“Did Star get your food order yet? I can take it if she hasn’t.”
Rain ducks her head and I have to resist putting my lips on her exposed neck. Yup, this new haircut is definitely doing it for me.
Hett drags my attention away from her when he says, “Let’s start with a plate of lazy tacos!”
I scratch the scruff on my jaw and pull the brim of my cap down snugly against the back of my head as I try and work out what he’s asking for or if he’s just been dropped on his head too many times as a child.
Maggie takes pity on me with an eye roll and says, “Nachos, he means nachos, Rex.”
I shoot a “why” look at Hett who just laughs.
“What? Nachos are just lazy tacos that don’t have their shit together.”
Before I can respond, Rain’s cell phone goes off. She glances at the screen and then up to Maggie with a wide-eyed look of either excitement or terror. I can’t quite tell. She takes a deep breath and then calmly answers it, her expression going to that cool blankness she first came back to town with. I fucking hate that expression on her. It erases everything of her personality from her face. She turns her back on me and kind of curls herself over the phone to keep the noise out.
Her voice is too low for me to pick up what she’s saying and I know I should back off and go put their order in with the kitchen but the looks on Hett and Maggie’s faces tell me they know what the call is about and are heavily invested in what it is so I stay put. I feel like a little kid that’s been excluded from a club or not picked for a team right now. I used to know every little thing about Rain’s life but clearly, I’m now on the outside of it. She hangs up the phone, carefully puts it face down on the table, and turns to us with that same damn blank expression.
Maggie kind of droops in her chair, Hetter’s almost vibrating and I hold my breath waiting for…I have no idea.
Rain keeps her eyes locked on Maggie and takes a couple of deep breaths before speaking.
“They accepted it.”
Maggie swallows hard and repeats it.
“They accepted it.”
My head feels like it’s in a tennis match as I look back in forth between them.
“It’s a go.”
“It’s a go.”
I want to scream, “What’s a go?” at them but Hetter beats me to it by letting out a rebel call and lifting Maggie right from her chair to spin her around. Rain’s face cracks open with a smile so wide it takes my breath away and all I can do is stare at her in awe.
She looks my way and laughs out, “What?”
And all I can say is, “You’re so damn beautiful.”
She ducks her head but not before I see the pink climb up her neck into her cheeks and then I’m being pushed aside by Maggie who launches herself at Rain for a massive hug that turns into squeals and giggles as they bounce. I still have no idea what’s happening but anything that makes Rain that happy has to be a good thing so I step back and leave them to it to go put their order in.
The place fills up and I’m trapped behind the bar to fill orders for a good hour before I can escape and get back to their table. Their dishes are all empty and waiting to be cleared away so I reach for them and start stacking as I raise my voice to be heard over the music.
“I’m taking it that was good news?”
Rain’s face is flushed, her smile wide, and I count three bottles of beer and two empty shot glasses near her plate. My girl looks good all loose and tipsy. I can’t take my eyes off of her even as Maggie answers me.
“You, Sexy Rexy, are looking at the newest business owners in town. We’re joining your club so watch out!”
My brows shoot up as I look back to Rain. “That right? You a business owner now, Stormy?”
She gives a cute shrug. “Not quite yet but I am a property owner so yeah, we’re on our way to it.”
I snag the empties from the table by their necks, the dirty plates balancing on my other arm, busying myself while I try to process.
I can’t quite look at her as I ask, “Does that mean you’re staying, you’re not going back to the city?”
She pauses for so long that my eyes lift up to meet hers and I see the spark, the challenge in them that makes my dick stiffen behind my jeans. She looks so fucking proud of herself and it’s sexy as hell.
