He dialed Rosco’s office and left a voice mail. “Hello, this is Luke Dempsey. I’m interested in hiring an attorney to prepare my will and would like to schedule a meeting with Mr. Horton.” He left his number and disconnected.

The party’s start time had come and gone.

See? He wasn’t going. Now he could relax.

Except the fact that he’d missed the start time only intensified the unsettled feeling in his gut. His chest was tight and prickly. He couldn’t shake the sense that he should be at the party.

Finley would be there. With another man.

Who? Who was he? Could her date have gotten close to her because he wanted to try to gain information about the hunt?

His gaze returned to the time. It had been ten minutes since he’d last checked. He’d spent all ten minutes arguing with himself.

He didn’t like the idea of CeCe’s balloons waiting on the driveway for a truck that wasn’t coming—

Who cares? He told her not to buy any stupid balloons. But he was certain she’d gone ahead and bought some anyway.

Which wasn’t his problem.

Yet it bothered him that she’d asked for a favor and he’d left her hanging.

Setting the computer aside, he rose.

Inside his closet, he considered the few items he owned that were formal enough to wear to CeCe’s party.

He didn’t want to go.

He wasn’t going.

With a groan, he raked his fingers through his hair. Then he peeled off his T-shirt and reached for a sweater. He could stomach the party for a short time. Going would give him a chance to come through for CeCe, meet Finley’s date, and keep an eye on the crowd to see if anyone appeared to be watching Finley.

Those were good reasons to go.

He definitely wasn’t going because he was jealous.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Finley swirled her glass, then sipped in the raspberry that had been bobbing around in her fizzy drink. She chewed its squishy sweetness while scanning the packed living room. The party was in full swing—

Her vision collided with Luke.

The sight of him so astonished her that she nearly choked on the raspberry. Conscientiously, she swallowed. What in the world was Luke, her Luke, doing at a party? She would have sworn that Luke and party were mutually exclusive. But here he was.