Chapter 6
6
H e'd hid in his office all morning, barely speaking to Selena and giving her nothing but busy work to do after their moment in the supply room. He couldn't do anything about the obvious attraction between them but keep his distance until he learned to control it. She'd caught him watching her the few times he'd left his office during her shift, so he avoided the entire situation.
Holding her in the supply room, about killed him. When her fingers touched the back of his neck, and she said his name, he'd almost hauled her to her toes and kissed her. He'd tried to read the situation like his brothers suggested. But he couldn't. His doubts kept surfacing.
With Katie's timing, reminding him of their precarious position, he was glad he'd remembered who he was. He was her employer.
He didn't care what his brothers thought. Crissy had given him the ultimate lesson on female deception. Although he didn't think Selena was showing an interest only to lure him into a lawsuit, he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk the restaurant. His brothers’ futures .
And she thought the entire thing was a joke. The woman was a mess. He'd found her cell phone, again, sitting in the employee's break-room and caught Katie to give it to her before she left.
Brogan looked over the reservation system, the evening hostess watching him suspiciously. His constant presence probably bothered every waiter or waitress on the floor, but he didn't care. He needed to be where the action was. He needed a distraction. And since Selena didn't work the night shift, he took it out on his employees.
Being a perfectionist wasn't bad.
“Mr. O'Keeley?” Cara asked as she fell in step beside him. Shift manager for his night employees, she was easy to spot with a bright, unnatural shade of red hair and nearly six feet tall. Unlike Lenny, Cara already had excellent leadership skills. “We've had three employees go home sick. I called in a few of the staff who work in the mornings.” She flipped the paper on her clipboard. “Katie, Selena, and Trey. Trey just arrived. Katie said something about having to help Selena, but then they'd both be here.”
“Boss,” one of the kitchen workers began, tapping him on the shoulder. “We just had two cooks get sick.”
A health epidemic on the night that Randy Simmons was due to arrive for another meal pushed Brogan's patience. And now he'd have his eyes on Selena to top it off.
“Obviously, let's keep this low key. As you see employees, quietly tell them that the minute they start to feel ill, to let you know and leave the floor. I'll call Rian to help in the kitchen.”
The young kid's eyes grew round. “Seriously?”
“Am I ever not serious?”
“No, sir. ”
“Then go back and handle it the best you can until he gets here.”
The kid turned around, as if in a daze, and walked back to the kitchen. Rian might be considered the quiet one, but he didn't have that reputation in the kitchen. The awards he'd won over the years preceded him. As well as his demand for excellence.
Brogan pulled out his phone and dialed his brother's number. He answered after one ring. “Rian, we need you at the restaurant. Two of your kitchen staff have left sick. I have three sick on the floor. I'd hate to lose more and not have the manpower for Saturday night.”
“On my way. I'll pull Cathal.”
“Why?”
“He can work the bar if nothing else. See you in ten.” Rian hung up.
Selena breezed through the door, Katie right behind her. Both with serious, game-faces on as they scanned the dining room. It instantly reminded him of another significant reason he couldn't cross the line. The business was better because of Selena.
“Good,” Cara said. “They're here earlier than I thought. The Simmons party just arrived, too.”
Brogan hadn't noticed, his eyes locked on Selena's pursed lips as she walked his direction. “Is the upstairs room ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Selena and Katie came to a stop in front of him. “Where do you want us,” Katie asked, looking between Brogan and Cara.
“The Simmons party is back again.”
Selena winced and looked away.
“What is it?” Brogan had seen the tip reported from that night. With the apartment complex she lived in, surely, she needed the money.
Katie, Cara, and Brogan all waited for Selena to answer. She shot an annoyed look in his direction. “Nothing.”
“Something,” he answered. Katie and Cara looked at him. He didn't need this, to let anyone know that he had a little more than just a professional interest in Selena. But he couldn't ignore her discomfort.
She stared at the party as they passed by the group. Mr. Simmons was so involved in a conversation, he didn't notice Brogan. But two of the men, separately, both sent Selena a look he didn't appreciate.
A look that if Selena were his, he'd point it out to them both. Immediately.
“Oh.” He kept the fury out of his tone of voice and slipped his hands into his pockets to conceal the fists.
Selena shook her head. “I can deal with it.”
