“Who’ll call?” Karina slides next to me with a full coffee pot, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
“No one,” I say too quickly, grabbing a stack of menus and nearly knocking over the turkey figurines Karina placed on the counter. She swapped Halloween decorations for Thanksgiving overnight, and now little turkeys are everywhere.
She blocks my path with her hip. “You’re a terrible liar, Nora Moon. Is it the hot neighbor? Dad told me he was in here before he left town.”
I feel heat creeping up my neck. “It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing.” She studies my face. “You’re all flushed. When’s the last time I saw you flushed over a man?” She taps her chin in mock contemplation. “Oh right—never.”
Before I can respond, the bell above the door jingles, and Dick walks in, looking smug as ever in his pristine button-down. Since our encounter in the parking lot, he’s been keeping his distance, but the way his eyes track me across the room makes my skin crawl.
“Great,” I mutter. “Just what I needed today.”
Karina follows my gaze and scowls. “Want me to accidentally spill coffee in his lap again? I’ve been practicing my ‘oops’ face.”
Despite myself, I laugh. “Tempting, but I’d rather not give him any reason to hang around longer.”
As if sensing we’re talking about him, Dick catches my eye and smirks. I turn away, focusing on wiping down the counter with unnecessary vigor.
“You know,” Karina says quietly, “you could always ask Cheryl to have a word with him about harassment.”
I shake my head. “And give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me? No thanks.”
The truth is, I haven’t told Cheryl about what happened in the parking lot. She’d go into full protective mode, and while part of me appreciates her fierce loyalty, another part needs to handle this on my own. Besides, Dick hasn’t tried anything since Jericho stepped in.
Jericho. My thoughts circle back to him again, and I wonder what he’s doing right now. Building something with those strong hands probably. I remember how they felt on my waist, warm and steady…
“Earth to Nora.” Karina waves a hand in front of my face. “You disappeared on me again. I’m starting to think this guy’s done a number on you.”
“I’m just tired,” I lie, but Karina’s knowing look tells me she’s not buying it. “The rooster woke me up again this morning.”
“The mysterious rooster that nobody’s seen except you and hot neighbor?” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.
“Your dad saw him too!” I insist, though I’m starting to wonder myself. Without Jericho there to witness it, the whole thing feels like some bizarre, shared hallucination.
I grab a fresh pot of coffee and move to refill mugs, deliberately taking the long way around to avoid Dick’s table. My phone vibrates in my apron pocket, and my heart leaps before I can stop it. I nearly spill Mrs. Henderson’s coffee in my haste to check it.
But it’s just Cheryl, asking if I can bring Granny her knitting needles later. The disappointment hits harder than it should.
“Not him?” Karina whispers as she passes with a tray of pancakes.
I shoot her a look that could curdle milk and tuck my phone away. This is ridiculous. I’m acting like a teenager witha crush, not a grown woman who owns a business and has survived plenty of disappointments.
By the time the lunch rush ends, my mood has soured completely. Dick lingered for nearly two hours, ordering refill after refill, his eyes following me around the room. When he finally left, he dropped a twenty-dollar tip on the table with a wink that made my skin crawl.
“You should keep that,” Roman says when I try to give the money to Karina. “Buy yourself something nice. Like rat poison for him.”
“I don’t want his money.” The bill feels contaminated somehow.
Roman’s face softens. “But you need the rat poison. Don’t let him ruin your day, Nora.”
He’s right, of course. I tuck the twenty into the jar we keep for the local animal shelter and try to shake off the lingering unease.
The afternoon drags by, slow enough that I send Karina home early. I’m wiping down the last booth when my phone vibrates again. I steel myself against the hope that rises unbidden, certain it’s just Cheryl again.
But it’s not. Unknown Number:
Is the rooster behaving himself?
