The tone of his voice definitely drops the level of my attitude a few notches. I fill the coffee and nod at the counter where a little tray is filled with sugar and cream.
“I’ve never been here,” he says gruffly, taking a packet of brown sugar.
I notice that one of the fingers on his left hand is swollen and a shade darker than the rest. Or a few shades darker. Looks like the poor thing has been smashed by something—it must be throbbing with pain. How he’s not wincing is beyond my understanding—I’d be crying on the floor by now.
“I know. It’s my grandma’s place, so I know all the customers.” I don’t know why I say that, but here we are. Maybe I’m a little offended he hasn’t visited us yet. As a bachelor, I’d expect him to live on takeout, or as a new resident, at least for him to check out the only diner in town. Well, the only decent diner. I won’t mention that Dick the asshole just opened another diner on the other side of town.
Jericho glances around and returns his attention back to me with a smirk. “Looks good. Cozy.”
My frozen heart suddenly melts away a little. Just a tiny bit. He doesn’t strike me as a person who gives praise freely, and him calling the placegoodandcozymakes me feel proud.
“You guys are ready for Halloween, I see,” he adds after another glance.
“We have been since August,” I reply, shooting an accusing look toward Karina which she deflates with her tongue poking out of her mouth. “What can I get you?” I ask, returning my attention to my neighbor.
His arm with a rolled sleeve stretches toward the menu. “What’s good here?”
“Everything is good here,” I announce with pride. “All items are Grandma approved. What do you like?”
His sudden chuckle is heavy. “What do I like?” He lifts his eyes to me. “What I like is peace and quiet in my backyard,” he says in a breathy voice while his eyes, for some incomprehensible reason, are focused on my lips. Which I lick. Obviously. Too much attention makes them dry in the blink of an eye.
I lean my elbows on the counter in front of him. “That’s not happening, grumpy pants.”
He pushes back, leaning on the chair and shaking his head. “I suspected as much. I’ll take today’s special.”
“You don’t even know what it is,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.
He moves closer to me. “It’s good if it’s Grandma approved.”
I have a smart remark ready to throw back at him when the door opens and Dick walks in. The bane of my existence in Big Love. Wearing his casual navy suit and sleeked back hair, he heads straight toward us. When I think the day couldn’t get any worse, Dick just has to come and prove me wrong. Now my morning desire to cover myself in protective stones makes even more sense. Here’s the promised witch hunt.
“Looking good, Nora.” His voice carries that infuriating mix of possession and familiarity. A chill creeps up my spine, the same one I’ve felt a hundred times before.
“What do you want, Dick?” His name slips out like an accusation, flat and bitter. Jericho’s head whips toward him with a sudden snap that startles me. His jaw clamps shut so loud I almost hear the grind of his teeth, making me wonder what Dick could have done to Jericho so far to cause this reaction. But you never know with Dick—he tends to cause strong responses in people. It’s one of his specialties.
“So rude, Nora.” The jerk tsks, playingthe wounded party. Leaning his upper body on the counter, he watches me with that same old lecherous gleam in his eyes. “What’s the special tonight?”
“Your wife didn’t cook you dinner?” The words shoot out, almost viciously. “Or maybe your fancy cook at your new diner is not as good as you claimed him to be?”
Jericho’s brows jump up, and he looks at me with renewed interest. His gaze darts between me and Dick.Yep, buddy, you’re in for a show.This is not my proudest moment, but I can’t help myself—he just infuriates me so much.
Dick’s face stretches with a self-satisfied grin. “Still not over it I see.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove the menu in his direction, trying not to let his smugness worm its way under my skin, but it does, it always does. The man has an uncanny ability to make me feel like a teenager dealing with her first heartbreak all over again.
“Here I thought you were keeping tabs on me,” he continues smoothly, unfazed by my hostility. “You know, all this time I believed you were secretly my biggest fan.”
My teeth clench, and I’m painfully aware of Jericho’s eyes still flickering between us as if he’s watching some absurd tennis match. “It’s meatloaf Thursday.”
“That’s my favorite. You remembered.”
That’s it. I’m done.
“I’ll take it.” He plumps his ass on the chair, making himself comfortable. Sometimes Dick’s in the mood to play on my nerves, and my only defense is trying to ignore him. Which doesn’t work very well tonight because I’ve been aggravated since the moment I got here. I could hit him with a frying pan, but I don’t have bail money lying around, so I guess ignoring it is.
He starts impatiently tapping his fingers on the counter. “How you been, darlin’?”
Darlin’?He must be having a rough patch with hiswife. He hasn’t called me ‘darlin’’ since the last fight with his wife that the whole town knew about.