“There's no reason for you to deal with it, though.” He looked at Katie. “If any of those men are inappropriate, let me know. Immediately.”
She nodded her head. “Yes, sir.”
“Do you want to work it with Katie? If not, Cara can pull someone else.”
Selena took a deep breath. “I'm fine. Really. I'll give those two fine specimens to Katie.”
Katie grinned. “I'll handle them.”
“I'm sure you will.” Brogan patted Katie on the shoulder. “Let me know if you need any additional help.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Mr. O'Keeley.”
Cara walked back up to the front, and Katie headed to the employee break room.
“I mean it about those men. I'll ask them to leave if they say or do anything inappropriate.” He realized belatedly how deep his accent had grown. She didn't miss it based on the way her lips pursed together.
“Between Katie and I, we'll be fine. Don't worry about it.”
Rian came in the front door, already wearing his chef's shirt and ugly, required shoes. “I'm here to report to duty.”
Brogan smirked. “Do you wear that outfit underneath your regular clothes, hoping for some type of culinary emergency?”
Selena giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.” Her light eyes held a smile. “But that was funny.”
“The short answer is yes, I do.” He grinned. “Are you here to help with the epidemic?”
Selena nodded, looking a little more relaxed than before.
Brogan straightened his shoulders. He'd done that. Made her laugh. Helped her relax from the tense woman a few moments ago.
“Absolutely,” she said. “And they just seated my table. I need to get going.”
She locked eyes with Brogan a quick second before her shoulder brushed his as she passed by him. Out of instinct, he grasped her wrist lightly in his hand and kept their hands low and concealed. She stopped, her head snapping up.
“Cathal will be behind the bar. If you need help with those men and can't find me, tell him.” He skimmed his thumb along her inner wrist, enjoying the way her mouth parted with her exhale. “He'd probably enjoy tossing a pompous ass or two out of the restaurant.”
She nodded her head once, and he dropped her wrist, immediately missing the contact of their skin.
Rian's eyebrows were close to his hairline.
“Don't even start. ”
“I don't even know where to start.” He patted Brogan on the back. “But I know this has to be tearing you up, so you have my sympathy. Glad you took our advice.”
“It was horrible advice that ended in an awkward situation that I didn't know how to handle.”
“I'd say you handled it fairly well judging by the way that pretty woman just looked at you.”
“She doesn't think I have a sense of humor.”
Rian contorted his face into an exaggerated frown. “I can't imagine why that is.”
“Shut up and get to work.” He didn't even know what got into him when it came to Selena. His brothers, putting all sorts of ideas into his head, hadn't helped. He could compartmentalize her. She belonged in a neat box marked with an X. He needed to remember both their places.
He was the boss.
She was the employee.
Everything in his life functioned like clockwork except for Selena. With one last glance up at Simmons' party, he walked to the front of the business, again, looking for something to do that kept his mind off the pretty waitress he could never be with.
“Five of the guys slipped me their telephone numbers.” Katie snarled. “Dirty old men. Most of them are old enough to be my dad. And I told two of them that exact thing, but they just smiled and told me I could call them daddy.”
“Do you think they just hit on anything moving hoping something will bite?” Selena threw away two pieces of paper with telephone numbers. The same two men as before passed them to her as she'd set down their appetizers .
Katie giggled. “So now we're fish trying to dodge the hook.”
“A hook with crappy bait.” Selena made her friend laugh, and she tried to feel just as lighthearted. But she couldn't. God, Brogan confused the hell out of her. Touching her one second and pushing her away the next. Acting as if he cared. Trying to make a damn joke of all things.
All she'd done is tell herself he wouldn't cross that line because of his own rules. But what if it was more? What if it was because of her social standing? She'd faced that once before. Her ex-boyfriend, Jacob, had claimed to love her and then hidden her away when he realized she could never become the social queen he wanted. Was Brogan the same? Had she read all the signals right, but he kept remembering that she wasn’t in the same league as he was?
“Excuse me,” a deep voice called from the table.
Katie rolled her eyes. “Ugh.”
“I'll take it. You take the water pitcher around and do a refill. Try not to dump it over someone's head.”
“I'll try to control myself.”
