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another was undoubtedly a violation of some kind. “Just keep an eye on her.”
    â€œIn case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been too busy for me to mind anybody’s business except my own. You should do the same,” Sue delivered then sailed out the front door.
    He lifted the lid of the box. Key lime pie. One of his favorites. But eating it would have to wait. Jessie’s trainee and the other waitress had left before Sue. That meant Jessie and Logan were the only ones left in the public area of the building. He had to act fast if he wanted to get what he needed from Jessie before his aunt interfered again.
    He grabbed the envelope and headed for the outside dining area, where Jessie was boxing the last of the condiments to bring inside for the night.
    She glanced up when he pushed the door open and stilled. Brown eyes tracked his progress across the planks with something akin to dread.
    He held out the manila envelope and a pen. “You haven’t filled out your paperwork. You can’t be employed here without filling out an I-9 and a W-4.”
    She ignored the offered items. Her breasts rose and fell on three breaths. Something he shouldn’t be noticing. “That’s between Miri and me.”
    â€œI’m her accountant. I’m required by law to have this information on all employees. I need it for payroll.”
    She blinked thick lashes. Slowly. As if buying time. “I’m not on her payroll.”
    That knocked him back a step. “What does that mean?”
    â€œI work for tips.”
    â€œYou’re busting your tail for eight hours a night with no expectation of a paycheck? What are you after? Cash under the table?”
    His sarcasm turned down the corners of her mouth. It wasn’t until she pressed her lips together that he realized how full they were. “No. Just tips.”
    â€œThat’s ridiculous. It’s not even close to minimum wage.”
    â€œI’m a friend helping a friend. Is that so hard to believe?”
    His suspicion multiplied tenfold. “Why?”
    â€œWhy help Miri?”
    He nodded. And waited. And waited.
    â€œShe’s a very nice person. And she’s hard to say no to.”
    Good answer, but she’d taken too long to come up with it for it to be genuine—a clue he’d been too dense to notice when his wife had started hiding things from him. “What are you getting out of it?”
    â€œI told you.”
    â€œTips are taxable income. I still need your information.”
    â€œMy accountant will deal with it in April.”
    She had to be another one of Miri’s projects. He dropped the pen and papers on a nearby table and caught her wrists. Ignoring her gasp, he rolled her hands thumbs out to examine her inner forearms. No ugly track marks marred the ivory skin that clearly showed undamaged blue veins beneath the surface.
    And then her warmth leached into his palms and up his arms. It spread across his shoulders then sank through his chest and gathered into a ball of heat in his gut. Desire? No way. Then he noticed her calluses. Not heavy ones, but Jessie definitely used her hands on a daily basis.
    She yanked free and wiped her palms on her hips as if he’d dirtied her. “What are you doing?”
    With effort, he hacked through the haze that had befuddled his brain. “Looking for signs that you use.”
    â€œUse?” Her brow pleated. A beat of silence passed. “Drugs?”
    Her wide eyes and shocked tone didn’t fool him. “It wouldn’t be the first time Miri helped someone get clean. They usually stay at her house, and it usually backfires. I end up having to help her evict them.”
    â€œI’m not staying with her. And I don’t and never have used drugs.”
    â€œThen why are you avoiding the drug test and paperwork? What are you hiding?”
    Her cheeks flushed. She averted her face, but he didn’t believe for one moment she