I wasn’t close enough to ask about it, but I still felt compelled to do something for her. Sometimes that meant sliding her a discount, and sometimes that meant throwing an extra cookie in the bag for the little angel baby in front of me.
“Mama wants us to bring home watermelon sorbet too, right?” Talon says, tickling her side and making her giggle.
“Good thing I picked up extra watermelons so I canmakethe sorbet, isn’t it,” I snark even though I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Talon’s shoulders shake with silent laughter as he turns toward me.
“It’s real good, Cora. Delicious, in fact.” He says the words, the innuendo plain in his tone even though his eyes never stray from mine. I suppress the shiver that races down my spine and grab a cookie in the case behind me and place it into a little bag that I hand to Navy.
“Lunch first,” I tell her, and she nods enthusiastically as she clutches the treat to her chest. “And for you?”
Talon looks at the menu behind me, finally deciding on the pulled pork and spicy slaw sandwich with homemade pickles, a water for Navy, and a sweet tea.
“Can I put something in for my sister to go when we’re done?” he asks as he pulls his wallet from his pocket and hands it to Navy.
“Sure.”
I add it to the order—sans cookie—and watch with fascination as the little girl pulls a card from his wallet and taps it on the screen to pay. He signs quickly as she holds up a five-dollar bill. He shakes his head and she puts it back, her tongue peeking out as she concentrates.
“This?” she asks, holding up a ten, and he nods. She beams, and he slides over so she can drop it in the tip jar.
The entire exchange is fascinating.
And begrudgingly, I’m a little turned on.
Talon Banks is the definition of dirty, sexy mechanic with his big muscles and undoubtedly rough hands. But he’s also sweet and tender, the adoration for his niece on full display, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that while this little show was for me, it also wasn’t.
He loves her and he’s stepped up to be there for her and Bristol.
It’s admirable.
Sexy as hell.
But it also doesn’t change the way my stomach dips every time I see him, and not in a good way, the past impossible to erase no matter how much I think I should get over it.
“It will be up in just a minute,” I say, choosing to push down the emotions and focus on the job at hand.
“Thank you.” Talon’s gaze holds mine for a beat longer, the sincerity in those two words making it seem like we’re talking about more than just a lunch order.
Navy wiggles in his arms, and like a spell being broken, he turns and sets her down, his hand swallowing hers as they walk toward a shaded bench to wait.
“Well, it looks like y’all are gonna be a hell of a lot more than friends if that keeps up,” Aspen says with a hip against the counter.
“There’s nothing going on,” I hiss but don’t dare look at her because from the moment we met, she seemed to know me better than I know myself.
“All right,” she says a little too easily, and just when I think she’s gonna drop it, she adds, “but I can’t wait to say I told you so.”
Heart beating a little faster, I finish the order and then watch them for a minute, Aspen’s words echoing in my head. It’s a bad idea, but part of me hopes she’s right.
11
[Social Media Post from the Taste of Magnolia Food Truck]
Did you know August 1st is National Watermelon Day? We’re celebrating with a watermelon-themed menu all month!
#supportlocal #tasteofmagnolia #magnoliapoint
Unknown: Your constant celebration of obscure holidays is tacky and overdone but this might be the worst one yet.
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