“Yeah, major ouch. Anyway, I’m sure Carson’s concerned about his daughters, but not much support to Selma.”

Jase nodded, taking it all in.

Brianna sat back and let her tired eyes go fuzzy for a minute as she studied his dark silhouette in the muted light. Could she trust him? Lord knew she needed someone with some connections to try and find the twins. So far, the police hadn’t been much help, Selma was a wreck and Brianna was fast running out of options. Someone had to do something. But it was hard to believe that the someone she was hoping for would end up being Jase Bridges.

The waitress returned with the check and when she reached for her purse, he reminded her that she’d insisted he buy. After a brief protest, she let Jase pay the bill.

“This way you owe me,” he said. He dropped a few bills on the table, then found a business card in his wallet. “Here. You can call me on my cell. Any time.” He slid the card across the table.

“Any time?”

“Day or night.”

“Three a.m.?”

Again the flash of a smile, a quick spark of humor flashing in his eyes. “Try me.”

“Promise you won’t bite my head off?”

“Never.”

“We’ll see.” She fished in her purse, found her keys, and made her way to the door.

Outside the air was heavy, rain threatening, though the temperature was still hovering near seventy. Cars and trucks rumbled down the street.

“I’ll talk to Selma.”

“You know where to find me,” he said as they crossed to her car.

“Yeah.” She unlocked the Honda with her keyless remote, then slid inside to leave him wedged in the open space with one hand on the top of her door and the other on the roof, preventing her from yanking her door shut.

“Then call. I’m available.”

From inside her car, she glanced up at him quickly, expecting a grin to indicate the double entendre, but his face held a guileless expression that she couldn’t read. For a second she got lost in his gaze.

“Okay,” she said, noting that she sounded a little breathless. God, she was an idiot. “Got it.”

He tapped twice on the roof, stepped away, and she, all the time trying to get her stupid racing pulse under control, tugged the door firmly shut.

She flipped on the A/C even though it would take several minutes to blow cool air, then went about trying to pull out without nicking either of the two monster pickups that had wedged her in. After several attempts, inching backward and forward, she was able to finally pull away from the curb just as her cell phone went off. Ignoring the call, she checked her rearview and saw Jase Bridges standing where she’d left him, his hands in his pockets as he stared after her.

What was his deal? she wondered.