Duper drove him to their condo and parked in the loading zone out front while Duncan took the elevator up to the fourteenth floor to find his other keys. He located them in the dresser in his bedroom and zipped back down to street level. Soon Duper was dropping him off at the truck and he was on his way home. The fundraiser started with cocktails at six o’clock, so they both had to change into tuxes and get to the Four Seasons. And Duper had to go pick up Lovey.
Melissa was probably bummed about not going to a high-profile event like this. Ah well.
Duncan enjoyed wearing a tux about as much as he’d enjoy having his chest hairs plucked out one by one. He was a lot more comfortable when he got to wear jeans and a hoodie and hang out with kids at the Mini Aces Center. But it had to be done.
A few years ago he’d invested in a custom tux, made to fit his shoulders and big thighs. He got dressed and checked out his reflection in the mirror. He’d wear a ball cap and cowboy boots if he could get away with it, but Lovey would have a shit fit if she saw him like that. He grinned at the thought of pushing his sister’s buttons.
He’d originally planned to take a cab to avoid the hassle of parking, plus the whole drinking and driving thing, but remembering how he’d felt that morning, he decided against drinking much tonight. He’d have one martini or whatever fancy-shmancy drinks they were serving and then switch to pop for the rest of the night. So he pulled up to the valet parking at the Four Seasons in his big truck, and didn’t give a shit if it wasn’t a BMW or Lamborghini like they were used to parking. He handed over the keys with a rueful grin, hoping they didn’t lose them, since his original set was still with Amber.
He walked into the lobby, looking around for anyone he knew, and spotted Duper and Lovey standing talking to Rupper and his date. He headed in their direction.
“Hey, Duncan.” Lovey threw her arms around his middle in a hug. “You look good. I was worried about what you were going to wear.”
He gave her a brief but warm hug back. He loved his little sister even though she exasperated him a lot of the time. “I knew you wouldn’t approve of the ball cap and boots.”
“Nope.” She beamed a smile and gave him a thumbs-up. “Good job.”
He shook his head, smiling.
He watched her move back to Duper’s side and the easy way Duper slid an arm around her waist and held her close.
Duper dating his sister had caused a shit storm. One of their dude rules was that if you knew a guy for more than twenty-four hours, his sister was off-limits forever, and when Lovey had moved in to stay with them while she looked for her own place, Duncan had made sure Duper was fully aware of that rule. Actually, he’d made sure every guy on the team was aware of that rule, since they’d all been panting after her. Why, he had no idea. She was cute, yeah, but with red hair and freckles that had earned her the Pippy nickname in childhood, she wasn’t exactly a glamazon. But guys seemed to like her. Hell, everyone seemed to like her.
When Duper had broken the rule, Duncan freaked out, but then Duper’d reminded him of the second part of that rule—off-limits forever…unless you married her. And although Duper hadn’t been ready to put a ring on Lovey’s finger, he’d assured Duncan that he was serious about her.
So what could he say? Duper wasn’t the kind of guy to be an asshole to girls. At first, Duncan had been more worried that maybe Lovey was going to break Duper’s heart, but things seemed to be working out and they were nauseatingly cute together.
Rupper introduced him to his date, Clementine, and Duncan shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.” She was smokin’ hot, as usual for Rupper, who went through women like he went through hockey tape. He turned to Lovey. “How’s business going?”
Lovey’d started her own marketing business when she’d randomly quit her job and moved to Chicago, a reckless move that he’d given her shit for, but again surprisingly this seemed to be working out. She’d actually been hired by the Aces to work on their social media, and that was pretty damn impressive.
“Great.” Her eyes lit up. “I just signed contracts with two more clients. If this keeps up, I might have to hire some help.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ve been working on a campaign to launch a new product line for Eden Beauty. Bath products made with goat’s milk.”
“Goat’s milk?” Duncan lifted an eyebrow. “Isn’t that kind of sacrilegious, when our family raises dairy cattle?”
Lovey laughed. “Right. Goat’s milk is very good for the skin. It’s loaded with essential nutrients and vitamins that feed the skin and are absorbed into the body.”