But what was hotter was him claiming me right here, where the whole city can see. Well, maybe not the whole city, given the early hour, but still, anyone could walk in. My lips still tingle from his kiss, and my neck aches sweetly from hispossessive touch. My hand twitches to touch the place where Jericho’s hand was holding me, but I pause just in time, remembering that Roman is sitting right here, watching me with a hawk eye. I can relive the moment when I’m out of his sight.
Suddenly, Roman’s brows draw together.
“There’s something about him though. Something I can’t quite pinpoint.”
“What do you mean?” I ask carefully, probing the ground if he’s thinking that the man might be already taken since it’s the only thing on my mind.
“It feels like he’s hiding something.”
“Aren’t we all?”
“True, I’spose. We all are.” His shoulders relax, but the worry doesn’t leave his eyes. “You do tell me if something feels off, all right?”
“You say that like we’re a couple or something.” I wave him off, embarrassed, despite loving the sound of it. I haven’t been part of ‘a couple’ for a long time and miss all the attributes it brings.
“Humor me,” he replies with a serious face, ignoring my coyness.
I know he’s just worried about me, so I say, “Of course. I will tell you if anything is wrong.”
He nods and gets up to disappear into his domain, leaving me alone with the scorching memories of the kiss and a tingle of worry deep, deep in my chest.
27
Nora
The day is crazy. The snowstorm shut down a lot of local businesses because no one needs to buy insurance during a blizzard, so naturally everyone goes out to get coffee and food.
The diner is busy—I don’t think we’ve had an open table since seven thirty, which is incredible for business but bad for my staff. Karina and Letty are ready to bite someone’s head off after another complaint about coffee not being black enough, Roman is ready to throw knives if someone tells him the runny eggs are not runny enough, and I’m ready to throw snowballs at everyone so they finally go home to their families.
Because I need to go home to mine—Grams’s waiting for me at home. She’s been there alone the whole day. I called her a few times to check on her and offer her a ride to Cheryl’s because her place is around the corner from the diner, and it’s easier to check on her, but she refused, saying she’s bingeing a new show and wants to be left alone. Cheryl did drive to thehouse to deliver her a hot meal from the diner and check on her just to be sure, but everything looked fine. So I’m leaving her be.
The snow has been going strong, and the plow trucks have been working relentlessly. Every time I hear a plow scraping the road, my head shoots up to see if it’s Jericho. And every time it’s been hard to tell.
Every time the door chimes, my gaze darts toward it in hopes it’s Jericho taking me up on my offer of having a hot lunch on the house.
But he never comes.
My mood gradually plummets. Is it because I’m tired or my expectations of the day haven’t been met? I’m not sure. The only thing I do know is that by seven p.m. the hope has died out, and my eyes have stopped jumping to the door with every new customer walking in.
No one has noticed my specifically sour mood because everyone has the same, so we all blend in.
“Why is everyone still here?” Karina complains, planting her butt on a free chair at the counter. “Don’t they have shit to do at home?”
“What shit?” I say. “It’s snowing in Big Love. Everything’s closed.”
“I don’t know.” She throws her hand in the air and hides her face on her shoulder. “Go home and have sex. Get busy.”
“Are you talking about Miss Lenny?” I laugh, glancing at the lady’s direction who’s currently standing next to the table of a man half her age.
Karina snorts. “That woman gets more action than I do.”
I glance at the local legend, and sure thing, she’s already sitting down at the guy’s table, who looks a little petrified, with her hand on his shoulder. I consider if I should go and save him but then decide against it—we could use some entertainment tonight, in whichever form it comes in.
“What should the rest of us do?” I ask, starting another pot ofextra blackcoffee per someone’s request.
She looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Still go home and have sex. Get into that magic drawer of yours and get your partner out.”
My cheeks heat up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