Selena headed back, scanning the table, noting that they were partway through their entrees. A few drinks needed a refill. She stopped beside Randy Simmons, who sat at the head of the table. An attractive man, well into his sixties that still worked out based on the way he filled out the dress shirt he wore. A pretty boy is what Katie had called him. Boy was a little stretch. He looked more like a grandpa Malibu Ken doll than a real man. Fake tan, bright white teeth, and a Rolex watch that must have cost him a small fortune. She hated flashy men like that.
He probably drove an overpriced sports car, too.
“Yes, sir? ”
He shook his head slowly. “I've asked you to call me Randy, Selena.”
He had.
And she hadn't.
“Did you need something?” She looked at his plate, mostly empty. His drink was empty. “A vodka and tonic?”
“Yes, and,” he said, lowering his voice, making it hard to hear above the conversation at the table, “I'd like to take you out sometime.”
Damn. Even their leader was scuzzy. “I'm sorry, but I'm only available to provide you with another drink.” With most men, that provided them an easy way out of an awkward situation.
“Are you sure about that?”
She arched an eyebrow and stood straight. “Same type of vodka?”
“Do you know who I am?” He sat back in his chair like he'd tell her a story—definitely Malibu Ken Grandpa. “I'm about to renovate this entire corner of Atlanta. Put in a big plaza shopping center.”
“Oh.” Her face felt hot. Straight anger from the cocky way he didn't care about the people he'd put out of a job. But it wasn’t her place to butt in. “So you don't want the drink?”
He smiled brighter. “I like your spunk. Once we close O'Keeley's down, I'll have use for someone like you on my staff. If you're interested.”
She crossed her arms. “And what does your staff do, exactly?”
“Whatever I need them to do.” His hand encircled the outside of her thigh and squeezed.
She smacked his arm away and stepped to the side. Her face flamed hotter. Adrenaline. “I'll get your check. ”
His lips quirked to the side. “I'm not through with my meal.” He motioned to the table. “Neither are my colleagues, and they'll leave when I do. You wouldn't want them to have to leave without paying since you didn't allow them time to finish? I'm sure your boss wouldn't like that.”
The restaurant didn't need the loss of revenue on a party this size. It didn't mean they had to finish their dinner at O'Keeley's. Even Brogan had mentioned tossing them out. He'd have her back. She lifted her chin. “I'll be sure to bring you all a to-go box.” She turned and stormed out of the room and down the stairs.
As promised, Cathal stood behind the bar, looking like he entertained the crowd better than serving drinks efficiently. But it was manpower on a night they desperately needed it. She took a strong, deep breath to cool her temper as she crossed the floor.
She didn't want to bitch and moan about Simmons to Cathal. She'd handled it. Now, the group needed to pay and leave before Brogan came out to check on things. He had enough to worry about with the bank without her adding to it.
Cathal met her at the end of the bar. He cleaned off two empty pint glasses and began to wipe down the wood. His red collared shirt with the O'Keeley's logo and blue jeans looked far more casual than he normally dressed.
“Now, what has displeased you?”
“Nothing. Why?” She tried to give him a perky smile. Judging by his look, he didn't buy it.
He leaned his elbows on the bar. “Brogan mentioned a few of the guys in the party might give you a hard time.”
Selena shrugged. “I can handle it.” She wished she could have tossed Simmons out on his ass and covered their tab herself. But this was a more professional way to treat him. Even if he didn't deserve it.
Katie stepped up beside her. “I figured you could use an extra set of hands with that many to-go boxes. I'm glad you kicked them out. No tip is worth letting Simmons paw all over you.” She brightened when her eyes landed on Cathal. “Well, hey there.” She nudged Selena's shoulder, completely oblivious that her confession about Simmons just darkened Cathal's gaze significantly.
“Hello, Katie,” he replied with a sharp glance at Selena.
Katie smiled wider. “I can proudly say I had the cutest guy in the bar take me home last week. Too bad, he dropped me off and told me to drink some water and take two aspirins.”
“What exactly happened up there, Selena?” he asked.
She hoped to simplify it. “I told Simmons he needed to leave. We're getting them to-go boxes and their checks.”
He shifted, giving Katie his full attention. “Katie, sweetheart, what did you mean by Simmons pawing all over Selena?”
Selena looked up at the exposed wooden beams in the ceiling. No way Katie might, for once, keep quiet. She closed her eyes. Yup. There she went, giving Cathal a play-by-play. Even down to Simmons's suggestive proposition.
