteners fighting over a swing.”
“Are you saying I’m a child?”
“Mmm. Let my silence speak volumes.” She took a sip of her wine.
“You and I should sneak out of here and get some burgers.” Daniel nudged her with his elbow. “Logan won’t notice we’re gone.”
Greer considered his invitation. “No. Logan asked me out to dinner, and to leave now would be extremely rude.”
Daniel sulked for a moment. “Okay. My mother did bring me up well.”
The waitress brought extra menus and returned a few minutes later to take their food order, patiently answering Melody’s questions about nutrition and the number of calories of different dishes.
Dinner turned out to be pleasant enough even though Melody greedily ensnared Logan’s attention throughout the meal. He looked embarrassed, but Greer patted his shoulder and told him to enjoy himself. She was enjoying herself watching the two men.
As they stood out on the sidewalk after dinner, Melody clung to Logan like a limpet. The valet brought his Mercedes and Melody climbed in, not even asking if Greer needed a ride home. As the Mercedes sped away, Greer’s Toyota came to a stop in front of her. She tipped the valet with a smile and as he held the door open for her, she looked at Daniel.
“If you want to date me, then ask.” She slid into her car, put it in gear and left before Daniel could answer.
Daniel’s phone chimed. He glanced at the display. Greer had responded to his text, and he smiled. He’d sent several texts thanking her for an enjoyable dinner and telling her how great the float was going to look. Her dedication to her work showed, and he couldn’t have been more pleased.
He’d felt a little sorry for crashing Logan’s date. Not sorry enough to stop himself. Greer wasn’t for Logan. She was too down-to-earth, too practical. Logan liked winsome, waiflike women who barely looked old enough to vote. Greer would have run circles around him.
The door to his office opened, and his twin entered.
“Hey, bro,” Nicholas said with a disarming grin. They might have been twins, but they were opposites. Nicholas was the creative type. Tall and lean, he’d always liked to dance, and somehow along the way dancing had evolved into choreographing. Any man who considered dance and choreography unmasculine had never met Nicholas. How many men could catch a woman who’d just flung herself into the air and then lift her above him and make it all look as though she was as light as a feather?
“What brings you to my studio?” He set down a stack of papers. Daniel had been working on material for his next show. His special guest would be a rising young actor who was thought to be the next action-adventure hero, and Daniel wanted interview questions that weren’t the run-of-the-mill, media-hype questions about his next movie.
“Thought you might be interested in this.” He handed Daniel a tabloid magazine. “I’m impressed.”
Daniel’s photo was prominent on the cover. He stood next to Logan with Melody in between as they left Craig’s. The headline Love Triangle was splashed across the top. A tiny bit of Greer’s elbow could be seen at one edge.
“Why do you bother reading this stuff?” Daniel shoved the tabloid back at Nicholas.
Nicholas sat down in the leather chair across from Daniel. “Because the fun is in finding the grain of truth inside