Page 17 of Redeemed

"Nope," he agreed, glancing over at JT who had been sitting silently watching their by-play. He gave JT a look that said, 'I'm sorry man' before Dani started speaking again.

"So, how's the whole pretend boyfriend thing treatin' ya?" Dani asked quietly.

JT's eyes glanced quickly from Dani to Levi and back again. "Oh, he knows about it all," Dani told him. "You know I couldn't keep a secret like that from him. Could I, baby?"

"Nope," Levi repeated. He was going to let his little spitfire of a wife handle this interrogation all on her own.

"It's fine," JT said. "We've shown up for a family party, been out on a few dates, been seen around town. No random men have showed up recently in the café asking for Sofia and they took her profile down off the dating site, so I guess it's going fine."

Dani graced him with another eye roll. "You know good and well that's not what I mean. I've seen the way you've been looking at her. You like her for real."

"Look at her what way?" JT sputtered. "I do not. We're friends doing each other a favor, that's all."

"Uh, huh," Dani answered, the disbelief clear in her voice. "They're just friends. Hear that, baby?"

"Yep," Levi answered, fighting the grin that wanted to take over his mouth. "Just friends. Exactly."

JT glared at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about. You know what the arrangement is. Hell, Dani, it was your idea."

"Oh, so you haven't looked at her like it's 100 degrees in the shade and she's a popsicle you'd like to lick?"

JT narrowed his eyes. He couldn't have been so apparent. "You're crazy. I haven't looked at her any way at all."

"Uh, huh. Okay. I totally believe you. I believe you even though I've caught you making calf eyes over her more than once through the server's window at Common Grounds."

JT rubbed the back of his neck. "You're making all this up to razz me, right? Tell me I haven't been that obvious."

"I knew it! I knew you really liked her! Yay, me!" Dani smiled and did a little seated happy dance in victory. Levi shook his head and chuckled at her antics. The woman did love it when she was right.

"So why are you sitting here like a sad sack instead of christening your new bachelor pad with Sofia?" Dani asked, smirking.

"Jesus, Dani! You really had to go there? Now I'll have that image stuck in my head wherever I look," JT grumbled. "And I'm here instead of there becausewe are just friends."

"My question is why?" Dani asked, taking a sip of her beer. "Why are y'all still playing the pretend game?"

"Because she doesn't think of me like that, okay?" JT said gruffly. "She needs a friend so that's what I am. I'm nothing more to her and I'm not going to ruin our friendship and our business relationship by trying to make it more. It's simply not possible. End of."

Dani put a hand on his arm. "JT, I think…" she started softly, but he cut her off.

"No, that's the end of the conversation. It's not happening. It can't be anything other than what it is, so leave it alone."

"Levi, say something to him," Dani insisted.

"Babe, he's made his decision. If he changes his mind, I'm sure you'll be one of the first to hear about it. Now leave it be," Levi said in his calm but firm tone. He'd been on the other end of that determination more than once. He knew she wouldn't really drop it for good, but maybe she'd let JT escape for now.

She huffed out a breath. "Fine, I'm not going to say anything at all about how she looks at you as googly-eyed as you do her when you're not looking. Not a thing."

"Babe," Levi said warningly.

Dani threw up her hands. "I'm done. Really. It's fine." She turned to JT again. "If you do ever decide you want to hear more about that, you let me know." She threw an arm around his neck and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek. "Go and enjoy your new abode before Maggie comes out here searching for you and gives you another project."

She grabbed Levi's hand and pulled him from the porch. "See ya, man," Levi said, tossing him a wave as he followed Dani to their truck.

JT sat quietly swinging on the porch thinking about what Dani had said. He heard a giggle and a squeal from inside the house and decided that was his cue to leave. He huffed and made his way to his Jeep. Dani couldn't be right about Sofia looking at him like that. He would have noticed as closely as he was watching her these days. Wouldn't he?

Chapter sixteen

We Really Need a Lock