“Do anything to hurt Jules and we’ll have a problem,” Connor said conversationally. “Understood?”
Danny nodded solemnly. “Completely.”
“Good.”
“Nowwe’re done?” Jules asked, looking between the two men.
“Yes.” Smiling, Connor cuddled Louisa closer. “So what are we having for dinner, baby?”
Fourteen
Danny sat in the Winners Inc. reception, waiting for Lottie to come get him for their first session. He was a jumble of nerves. Leg bouncing, he tried to remember the last time he’d been this worked up.
The answer was easy: when he was seventeen and he’d gone to Ghana to meet his dad.
The thing was, he hadn’t heard from Kofi yet, and that worried him. Kofi was a kid, so he wasn’t the most punctual person, but he usually got back in touch with him within twenty-four hours. It’s been days now.
He had a bad feeling. It was almost enough to text his dad to ask about the kid.
“Hello, Danny,” Lottie said brightly as she came to get him. She stopped and frowned. “You okay, big boy?”
“Just nervous.” He got up and shook her hand. “Let’s do this.”
Lottie patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Let’s go back to my office.”
He followed her down, barely registering where they were going. He may have been there physically, but mentally he was all over the place.
“Close the door, will you?” Lottie asked him, going over to the corner and turning on a lamp. It filled the space with warmth.
Normally he’d have appreciated the comfort, but he wasn’t feeling it today.
“Okay.” Lottie perched on the edge of her desk and folded her arms across her chest. “What’s gotten into you? This isn’t just nerves.”
How much did he tell Lottie? It was one thing asking them for help figuring out how to get the guys out of his house, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to bring up the drugs.
“You might as well tell me,” Lottie said in a surprisingly gentle voice. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what I’m up against.”
“What’s the policy of clients going out with each other?” he asked, diverting the subject until he could figure out what to say about his brother and the drugs.
Lottie frowned. “Are you asking if you and Jules are okay dating?”
He blinked in surprise. “You know?”
She snorted. “Please. It was the reason I asked Jamie to take you. And I saw how Jules looked at you.”
He couldn’t help himself from asking, “How is that?”
“Like you’re the only man who exists in the world.”
Was she for real? He stared at Lottie, trying to figure out if she had an ulterior motive here, but she just looked at him with that honest, open expression she always had. “Are you serious?” he asked finally.
She rolled her eyes. “You’d have to be blind not to see it. You two smolder when you’re together. I’m surprised the smoke dectectors haven’t gone off.”
He eyed her. “You aren’t going to tell me I shouldn’t see Jules? There’s no rule against fraternization or something?”
“It’s not as if you’re working with her.” Lottie pursed her lips. “If I said you couldn’t see her, would you stop?”
He thought about it. “No.”