“Tell me this isn’t real life! Is that an apron? And you have a dog? My man, what kind of domestic fantasy are we running here?”
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath, right before Jace Steele crushes me in a bear hug that knocks the air clean out of my lungs.
He smells like aftershave, protein powder, and poor decisions. Classic Jace.
“Nice to see you too, asshole,” I say, grinning despite myself.
He pulls back, holding me at arm’s length like he’s inspecting an alien life form. “You own a restaurant now? What happened to ‘no strings, no roots, only the road and the game’? Bro, you’re in flannel. You’ve got the look.”
“I don’t wear flannel.”
“You will. Just wait. One cold snap and you’ll be chopping firewood shirtless like it’s your full-time job.” He does adramatic spin, arms wide. “Where’s the rustic dog with a tragic backstory? The girl next door who teaches you how to love again? Don’t lie to me, I cansmellit in the air.”
I shake my head, laughing. “You’re a menace.”
“I’m your best friend,” he corrects, shouldering a duffel bag the size of a small boulder and dropping it at my feet. “And I’m staying. Timberline Inn, already got my room booked for awhile. You can’t stop me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You didn’t even ask.”
He grins. “Asking is for people with boundaries. I’m here to inject some chaos into your quiet little life.”
Mission already accomplished.
I glance across the room toward Josie, where she was just a minute ago, but she’s gone.
A hollow feeling settles in my chest.
Jace claps his hands once, loud enough to make the line cook flinch. “All right, Silver Peak! Where’s the nearest protein shake and hot yoga studio? And don’t tell me that bakery on Main has ‘protein muffins.’ That’s a lie. I can smell the carbs from here.”
“Relax,” I say, throwing the apron down and steering him away from the kitchen before he starts harassing the staff. “Come on. You’re gonna scare everyone.”
“Oh, please. They love me already. Look at that one. She’s smiling.” He points to one of the high school hosts who’s giggling nervously behind the hostess stand.
“She’s terrified,” I deadpan.
Jace slaps a hand on my back and lowers his voice. “So, tell me the truth, man. Who’s the woman?”
I tense.
“I knew it,” he says immediately, reading me like a damn book. “You’ve got that guilty domesticated glow. Don’t try to lie to me. I’ve seen guys fall. Hell, I’ve helped dig them out of thetrenches when they thought a house and a smile meant happily ever after.”
I shoot him a look. “Maybe not everyone’s built to run forever.”
He pauses long enough for it to register.
“Oh shit,” he says, eyebrows raised. “It’s serious.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. I’ve known you since you were nineteen and full of rage and bad tattoos. You’ve got feelings now. Actual ones.”
“Don’t make it weird.”
“Oh, I’m making it weird. That’s my job.” He grins, kicking back on the bench outside the restaurant while I lean on the railing. “So, what’s the deal? She's ghosting you already? You look like someone just took away your cheat day.”
I don’t answer right away. The wind’s picking up a little, rustling through the trees. Town’s quiet, the way it always is in the morning, before the lunch crowd kicks in. Peaceful. Or it would be, if not for the noise in my chest.
“She’s different lately,” I finally say. “Colder. Like she’s trying to smile through something but won’t let me in.”
