Dropping his head, Armie laughed.
Yvette propped her hands on her hips. “Well, how would you like it if I called you guys boys?”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” Denver said.
Cannon shrugged. “Who cares?”
“See?” Armie told her. “No biggie.”
“Yeah, well, everyone knows guys are dense.” Irritation had her pivoting around and stalking out of the break room.
“I think she’s getting away,” Armie told Cannon, staring after her.
“I drove,” Cannon explained. “She won’t get far.” And then to Denver, “Armie’s right. I don’t have any personal objections against you.”
Denver threw up his hands. “Great. So I’m cleared for landing?”
“Not entirely, no.”
Armie barked a laugh, but Denver groused.
“Go after Cherry if you want—but only if you’re serious about her.”
“How the hell would I know if I was serious when we haven’t even had a private conversation yet?”
“You know what I mean.” Cannon wanted no misunderstandings. “She’s living with Rissy, so if you’re just looking to get laid, look elsewhere. Cherry’s off the list for one-night stands.”
Denver gave a careless lift of one shoulder that didn’t fool anyone. “I’m okay with that if she is.”
“Like Yvette said,” Armie chimed in, “Cherry might only want one night with him.”
Now they were just baiting him. Cannon didn’t give them the satisfaction of reacting to that. “Just keep things respectable around my sister.”
Denver wanted to protest again, but Cannon turned on Armie. “My turn now.”
Armie tried to make a strategic retreat. “Sorry, dude. Gotta get back to—”
Cannon stepped around in front of him, blocking him with his body.
“Fine,” Armie groused, and then, “What?”
“You tell me.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“The hell you don’t. Something’s going on, and I have a feeling it might have something to do with my sister and Cherry living alone.”
Armie stared him in the eye. “That was just random concern.”
“You are so full of it.”
Eyes narrowed, Armie leaned into him. “Why don’t you change into some shorts and we can work it out on the mat?”
Both men were surprised when Yvette suddenly returned and somehow wiggled between them. Cannon’s only complaint with her tactic was that she faced Armie.
“He can’t, sorry,” Yvette said, a little breathlessly given that Cannon touched all along her back.
“No?” Armie didn’t back up at all, so Cannon had no doubt they did a little touching around front, too. “Why not?”
Yvette squared her shoulders. “He has to drive me to the pawnshop.”
“Aw, now, doll, you’re stealing my thunder.”
Gently, hands flat to Armie’s bare chest, Yvette backed him off. “Not now, okay?”
Cannon stared down at the top of her head. “Yvette?”
Without glancing back at him, she asked, “Hmm?”
“Are you protecting me?” And with exaggerated disdain, “From Armie?”
Cannon knew she couldn’t miss the fat smiles Armie and Denver wore, but she had no clue she’d literally gained the attention of the entire gym until she turned and found everyone watching.
Her face went hot. “No,” she whispered low. “Of course not.”
“It’s unnecessary, you know.”
She went all prim and proper. “Well, of course two grown men wouldn’t get into an actual altercation over something so silly.”
“Yeah,” Armie said. “So silly.”
Rolling his eyes, Cannon put an arm around her shoulders and anchored her close as he spoke to Armie. “You going with us tonight?”
Armie nodded. “Hell, yeah.”
“Good.” He gave a smile that was only partly friendly. “We’ll finish our conversation then.” Taking Yvette with him, he headed out.
“Oh, God,” she said, seeing everyone still staring at her. “It’s like walking the gauntlet.”
“Smile,” Cannon advised. “It’ll confuse them.”
To his surprise, she did. She even waved.
And every guy in the place waved back.
* * *
THEY REACHED THE pawnshop only twenty minutes later. With every mile they passed, Yvette’s uneasiness grew. A vicious crime had overshadowed all her wonderful memories of working with her grandpa there, and she hated that.
Was it possible to reclaim the good memories? To use them to snuff out the ugliness that had taken place at the hands of madmen?
“You okay?”
Cannon was such a rock that in comparison she felt like a complete wuss.
So she lied.
“Of course.” Her smile might not have been as bright as she intended, but she got it out there. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.” After he pulled up to the curb and put his truck in Park, he turned to face her.
His close scrutiny, ripe with sympathy, only made her feel more agitated. “You guys weren’t really angry, were you?”
“Armie and me? No, course not.” Smiling at her question, he got out and walked around the hood of the truck.