“He touched you?”
Cathal's direct question unnerved her. Not for getting Randy Simmons in trouble. No. If she had to guess, this wasn't Randy's first time propositioning a woman. But the aggression in Cathal's voice. Tense. Dangerous.
Selena rolled her eyes, hoping to come across as nonchalant. “He touched my blue jeans—”
“Ladies, I'd appreciate it if you'd give me a few minutes with our guests before returning with their to-go boxes.” Cathal stepped from behind the bar. He paused beside Selena and mumbled, “find Brogan. But, for God's sake, don't tell him about Simmons touching you.”
“I tried not to tell you about Simmons touching me.”
“Just send him up that way.”
Selena dropped her head forward. “Will do.” Oh well for trying to keep the peace.
Katie leaned her back against the bar and watched Cathal leave. “I really wish I knew him before I started working here. One night. That's all I want.”
God, sometimes, Katie was oblivious. “I'm going to go tell the boss and grab those to-go boxes. You can offer to take drinks from the bar to tables down here on the floor. Save everyone a few trips.”
She gave her a mock salute. “I'm on it.”
Selena walked to the door of Brogan's office. He sat at his computer, his brow wrinkled as he looked at his computer screen. He'd messed up his hair on one side. His tie sat a little crooked. She really didn't want to add on the stress.
“Hey,” she started.
He stood up so quickly his computer chair almost flipped. “Is everything alright?”
She held up her hands to calm him down. “Yes. Cathal went upstairs to the party. Asked me to find you and tell you to meet him up there.”
He stepped from around the desk. She didn't budge from blocking his way. “You forgot your jacket.”
He blinked before stepping back to his chair and putting it on. “Thank you. What happened?”
“Cathal said for you to go on up. I have about forty to-go boxes to collect.”
The concerned look shifted to something intense. He set a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. “You're alright? ”
No. Not when he watched her with so much concern. “I'm fine.” She straightened his tie, avoiding his gaze, smoothing the tie down his body, feeding off his strength.
“I don't believe you.”
She tilted her head back, soaking in the way he watched her. She brushed down the small part of his soft hair that stuck out on the side, not caring at the moment what was appropriate.
“Then that's too bad.” Selena gave him a light shove out the door, trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. “Go. Before Cathal gets distracted and finds a pretty girl to talk to.”
She watched him take the stairs two at a time until he reached the top, pausing a long moment. He glanced over his shoulder, finding her immediately, a dark scowl in place.
Even from that distance, she felt the electricity between them snap. Rian stepped up beside her. “Cathal sent me a text to come to help out with Brogan. Any idea what's going on?”
“Help with Brogan?” There went her ability to handle the situation alone. “They're up there. With Simmons.”
“Oh.” With that one word, Rian left and also took the stairs two at a time. Only he didn't pause at the top but rushed forward and out of sight.
What a damn night.
Selena grabbed the to-go boxes and went back to the bar to shuttle drinks out to help the overworked waitstaff. She'd rather do that all night than deal with Simmons again.
All three men appeared at once, walking down the stairs. After a brief word to each other, Brogan disappeared into his office, slamming the door.
“Dang. They mean business, don't they,” Katie said, propping her elbow up on the bar .
“I feel bad. Maybe I made it too big a deal and overreacted.” What if Brogan was actually mad she cut their meal short?
Katie patted her back. “No. It was a big deal. Men like Simmons think they get to touch any woman they want.”
“Would you have kicked them out?”
“No. But I don't have that authority.”
Selena winced. “I don't guess I do, either.”
Katie chuckled. “Yeah, right.”
Lingering on Katie's statement took too much focus at the moment. She waited until Cathal was back behind the bar, Rian pausing beside her. “So—?”
Rian smirked. “We printed out their tickets. Cathal will go up in a few minutes to run their payments.”
They'd supported her decision. A little of the anxiety that she'd messed up left her body.
“Let's say that asking them to go ahead and settle up and leave was the nicest thing we could've done. Simmons did it to himself. He made a mistake and mentioned you to Brogan.”
“Me? What for?”
Cathal poured a beer. She wasn't sure who it was for. “After Simmons told us that he would miss the food, but with the money he'd make, he'd be able to fly to Ireland and eat anytime he wanted to, the idiot actually told Brogan about his proposition.” Cathal grinned. “And that you'd seemed interested.”
