LITMIR.BIZ

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kept his gaze on the door, in case Sara Beth—or Derek—approached. Derek would be the last one Ted and Chance would tell.

      “How risky is it, Ted?”

      “If nothing else, it might actually make you healthier.”

      A quick, deep laugh came across the phone. “Not a chance. I’ve been preparing for this, following every detail of the regimen you put me on months ago. Vitamins, lots of sleep, eating well, exercise, no hot tub. I’m so healthy I should be the poster boy for it. Hell, Ted, I’m even doing yoga.”

      “Good. All those things help. But I don’t want you to worry about risk. The compound is all natural—vitamins, minerals, protein enzymes, amino acids.”

      “Seems too easy.”

      “I know. Guess we’ll find out in a few months.”

      “Okay. Man. Okay. Thanks, Ted. You don’t know—”

      “I do. Want to meet for dinner?”

      “Yeah. How about six o’clock at Shots?”

      Ted frowned. “Why there?”

      “Noisy, anonymous.”

      “We could meet at my place. I even have some furniture now.”

      “Humor me.”

      Ted was confused but agreed. He wouldn’t mind going out for dinner instead of having takeout. And he’d heard that Shots was the place to go. “You got it. See you then.”

      He hung up then dialed Chance. “Six o’clock at Shots.”

      “I’d prefer the Coach House. It’s much quieter.”

      “His choice. He wants noise.”

      Ted slid his cell phone into his pocket. Now that they’d come this far, he wanted instant results.

      So much for patience being his strongest asset.

      “This is good,” Lisa yelled into Sara Beth’s ear. “Thanks for dragging me away.”

      “Purely selfish of me,” Sara Beth replied, a partial truth, since she really believed Lisa needed a break, but so had Sara Beth after the day she had. Shots was the answer.

      They’d shouldered their way into the fray of happy customers, found a small table and landed there. Sara Beth had ordered a margarita in honor of her mother. Lisa was nursing a peach mojito. Burgers and fries would be up soon.

      Sara Beth leaned back and surveyed the room. She always changed into street clothes before she went home, but plenty of people were wearing scrubs or at least the comfortable shoes they all tended to wear.

      “We got a lot of work done today,” Sara Beth said, leaning close to her friend. “I can see an end to the investigation.”

      “That’s great. I hope that’ll be it, and Chance and Ted can relax.” She hesitated. “Well. Look who just walked in.”

      Sara Beth followed Lisa’s gaze, spotted Ted and Chance with a man she didn’t recognize. “Who’s that with them?”

      “I don’t know. Attractive, though.”

      Sara Beth studied the man. He was about the same age as Ted and Chance, not quite as tall, but attractive wasn’t a word she would use to describe him. Powerful and intense, yes. Alpha, yes. But, simply attractive? “They all seem really out of place. Doctors don’t tend to hang out here.” In particular, Ted didn’t fit, Sara Beth thought, wondering if he would notice her and what would happen because of it.

      But the crowd was dense, and they found their own table as a couple got up to leave. The only one facing Lisa and Sara Beth was Attractive Guy, and he was only looking at Ted and Chance, at least until the waitress went up to take their order. Then he looked around, his gaze landing on her and Lisa and holding for a few long seconds, long enough to make Sara Beth squirm.

      “Intense conversation going on there,” Lisa said as their burgers and fries arrived. They each took a big bite, nodded their heads at how good and juicy the burgers were, then Lisa picked up the conversation.

      “So, what’s new with you?” she asked.

      “I’m falling for Ted.” She hadn’t meant to say it like that. She’d meant to dance around the topic, get some general advice. But she and Lisa were best friends. There wasn’t much they didn’t share.

      “Ted? Him, Ted?”

      Sara Beth nodded and bit into a hot, salty French fry.

      Lisa sat back, looking stunned, then she smiled. “Wow.”

      “I know.”

      “Have you been … dating?”

      “Sort of.” She gave her a rundown of their “dates,” and said they were meeting this coming Saturday, too. “I don’t know what to do. I thought I would help him the one time then back away. I thought I could do that. But I can’t.”

      “Or rather, you don’t want to.”

      “Right. I don’t want to.” She pushed a piece of lettuce more securely under the bun and stared at it. “I don’t know what to do.”

      “You can’t just have fun with it? With him? He won’t be your direct supervisor for much longer.”

      Which stung, too, Sara Beth thought. “But he’s a doctor. And he’s stayed single all these years. And he’s absentminded, you know, which apparently has caused many of his relationships in the past to end. Or so he said. I would just be another in a string of forgettable women.”

      “You don’t know that.”

      “Are you encouraging me toward him?”

      “I’m not discouraging you.” She smiled and waved. “He just spotted us. He’s coming this way.” They watched him walk over. “Hi, Ted.”

      “Lisa. Sara Beth. You didn’t mention you were coming here tonight.”

      “I didn’t know until the last minute,” Sara Beth said. “Come here often?”

      “My first time, actually. It’s … loud.”

      She grinned. After all the quiet hours he spent in the lab, then in his otherwise empty loft, she could see why he would notice the noise even more than she did. “I recommend the burgers.”

      “Thanks.”

      “Who’s the man with you?”

      “An old friend, in town for the day. How’re you, Lisa?”

      Fascinating. Not only did he change the direction of the conversation, he didn’t name his friend, nor bring him over for an introduction. Sara Beth wondered what Ted’s well-mannered mother would think of that. Chance waved, but that was all.

      “What is this? Institute night?” Lisa said, looking toward the front door. “Brother Derek just arrived.”

      Sara Beth couldn’t imagine anyone more out of place, even more so than Ted. Derek had an air of entitlement about him. Fitting in wasn’t something he did well.

      He spotted them and headed toward them. Sara Beth felt Lisa stiffen beside her. Considering how close Lisa had been to her big brother all her life, Sara Beth was surprised at how reluctant Lisa was to see him now. Because of the money problems Lisa had alluded to earlier? He was the CFO of the institute. He would know before anyone else if they were in trouble.

      “Good evening, all,” Derek said, and got lukewarm greetings in return. “I haven’t seen you here before, Ted.”

      “My first time.”

      “Are you alone?”

      Ted gestured toward where Chance and the other man sat. “I’m with friends.”

      Everyone

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