I’d always done what I thought was best for my kids. Even before their mom walked out, I put them first and made sure they never wanted for anything. Somehow, after watching a stranger interact with my daughter for less than an hour, that no longer seemed like enough.
CHAPTER 5
DELANEY
I could smellthe smoke from the barbecue pit from half a mile down the road. My mouth watered as I pulled into the parking lot of the Hog & Hickory Smokehouse. Janice, one of the volunteers at the park office had mentioned it earlier in the week, and after a long day of prepping for camp, it sounded like the perfect place to grab takeout on a Saturday night.
Evidently most of Big Wood must have had the same idea. The place was packed. Twangy bluegrass music played from the overhead speakers and a rush of cool air gave me goosebumps as I stepped inside.
A teenage girl in a hot pink t-shirt that read “Get Hog Wild or Get Out!” greeted me. “Welcome to the Hog and Hickory. How many in your party?”
“Just me, but I figured I’d place an order to go.” I hated eating out alone. Though I saw other people do it all the time, I always felt like people were looking at me when I sat by myself at a restaurant. I’d grab a sandwich with a side of fries then take it back to the cabin and continue prepping for the next week of camp.
The girl handed me a paper menu with little pink pigs printed around the edges. “Just let me know when you decide what you want.”
“Thank you.” I took it from her and sat down on a wooden bench by the front door while I decided what to order. My gaze caught on the baby back ribs, then the pulled pork sandwich. Everything sounded amazing.
A server walked by with a huge tray balanced on his shoulder. Another passed carrying a hot skillet full of cornbread. My stomach growled as I watched her set it down in the middle of a nearby table. A boy bounced up and down on his side of a red vinyl booth. A boy I recognized as Eli Ramsey. His sister sat next to him with District Park Ranger Grump right across the table.
Wren noticed me noticing them and waved. Caught staring, I lifted my hand to wave back. She said something to her dad that caused him to look my way. Great. Should I smile? Walk over and say hi? While I tried to decide how to handle a potentially awkward situation, Wren crossed the room and stopped in front of me.
“Hi, Miss Delaney. Are you having dinner by yourself tonight?”
“Hi Wren. I’m just placing an order to go.” I didn’t dare look past her to see if Jace was still staring at me, but based on the way my cheeks burned, I bet he was. “Have you been here before?”
She nodded. “It’s Eli’s favorite. Dad said we could come for the hog call contest tonight.”
“A hog call contest?” I must have misunderstood her.
“Yep. Eli’s been hoping Dad will try. Will you stay and watch?” Her eyes lit up. “You can come sit with us while we wait.”
Panic spread through my chest. “Oh, I don’t want to disrupt your dinner.”
“It’s okay. We haven’t even ordered yet.” She grabbed my hand and tugged.
“No, really. I’ll just get my food to go,” I said. For such a tiny little thing, she was surprisingly strong. We were halfway across the room before I realized it.
Jace stood as we approached the table. He had on a pair of faded jeans and some well-worn boots. His plain gray t-shirt clung to his shoulders and showed off tan, muscled arms. Either the temperature in the Hog & Hickory had just hit triple digits or I was getting uncomfortably hot and bothered from being in such close proximity to my boss. My boss who was definitely single I’d been told by the same volunteer who’d recommended the restaurant.
“Hey, Delaney. I see Wren convinced you to come over and say hi.” He offered a casual smile. Outside the office he didn’t seem nearly as uptight.
“She did. Um, hi.” I lifted my hand in an awkward wave while I died a little inside. “I’m just here to put in an order for takeout. I don’t want to interrupt your dinner.”
“Can she eat with us, Dad?” Eli asked.
My pulse thundered through my ears. The noise was so loud, I was sure everyone in the restaurant could hear it.
Jace froze for a split second, obviously caught off guard. He recovered faster than I did though. “Would you like to join us?”
“That’s okay. I don’t want to?—”
“Please?” Wren was still holding my hand, and she gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Come on. It’s just dinner.” Jace gestured to his side of the booth.
I don’t know what possessed me to agree. As soon as my butt hit the bench, I scrambled to come up with an excuse as to why I needed to leave. Like immediately.
But then Jace slid in next to me, blocking me in. The scent of pine and soap drifted off him, and I tried not to greedily suck in a breath but failed. A server brought over a red plastic cup full of ice water and asked if I wanted some sweet tea. Eli and Wren resumed their game of tic-tac-toe on a paper placemat and even though I felt like the earth had shifted on its axis, the world seemed to go on.
