I push back from the counter. “And why is that?”
“I have my own agenda.”
“And what’s his agenda?”
“You’ll have to ask him.” She tsks like she doesn’t agree with whatever reasons he has.
“Nora, need a hand? With that coffee?” Karina’s voice forces me to shift my attention from the woman in front of me to the room where my best server is watching me with a concerned look on her face.
“Coffee’s good,” I assure her with a nod, but she doesn’t go back to serving customers. Instead, her eyes dart between me and our ‘guest.’
“You sure?”
“Positive,” I reply with a big smile even though I don’t feel cheerful at all.
Karina gives the woman another long stare. “Call me if you need help… with the pot.” She nods meaningfully at her, making me smile sincerely for the first time since our guest’s arrival.
With a quick nod to my loyal friend, I return my attention to my extorter.
“I didn’t know it was rocket science to brew a pot of coffee,” the woman says with a loud snark.
“It is for us hillbillies.” I shrug.
“No doubt,” she snickers. “Do we have a deal?”
“What deal?”
She rolls her eyes tiredly. “You stay away from Jericho, and I’ll keep Richard away from your diner.”
“Richard?” I ask with a raised brow. “I thought it was you who found all these violations.”
Her smile turns evil. “Do we have a deal or not?”
She looks like she has me right where she wants me. Town officials can make anyone’s life a living hell, especially in small towns like ours where their jobs are passed down through generations. The diner has been in our family since Grams founded it in nineteen sixty-five, and losing it over a man I barely know seems ridiculous.
I’m deciding between rolling over to show her my belly and pouring a pot of coffee over her head when the door chimes. Differently this time. The air changes, the light brightens,and clarity descends. Jericho’s large body barrels toward us, and my heart skips a few beats.
I’m not planning on losing my diner over a man. I’m not planning on losing my diner, period. I hate bullies, and that’s what she is. I was bullied enough when Dick dumped me, and it felt like the whole world decided to turn against me. My old friends from school sided with him because he was a popular local superstar. Now, when they’ve seen his true colors, they sing a different tune, but back then, I was cast out and couldn’t find my way back because I was young and devastated. Plus, I was still figuring out how to live a life without my parents.
I’m different now. And the town is different. Nicer, kinder. There’s no place for the likes of her or Dick.
28
Jericho
“Nora, are you okay?” I ask as I walk toward her and the town inspector who’s sitting at the counter across from Nora, looking utterly smug. I try not to sound worried but can’t help it. That woman is a menace as I’ve come to learn. And seeing her fixated on Nora flares up my protective instincts.
“Oh. Hey, Jericho.”
I have three more steps before I reach them. Three more steps before I determine the course of my future. Fear of being rejected is strong. And it’s not because half the town is watching, but because I don’t think I’ll have the guts to go after her again. Because this is what I want—to go after her.
The course has been set.
I beeline to the right, through the opening in the counter on the side, and right to her.
The closer I come, the wider her eyes become. Her delicious-looking mouth forms anowhile her body is frozen like a deer in headlights.
“What are you—” she starts asking as I step close to her, place my hand on the back of her neck, and pull her to me.
