Conner grinned at her over his steaming coffee mug. “See, what did I tell you? Wait till you taste the rest of the meal.”

“My mouth is watering already,” Megan said. “But I’m still going to owe you for helping me with my car.”

“And I know just how you can repay me,” Conner said.

“I’m listening.” She could always say no, Megan reminded herself. But, damn it, he was cute. If women found him hard to resist, she could certainly understand why.

“Here’s the thing,” he said. “You’ll remember that Francine mentioned my two partners. Rush is married to Tracy, who’s a city judge. Travis is engaged to Maggie, who just finished a term as mayor.”

“So far, that sounds pretty impressive,” Megan said. “But I don’t see what it has to do with my paying you back.”

“Let me finish,” Conner said. “Maggie’s having a little dinner tomorrow night—just the three of us guys and our partners. Since I’m the partnerless one, she said I’d be welcome to bring a date. I could go alone, but it would be less awkward, and a whole lot more fun, if you’d come with me.”

The invitation sounded harmless enough, Megan told herself. Still, she hesitated. “A mayor and a judge? I’m afraid I’d feel out of my league.”

“Oh no—they’re great women. Totally down-to-earth. I promise you, if you go, you’ll have two instant friends. They’ll treat you like a sister. How about it, Megan?” When she didn’t answer right away, he added, “Remember, you owe me.”

Megan sighed. “All right. But if I make a fool of myself—”

“I can’t believe you could ever make a fool of yourself.”

“Then you don’t know me very well,” Megan said. “At social dinners, I’ve been known to say stupid things, spill my soup, smile with spinach on my front teeth, use the wrong fork—you name it. If I embarrass you to death, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Conner laughed. “Don’t worry about it. If you embarrass me, I’ll just embarrass you right back—like maybe belch at the table. Hey, relax. It’ll be fun. Dinner’s set for seven. I’ll pick you up at quarter to. And don’t forget to give me your phone number in case anything changes.”

“I’ll write the number down for you.” Megan had business cards in her purse, but they had Lacy’s name on them. And Megan had learned the hard way that Lacy was best kept in the closet until showtime. Men who found out about Lacy soon forgot that Megan existed. Like, who cared about poor, mousy Diana Prince when Wonder Woman showed up in that sexy, armored bra?

“So, what does one wear to dinner with a mayor and a judge?” she asked. “Will it be black tie and evening dress?”

“You’re kidding, I hope. This is Branding Iron. What you’re wearing now will be just fine. The mayor and the judge will most likely be in jeans and sneakers. They might even let you help get the meal on the table.”