Happy. For the first time in a long time, she looked happy.
And it wasn’t because of him.
Now, where had that weird stuff come from? Wolfe narrowed his gaze as the college dudes looked at each other nervously and took a step back. Before David, Wolfe had been known to double-date with Gen and speak briefly about their other relationships. They’d agreed on the rules beforehand. No crazy sex stories. Sure, he liked to tease her, but they were usually made up to get a rise out of her. They stuck with minor details, some emotion, and a lot of humor. After David, she began to clam up fast, and he’d lost her within the year. It hurt, and he was pissed, but he kept telling himself if she was happy, it was his duty to swallow the disappointment. He just usually . . . missed her. But not in an unkempt, raw type of way.
Right now? Yeah, not so much.
He had no time to ponder or question the strange mess bubbling up inside. Gen rolled her eyes. “Wolfe, you’re scaring them.” She jerked her head toward him and spoke to her crew. “Wolfe’s not my boyfriend, just a friend. You’re not gonna get body slammed. This is Ed, Tom, and Steve.”
The dudes relaxed and tried to do that friendly bonding ritual, but he remained cold. Gen was vulnerable, and he wasn’t about to have her played by some guys on a weekend to get laid. One of the guys raised a hand but didn’t come forward. “Hey. Nice to meet you.”
Gen’s navy blue eyes actually sparkled. Damn, she was pretty. He’d forgotten the old Gen and her bubbly personality. She loved practical jokes, bawdy humor¸ and having fun. A pang pierced him deep. He’d really lost her these past two years. Only now he was beginning to realize she had just been a ghost of her former self.
“Got nervous when I couldn’t find you. Thanks for keeping an eye on her.” He nodded at the guys and motioned her forward. “Let’s cash that ticket of yours.”
She bounced toward him, grabbed his hand, and spoke to her admirers. “Ed also won, so we should go together. Hey, why don’t you join us? Wolfe got a picnic table, and you can help me with the next race.”
Irritation flowed freely, but their enthusiastic reply cut him off.
“Thanks, that sounds great!” Ed announced.
Steve and Tom heartily agreed. “Maybe some of your beginner’s luck will rub off on us.”
Wolfe remained silent as they headed to the ticket counter and collected their winnings. Seemed like Ed and Gen had bonded, since they both did a little dance with their money in hand. How sweet.
Suddenly she pressed two bills into his palm. “Here you go. Two hundred dollars, ten percent for the loan. I don’t think I’ll need any more money from you today, so thanks.”
Uh-oh.
In seconds, the mood chilled. Three guys gazed at him as if he was the scum of the earth.
“You made her pay interest?” Ed asked. “I thought you guys were friends.”
He refused to shift his feet. “Just a joke.”
Gen laughed. “Yeah, right! You never joke about money—you probably would’ve sicced a loan shark on me.”
Shit. Tom fisted his hands, and Steve practically spit in disgust. “That’s lame, man,” Tom said. “Ed was short this week so I lent him money. No interest though. But I guess friendship means different things to different people.”
Gen shrugged it off, completely clueless to the pissing contest currently going on in her honor. “Nah, it’s okay. Millionaires are kinda tight with their money anyway.”
Steve choked. “You’re a millionaire?”
Double shit. This was going nowhere. Wolfe glared, giving Steve the intimidating look he saved for his business meetings. “Forget it, I’m not explaining. Gen and I go way back.”
“I bet.” Ed glared, not the least bit intimidated, and hooked his arm through Gen’s. “Come on, I’ll buy you a hot dog.”
“But I won more money than you.”
“Score another race and you buy the beer.”
“Deal. Coming, Wolfe?”
“Yeah. Coming.” He trailed behind the chattering group and wondered how the day could get worse.
THREE HOURS LATER, WOLFE realized he shouldn’t have asked such a question to the universe.
He sat alone, racing form in his lap, and watched the growing crowd at the picnic table. Mostly men. Surrounding Gen. Not sure how it had happened.
She’d won race two with another long shot on Magic Dude. He’d followed her to the rail, watched another of his horses lose, but managed to keep her off Ed’s shoulders. Or Tom’s. Or whoever the hell they were.
Somehow, in all her excitement, she had managed to recruit two new followers. One with a military cut and roving eyes, the other his skinny sidekick, who looked harmless. Wolfe already knew it was impossible to win three races in a row on raw luck, so he stuck to his original plan. He picked Hammering Halo at three to one, since they were racing on turf and the horse had the best grass trainer in history.
Gen scored again on a ten-to-one shot.
After that, time blurred. The men pegged her to have a magic touch, and every time she stood on line to place a bet, more people followed her back to the table. The latest recruits had some girls in it, but they seemed more interested in Gen’s ability to attract all the single men at the racetrack.
He tried to control his temper and be happy she was finally eating again. Seemed Ed and she had become close foodie buddies, plowing their way through fish tacos, hot dogs, beer, and pretzels.