Lightning Strikes (The Almeida Brothers Trilogy #3) by Trevion Burns

right.”  She whooped.  “I could say it would’ve been nice to hear that story from you and not Fox News, but I’d be lying, because that was hilarious.”  She pointed to the TV.  “Be prepared to look over your shoulder for the rest of your life, because that blonde bride of yours has clearly come unglued , and she will not sleep until you’re six feet under.  Why was she still wearing her wedding dress a day later?  She gives me all kinds of Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction vibes.”
    Jack lifted his heated eyes to hers.
    “This is…” Nina met eyes with the waitress, who seemed just as excited as she was but—taking her cues from Jack—was making an attempt to hide it.  “Miss, you have no idea how hard I’ve been working to get anything, and I mean anything , out of this man that was even remotely personal.  If I’d known all I had to do was switch on Fox News, I could’ve saved myself a lot of wasted energy.”
    “Well, you know what?”  The waitress squeezed Jack’s arm, whose forehead had reclaimed its spot on the table.  “I think ya’ll have been through quite enough, and we rarely get celebrities in here…”
    “Celebrities!” Nina roared with laughter.
    The waitress winked.  “So this one’s on me, y’all.”
    Nina and Jack met eyes across the table.
    “Matter of fact.”  The waitress pulled a pad from her apron, looking back and forth between them.  “I’m off in about an hour.  The closest airport is three hours out, but I’d be happy to give y’all a lift to the train.  ‘Bout a half hour from here.”
    Nina’s eyes brightened.  “That would be incredibl—”
    “No thank you.”
    Nina gaped at Jack in shock.
    “Well, Runaway.”  The waitress squeezed his arm, again.  “If you change your mind…”
    “Thank you.”  Nina watched her go; her eyes solemn, and then kicked her leg out at Jack under the table.  “Are you crazy, Runaway?”
    “Don’t call me Runaway.”
    “She just offered us a free ride, and I didn’t even have to offer her your Runaway Groom body.  What the hell’s wrong with you?”
    “I’m not going anywhere with that woman.”
    “What is it with your aversion to kindness?  Pretty soon, not even I’m going to be able to save you from yourself, Runaway.”
    Jack looked up at her from under his eyes.  “Fine.”
    Nina’s face lit up, thrilled that he’d caved so easily, and she straightened in her seat before waving the waitress over with a bright smile.
    “Now,” she said, eyes widening.  “You know that we’re going to have to talk about what the hell I just saw on that television.”
    Jack sighed.
    Nina blinked rapidly.  “You know this, right?”
     
    ***
     
    Of course, Nina wasn’t able to claw any information out of Jack.  She had been tossing enough questions across the table at him to land her a seat on 60 Minutes, and Jack had yet to give her a real answer.  He just watched her with his eyebrows raised high, as if he were wondering when she’d have the sense to throw in the towel.
    His phone buzzed on the table between them.
    “And your phone is ringing,” Nina said.  “ Again.”  When Jack didn’t even look up from his drink she brought the phone’s display closer, her eyebrows lifted.  “Surprisingly enough, it is not Kelly, or Chase—the two people that call you the most obsessively—whoever they are…”
    Jack still didn’t look up, moving from one plate of food to the next.
    Nina’s eyebrows pulled as the caller ID kicked in.  “Don’t tell me you work for Jones Day Law Firm?”
    This time, Jack’s head did shoot up, and his big eyes met hers.
    Nina’s eyes grew larger, as well, in direct response to the shock on his face.  “Well, well… looks who’s suddenly at full attention—” Her mouth fell open when Jack snatched the phone from her hand, dropped his fork, and left the table completely.
    As she watched him cross the restaurant and blast through the front door, she