His tongue peeks up to lick his lower lip. “That too.”
Before I do something stupid like maul him in his driveway, I start slowly retreating backward toward my truck. “Stop by the diner when you have a chance. I’ll save you a warm plate.” Then add with a shy shrug, “For your service to the town of course.”
“Of course.” He chuckles, drinks more of the coffee, and gets into his truck.
A few seconds later my phone chimes with a message.
Wait till I pull out and drive after me. I’ll clear the road.
Well, damn.Chivalry isn’t dead yet.
25
Jericho
I don’t know what I was thinking when I started flirting with her so openly. Maybe I got tired of this odd situation of avoiding each other or maybe I just missed our quiet evenings. Maybe I just wanted to face my feelings once and for all—it’s easy to hide behind text messages and be as bold as one wants to be. But when a real woman, the very same woman who’s been haunting me in my dreams, stands in front of me, I turn into a Neanderthal and forget how to speak.
The moment I noticed her standing in my driveway, with only her nose and eyes poking from under the mountain of clothes she was wearing, I understood that I didn’t want to fight anymore. Or maybe I’m just too fucking tired. I haven’t slept since yesterday morning. The town called and asked if I could start late last night. Iwasgoing to postpone it until morning, but then was reminded thatthatelectrical permitI’ve been waiting for might finally be given to me if I make myself useful to the town.
So I didn’t really have a choice. That inspector with her unsolicited advice about my neighbor really didn’t take rejection well. When I went to the town inspection office the next day, there were multiple violations marked on the list. Some of them were plain absurd. Most of them, in fact.
Towns like this usually have enough manpower to plow the local roads, but this snowfall is turning out to be more than they could handle, so we’re forced to go to the highway and back. The coffee in my thermos ran out about three hours into the day before the sun even came up, so I’d been pretty miserable ever since. The feeling strengthened when I found an empty coffee bean bag in my kitchen cabinet.
I was ready to take caffeine in any form. What I wasn’t ready for was an extra shot of happy hormones going straight to my brain when I tasted Nora’s lipstick on the mug. It’s ridiculous that such a little thing would wake me up better than a hit to the guts. But it happened. And I started blubbering nonsense I can’t erase now.
To be honest, I’m not sure I want to forget anything. Seeing Nora’s flushed face was a reward worth the embarrassment.
As I check through the rearview mirror to make sure her truck is still following me, I feel something close to content. I haven’t slept or eaten for who knows how long. I’m cranky and tired. And yet, seeing her Tacoma behind me somehow erases all the shit. How have I become pussy whipped without even tasting the actual pussy?
I notice no lights as we pull into the diner. I plow the side of the road again and park my truck, not wanting her to go into the dark building by herself.
She jumps out of the truck and slips, nearly falling on the ground. I don’t make it to her in time, but she catches herself. By the time I reach her, she’s mumbling curses under herbreath better than any sailor would. She’d make my crew proud.
“Thank you,” she says when she notices me approaching her. “I mean it, really. Thank you. I’d still be there, shoveling my driveway if not for you.”
I nod, uncomfortable with her gratitude. “Do you think,” I ask, turning toward the dark diner, “there will be a lot of people today considering the storm?”
She snorts. “You’d be surprised. If I had a choice, I’d be sitting flat on my butt in front of my TV, but the majority of the locals will be bored out of their minds by ten and will venture out. Roads or no roads,” she shakes her head, “won’t stop them. Plus, the plowing guys will be stopping by all day for food and coffee.” Her eyes narrow. “Speaking of plowing guys. Want to get a quick breakfast?”
I want to thank her and excuse myself, but my stomach growls on cue so fucking loud it’s heard through the layers of my clothes. She laughs lightly and gestures for me to follow her.
“I won’t tell anyone you took a small break. C’mon, I’ll make you something. I’m not Roman, but it will be edible. I think,” she adds with a smile as she pushes the key into the door.
Once inside, she quickly turns on all the lights and nods at me to take a seat at the counter. “Give me a second, I’ll crank up the heat and start the coffee.”
She moves around the diner, looking comfortable and at home. She knows where everything is, and her actions are efficient. She’s in her space, on her rightful territory, and no one should come here and poison it for her. A sudden wave of anger toward Dick the dick makes me clench my fists in attempts to redirect my uncontrollable anger.
A few minutes later, the heat is on and blowing warm air, the coffee is filling the air with a strong aroma, and something on top of the kitchen stove starts sizzling.
“Any preferences?” she asks, putting an apron over her fluffy pink sweater.
“Anything will do.”
“You got it, sir.” She salutes me with a laugh, but I’m not laughing. Her saying ‘sir’ even playfully… does things to me. Thirty minutes ago, I thought I was tired. Now I’m not so sure anymore. I guess it depends on the activity.
As I watch her move about the kitchen, a strange warmth starts spreading in my chest. Something I haven’t felt. Ever. It gets so warm and tight, it turns uncomfortable, and I bring my fist to rub on the spot.
She waltzes from the kitchen with a steaming plate in her hands and places it in front of me. It’s filled with eggs, bacon, sausages, and French toast, and my mouth waters instantly, accompanied by a loud sound from my stomach.
