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“Fourteen.”

Curious, Dorcas leaned back to catch a glimpse of the table, and she tried to ignore the way her breath caught at the sight of Nate Flint with one of his brothers. Both wore black slacks and red polo shirts, which seemed to be the standard outfit for the guys at Six Points Tactical & Security. If she remembered correctly, the other brother was Ryan.

Jessica leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Isn’t the one on the right the guy who married Vicky Hale?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“How do you know him?”

“My old roommate is married to his brother.”

Jessica’s mouth dropped open. “How did I not hear about this until now?”

“I didn’t think it was important.” Plus, she didn’t think it was anybody’s business. From what Nina had told her, the newlyweds were protective of their privacy. Which totally made sense to Dorcas. If she were famous, she wouldn’t want people watching her every move.

“Who’s the other guy?” Jessica asked.

“His brother.”

“The one who married your roomie?”

“No, different brother.” There were five in all, and with the strong family resemblance, there were times when she had difficulty remembering who was who. Except for Nate. She could never forget about him, a fact that left her oddly disturbed.

The corners of Jessica’s mouth curved up. “He’s hot. Is he single?”

“Yeah, but he’s a player. And he’s a good ten years older than you.”

The waitress snorted. “I’m not planning to take him home to Mother. I just want to make him sweat for a few hours.”

Dorcas shot the other woman a look. At twenty-seven, she was the old lady of the waitstaff, and it was times like these when she felt protective of the younger waitresses who didn’t have as much experience on the dating battlefield.

At least that’s what she told herself. It had nothing to do with the way her pulse skipped whenever Nate was around. Or the ridiculous urge to smooth her hair and reapply her lip gloss. He was a player, a smooth talker, plain and simple. How her body responded to him was irrelevant. She didn’t need that kind of man in her life.

Not now. Not ever.

Drinks in hand, Dorcas dropped them off at table twelve, and then made her way to fourteen. As if sensing her approach, Nate looked over his shoulder in her direction, and the smile he gave lit her up from the inside out.

“Hey, guys, what brings you here today?”

Ryan’s smile was as brilliant as his brother’s, but it didn’t have anywhere near the same effect. “Would you believe we’re here because of Austin’s rave reviews?”

“Probably not.” Nina and her husband, Austin, ate lunch here at least twice a week. But with everything going on, she doubted that was the reason for Nate and Ryan’s visit. She assumed—and hoped—it had something to do with her sister’s disappearance, and considering their demeanor, she also assumed they hadn’t come bearing bad news.

Nate’s smile widened as he leaned against the back of the bench seat and stretched one tanned, muscled arm along the top. “Yeah, you’re right. But Austin did say this place makes a pretty mean cheesesteak.”

“In that case, Austin’s correct. Voted best in Orlando, three years in a row.”

“In that case, put us down for two.” Nate glanced at his brother. “What do you want to drink, Ryan? Tea?”

“Yeah. Sweet, no lemon.”

“And I’ll have a Coke.”

“You got it.”

Nate gave her a look. “Aren’t you going to write any of this down?”

“Nope, I’ve got a great memory. Besides, it’s a fairly basic order.” Feeling tired, impatient, and in need of good news, she cocked a hand on her hip. “Are you going to tell me why you’re really here?”