Page 147 of Broken Daddy

“Well, that’s Kent’s problem,” Donovan said. “I’m a much more hands-on sort of bodyguard.”

Hayes stood and stared at Donovan threateningly. Donovan got up with a laugh and left.

“Hayes,” she said quietly.

“Yes?” He forked up a piece of sausage.

“You shouldn’t speak that way to your friends. It’s not very nice and what if he gets angry at you?”

He paused and studied her. “Baby, we’re work colleagues, not friends.”

“Oh.” Okay. It didn’t seem much better, though. “You could be friends. Maybe if you were a bit, um, nicer.”

Hayes snorted. But then he stared at her face. “You’re worried about this?”

“It’s good to have friends. And I . . . I want you to have friends.”

She didn’t want him to be lonely. And she sensed that he’d been lonely for a long time. She understood that it was likely due to May’s death. But there was a small possibility that it was also due to his . . . prickly personality.

“But to do that you might have to be, um, well, a bit, um . . . well, less . . .”

“Less me?” he said.

“What? No! I would never say that.”

Then she thought she saw his lips twitch and she glared at him. “You’re teasing me.”

He held up a finger and thumb. “You don’t need to worry about me, baby. I have friends.”

“Who?”

“Zeke. Been friends with him for years.”

Devi waited for him to say more. “Is that it?”

“Yeah, what? I need more than that?”

“Well, I suppose it’s a start. But perhaps more would help. You just need to be . . . well, maybe don’t snarl at them. It’s very lonely without friends.”

“Fine. If I get myself some friends, will you stop worrying?”

“Um, I suppose. But this really isn’t about me,” she told him. She didn’t want him doing this for her. He should do it for himself.

And then maybe he wouldn’t be so sad anymore.

He got to his feet and strode over to the door. “Donovan!”

“Um, yes? You know I was just teasing before, right? I’m not actually interested?”

“We’re friends now, got it?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. Did he really just do that?

“We are?” Donovan asked, sounding confused.

Which was a very reasonable way to feel she thought since, you know, most people didn’t just bark out that they were your friend.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can flirt with Devi. Do it again and I’ll punch you.”