“Have you discussed it with him?” David’s brows gathered.
“Once.” Hank folded his arms across his chest, chuckling. “The brief discussion ended with a reminder of who’s the boss.”
“His behavior has me concerned. Of course, anytime I bring it up, he throws my own mistakes in my face and tells me to butt out.” David stared across the room at Jackson and muttered, “Shutting others out is an unfortunate family trait.”
Hank already knew this much about Jackson, and suspected it about Cat.
“How’s Vivi handle that?” Hank braced himself for David’s response, but David merely looked into his glass and grinned.
“I don’t have to hide from Vivi.”
Hank could’ve sworn he saw David smile. He stifled a chuckle at his private conclusion that no one could hide much from Vivi, even if they tried.
“Jackson will sort himself out.” Hopefully the fallout wouldn’t be disastrous, but Hank didn’t want to come between the brothers. “Excuse me, I need to step out for a second.”
With a brief nod, he left the tent to steal a few minutes of peace and quiet.
Inside the men’s room, two lawyers from David’s firm were literally engaged in a pissing contest. Their loud voices suggested they were already half plastered.
“She’s smoking hot,” said a man who looked to be in his late twenties. “Too bad she’s David’s sister.”
“Yeah, he could block your bid to make partner if you mess with her. Lucky for me, I’m already a partner.” The slightly older, paunchy man flashed a victorious grin. “Guess nothing is standing in my way.”
“You’ve got no chance of scoring with a girl like her.” The slick-haired younger lawyer zipped his fly. “In fact, I’ll bet you five hundred bucks you can’t close the deal.” He stepped away from the urinal.
Hank’s jaw clenched, but he kept a cool head.
“You cocky son of a bitch,” replied the older man. “You’re on. In fact, double or nothing I close the deal before you.”
His competition barked a laugh while glancing at the giant gold Rolex on his wrist. “The reception ends in an hour.” He stuck out his hand to his friend. “May the best man win.”
“The best man . . .” The other man cracked up. “A wedding pun?”
Assholes.
“I sure hope this bet is a lousy joke,” Hank interjected. “You two aren’t actually planning to take advantage of David’s sister at his wedding, right?”
“Who the hell are you?” the younger one demanded.
“A friend of the family.” Hank leveled him with a cold look.
“Of course we’re joking,” said the older man. He shot his pal a “shut the fuck up” look while slapping Hank on the shoulder. “No harm, no foul.” He dragged the other punk toward the door. But before the arrogant young prick left, Hank heard him mouthing off.
“That guy should mind his own fucking business. She can decide for herself who she wants to screw.”
The vein in Hank’s temple was throbbing by the time the two idiots left the bathroom. His first instinct was to tell Jackson, but he doubted Vivi would appreciate a brawl in the middle of her reception.
He considered warning Cat, but in her condition she might also cause a scene. She wasn’t his girlfriend or even his friend. It shouldn’t matter to him whether or not she hooked up with someone tonight, or any other night. So why was he scouring his hands in the sink as if they were covered with a flesh-eating bacteria?
Hank went back to the reception, wishing to return to the pleasant evening he’d been enjoying before his brief dance with Cat. Now he had to figure out how to protect her without ruining the whole damned party.
He passed by the scumbag lawyers, who’d already coaxed Cat into joining them at their table for a drink. His eyes met hers. She looked resigned—dammit, she looked sad—which made no sense. She turned away from him and continued her conversation with the jerks.
Hank dug the tips of his fingernails into his palms but kept walking. He couldn’t rush in like some B-movie cowboy. He needed a plan.
Back at his table, Amy and other guests were chatting about summer vacation plans. He sat and politely listened while keeping one eye on Cat. Her laughter appeared exaggerated—unlike the girl he’d first met last year—but he couldn’t guess at the reason for her charade.
“How about you, Hank?” Amy asked. “Are you going anywhere exciting?”
He hadn’t been away since last summer’s trip here with Jackson’s siblings, which he’d only been able to take because the accommodations had been free. This overnight stay had tapped out his disposable income for a while.