Free The Trouble With Love by Beth Ciotta Page A

mode.
    “Listen, don’t overreact,” Rocky said to her brother. “It was nothing. Well, it was something, but I’m fine. My bag was sort of stolen. Some bastard snatched it off my arm when— Yes, I’m fine. I told you— Would you please stop shouting. I’m fine. I’m with Jayce.” Fuming, she passed him the phone. “Dev wants to talk to you.”
    “She’s fine,” Jayce said.
    “What the hell?” Dev snapped.
    “Like Rocky said, someone snatched her bag. The police are on it. I’m on it. Don’t worry.”
    “Don’t worry? My sister’s been in New York less than a day and she got mugged!”
    “It happens. Meanwhile I’ve got her covered.” Jayce kept his voice calm and low, hoping his friend heard between the unspoken lines: I’ll look out for Rocky, like you asked. I’ll keep her safe. It’s not like Jayce was in a position to speak freely. Not with Rocky pacing in front of him, listening to every word, and signaling him not to tell Dev about the car accident.
    Dev blew out a breath. “You’re sure she’s okay?”
    “You know your sister. Tough as nails.” Obstinate as a mule.
    “I’ll wire her some money.”
    “I’ve got that covered, too.”
    “Keep the receipts.”
    “Don’t insult me.” Jayce never took money from friends he considered family. Dev knew that, but they still went through this song and dance on occasion. Like last month when Dev had asked Jayce to do a background search on Chloe. Something that had backfired on Dev but thankfully righted itself. Jayce had witnessed the chemistry between Dev and Chloe firsthand. They belonged together. He recognized a similar spark between himself and Rocky. Although it wasn’t a spark as much as a raging inferno. Potentially hazardous but impossible to ignore.
    “Is Rocky standing within earshot?” Dev asked.
    “You bet.”
    “So you can’t talk.”
    “Not really.”
    “Did you tell her you’re moving home?”
    Jayce glanced at Rocky, who’d stopped pacing but was now glaring at him and chewing her thumbnail. “Not yet.”
    “Maybe you should hold off,” Dev said. “Considering her less than stellar attitude toward you, I’d hate to see you alienate her more when I need you to stick close.”
    “Taking her on a whirlwind tour of Manhattan,” Jayce said, throwing a placating smile Rocky’s way.
    “Unobtrusive way of sticking close,” Dev said. “Smart.”
    “That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”
    “But you won’t take my money.”
    “Finally getting that, are you?”
    Dev grunted. “Put Rocky on.”
    Jayce passed back the phone.
    “Happy now?” Rocky asked Dev while frowning at Jayce. “I have a babysitter. Does this mean I don’t have to check in with you again tonight?… Thank God.… Tomorrow? I don’t know my precise plans yet. A tour of some local bakeries was mentioned, but— Yeah. Okay. Sure.” She rolled her pretty blue eyes. “Shouldn’t you be helping Gram and Chloe prepare for the café’s opening?… Uh-huh. Give them my love.… Right. Stick close to Jayce. Got it.” Another eye roll. “Pinky swear. Love you, too.”
    She pocketed her phone and fussed with the buttons of her peacoat. “Yeah. That wasn’t too painful.”
    “Dev means well.”
    “You don’t have to tell me. I know my brother’s heart. I just don’t like being bossed.”
    “You don’t have to tell me.” Jayce flashed back on when he’d tried to stop Rocky from rushing into her collapsing sports shed. She’d punched him in the damned jaw. “Had enough of the park?”
    “Ready for my whirlwind tour if that’s what you’re asking.” Rocky looked over his shoulder at the towering skyscrapers, then to a nearby family playing catch with their dog on a patch of grass. She touched her bandaged forehead, frowned. “Like Gram says, life’s short.”
    That statement resonated with Jayce more than Rocky could possibly know. His mood inched toward somber, prodded by fresh and ancient memories. Yeah, life was