Selena knew her mouth fell open, but she couldn't help it. She'd kicked them out. How did that convey interest?
Rian leaned on the bar beside her, his eyes looking green. “Don't worry, none of us think you are.”
“Hell no! Slimy old bastard.”
Cathal glanced in the direction of Brogan's office. “I'm not sure how much of Brogan's tirade Simmons actually understood. Rian and I thoroughly enjoyed the creativity.” He chuckled. “Only certain things will push Brogan outside his nice neat world.” He didn't continue the thought, but Selena knew what it meant.
She’d pushed him.
“What's so funny?” Katie asked as she set an empty bottle on the bar beside Selena. “I'm ready to lug up the forty to-go boxes if you are.”
“No. Brogan told them to pay or else. They'll pay seeing how they'd all eaten at least half of the food. We're not wasting to-go boxes on them.” Rian held his hands up. “Brogan's words. Not mine.”
“Or else what?” Selena asked. “A lawsuit over a seventeen-dollar fish and chips plate?”
Cathal gave her an amused look. “Or else they'll have to deal with him. My oldest brother annoys the hell out of me half the time, but the other half, I'll claim him. I'll head up to process their payments in another minute or so.”
Rian pushed away from the bar. “I'm headed back to the kitchen. Call me again if I can help.”
Katie set the boxes she'd picked up back down on the counter. “I knew I loved working here. Why don't you let us come back up and help clear the checks? There are forty people, all paying separately. That way we can work the three computers up there and get them out quicker.”
Cathal looked to Brogan's closed door. “Sure. I suppose.”
Katie patted her hands on the bar like a drum roll. “Then let's go so we can help all the other deserving customers.”
He motioned Selena forward, lowering his voice. “He's not going to like you being back up there.”
“I doubt Simmons will say anything else. ”
Or, maybe Simmons didn’t give a shit about Brogan’s tirade. Even with Cathal's presence, Simmons stared at her the entire time. Facing the computer, she could almost feel his eyes on her back—and butt. Soon, he'd be gone to harass some other female.
“Last one,” Katie said, as she slid the credit card through the reader.
Selena turned around, only to be face-to-face with Simmons. He'd risen at some point to come to stand beside her. “I can tell your bosses don't want to lose such a valuable employee.” He ran a finger down her shoulder.
She jerked away but had nowhere to go in the small booth that housed the computer. Her breath quickened.
She deepened her voice and straightened her shoulders. She didn’t need Cathal to come to her rescue again. “Go. Away.”
He took a small step back. “The offer stands, Selena. You'll be out of a job when I close this place down, and I have one with plenty of benefits, waiting for you.” His tongue darted out, wetting his lips that looked cosmetically enhanced. His eyes tracked down her body, making her want to turn away. “Most women would jump at the opportunity to have their turn with me.”
She slapped him.
Again, at some point in her life, her brain and body would sync together, but she couldn't stand it any longer. Hot pain seared across her palm from the hit.
The slap had silenced the entire room.
Simmons rubbed his cheek, but smiled, his voice no longer quiet. “You like things rough, I see.”
She shifted her body weight, ready to knee him in the crotch if necessary, but Cathal jerked him back. Pure aggression covered the Irishman's face. He shouted words she didn't understand, shoving him across the room until Simmons tripped and fell.
A few of the other men around the table rose but didn't move to intervene. She didn't really blame them. Cathal looked a little possessed, getting in Simmons's face as he continued to shout.
Katie gripped Selena's arm. “Oh, hell, I think I'm in love with him.”
She couldn't worry about Katie's infatuation with Cathal at the moment. Not when Brogan came barging into the chaos. People stumbled left and right as he pushed them out of the way like they weighed nothing.
Cathal hadn't hit Simmons, which surprised Selena, but his shouts had become more English and were quite unique in their use of curse words.
Brogan clamped a hand on Cathal's shoulder, tugging him away. He crossed his arms and stared down at Simmons. Instead of the shouting, his deep voice, too low to hear, put a look of surprise on Simmons's face and complete, deranged pleasure on Cathal's.
Selena started to march over there and tell Simmons off as well. If Cathal got to use his potty words, she could, too.
Brogan must have seen her movement because he looked up and held up his hand. She stopped dead in her tracks.
