Brett rose from his chair, and Sidney stiffened instantly, clearly worried about what he planned to do. Charles was completely oblivious though and didn’t even seem to notice the thick tension hovering in the air around them.

Of course Brett didn’t like knowing that the woman he loved was dating again. Who the hell would? But he was sickened to no end as he watched her stiffen, all because she wasn’t sure how he would react to the news. He’d done that to her, damn it.

In the past, he’d always gone off the deep end. God, he was such an idiot. No wonder the woman left him. At least now he had finally learned to recognize his insecurities for what they were and had learned to control himself. In fact, he was more confident in his behavior than ever, and he was extremely proud of the progress he’d made over the past year. He only wished he’d made these changes sooner. Maybe then he wouldn’t have lost her.

Especially to this guy, of all people. Christ.

But Brett didn’t want to draw this out any longer than he had to. So he sucked in a slow, deep breath and steadied himself as he offered his hand to the other man. “It was nice meeting you, Charles. I’m Brett, one of Sidney’s friends.”

The guy shook his hand. “Great to meet you too, Brett. Sidney’s one heck of a woman, isn’t she?”

Brett glanced over at Sidney, who was sitting there with wide eyes and an open mouth. “That she is,” he said, smiling at her. “Thanks for all your help today, Sid. You two have fun on your date tonight.”

Then he did something that surprised even him. He turned and headed back to the garage to get his truck, leaving the woman he loved alone with another man.

*  *  *

After dinner at the Gypsy Cantina, Sidney slid into the passenger seat of Charles’s car and stared out the window. She’d been quiet most of the night and was certain that she’d been terrible company as far as first dates went. But she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Brett.

Actually, she didn’t know what to think. There was no mistaking the shocked look in his eyes when Charles announced that he and Sidney had a date. Brett’s head had swiveled in her direction so fast that she was surprised it hadn’t fallen off his shoulders. She hadn’t really planned on mentioning the date to Brett, but once it was brought up, it wasn’t like she could keep it from him.

Thanks a lot, Charles.