Fury blazed in Brogan's eyes.
With the adrenaline rush, her insides felt shaky. She stood there, unmoving, while Katie finished collecting the rest of the signed credit card receipts, and Brogan and Cathal watched the dinner party leave down the stairs and out of the restaurant.
“Katie, are you alright?” Brogan turned to face Selena. He controlled his voice so tightly; it was barely above a whisper.
“I'm fine. Do you want me to go help behind the bar since Cathal is up here?” She gave Selena a look of pity and rubbed her hand down Selena's arm. “Or I can stay to clean up.”
“The bar would be helpful.” Brogan kept his eyes pinned on Selena as Katie left.
The last thing she wanted was to cause him more problems. Although, technically, she knew it wasn't her fault.
Katie paused by Cathal, who leaned against the wall, looking relaxed, as if nothing had happened. “The no dating policy applies to you too?”
He gave her a sexy smile. “I'm afraid so.”
“Damn,” Katie muttered before moving out of the room.
Brogan waited for Katie to disappear down the stairs, his cold, blue eyes never wavering from hers. “I don't think Simmons will be returning. You never have to put up with that for this job.”
Selena nodded, stunned by his protective streak over her. “I'd hoped you'd be okay with me kicking them out earlier.”
“Of course he is,” said Rian as he stepped into the area, pausing beside Cathal. “Katie just gave me a quick rundown. I thought we were trying to get away from the fighting.”
“She hit him. Our Selena there slapped the old bastard.” Cathal winked at her. “A fighter.”
“She'll fit in with this family,” Rian said and then turned toward Cathal. “I'm surprised you left him in one piece.”
“It was close.” Cathal's quiet, serious response surprised her .
Brogan walked to Selena and held out his hand. “Let me see your hand.”
She handed it to him. Her palm was blood red from the hit. It stung when he ran a finger across it. She hissed from the burn.
“I'm glad you hit him.” His eyes flicked up.
“I'm glad you didn't,” she whispered. “It's not worth going to jail over.”
Cathal cleared his throat. “Do you plan on telling her what you threatened to do to him if he so much as speaks to her again?”
Rian crossed his arms. “I'd like to hear that.”
The way Brogan held her hand, touched her bruised skin, eliminated any doubt that he was attracted to her.
And neither one of them could make a move.
Stalemate.
“What did you tell him?” She had to keep talking. Keep her mind from torturing her with mental images of her and Brogan together.
Cathal didn't wait for Brogan to speak. “He told him that if he ever touched you again, he'd end up in a pine box, um, with his man parts in an unnatural location. The language was a little more colorful than that.”
“Creative,” she whispered, lacking any other response. She'd stand there as long as Brogan watched her with desire hidden behind his concern because it was there. It pushed reality away for a brief moment, leaving the two of them alone. She stepped closer. “Thank you.”
He gently held her hand as his other hand hesitantly touched her waist. He skimmed his fingers from her waist, down the outside of her hip. A trail of heat followed in its wake. His gaze dropped to her lips before flicking back up.
Instead of kissing her, like she wanted, expected, he dropped her hand and stepped back. “You can head home if you need to. I know it was a pretty big ordeal.”
“No.” She crossed her arms, feeling cold from his sudden departure. Had she imagined it again? “I'm fine. Really. I'll start clearing the tables. Thank you.” She smiled at Rian and Cathal, who'd just witnessed whatever happened between them. “You, too. I think you have a new member of your fan club with Katie.”
Cathal shrugged, his body so casual and easygoing, it was hard to imagine him so close to being out of control a few minutes earlier. “She's sweet, but not someone worth breaking the rules for.” He winked. “I'll see you later.” Both he and Rian turned and walked down the stairs.
Not someone worth breaking the rules for.
Was she that person for Brogan?
She almost asked him just that. End all the back-and-forth between them. But she didn't get a chance to.
“I'll send Trey and a busboy up here to help clear,” he said, a deep, angry growl still in his voice but he didn't meet her eyes.
“Alright. I'll see you in the morning.”
Brogan didn't turn around again. He walked away as if she didn't exist. How could he flip it on and off? She winced at the dull pain in her hand. She'd finish her shift and go home, try to wrap her head around the confusing tangle that existed inside when it came to Brogan. And if there was anything she could do about it.