“I gotta go. I haven’t eaten today, and I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving,” she says, chuckling. “Call me later.”
“I will. Bye.”
The phone goes back into my pocket as I grab the restaurant door handle. I tug it open and can’t believe my eyes. It’s a different place than it was last night.
Last night, the lights were dim, and the televisions—all three of them—were lit up with sports games. Rock music played. Gavin was tending the bar in a plain black T-shirt and a smile that I’m sure got him a lot of tips … and phone numbers.
But today, there’s none of that. Instead, the bright room shows the country aesthetic chosen as decoration. There’s a giant pie counter that I missed before, and a small vase with what appears to be wildflowers decorates the center of the tables.Absolutely precious.
“Grab a seat, sweetie,” a woman with a white apron and beehive hairdo from the fifties says with a giant smile. Her name tag reads Tabitha. “I’ll be over there in a second.”
“Sure thing. No rush.”
I grab a table for two by the wall—the onenotunder a giant deer head. I reach for my phone when the table shakes as if something has run into it.
My head whips to the side to see a grinning Gavin sliding into the seat across from me.
“Sorry,” he says. “Did I spook ya?”
“No. Yeah, kind of.” I settle back in my seat, relieved to see a friendly face. “You’re working today, too?”
“Nope. I saw you walk in, so I thought I’d check on ya.”
I motion for him to lean across the table. He does, with a heavy dose of skepticism, and I rub my thumb over his cheek.
“Check your face before you go in public if you’re going to kiss someone with red lipstick.” I grab a tissue and wipe my hand. “Unless you don’t mind. But free tip—women won’t be open to flirting if they think you just got out of bed with someone else.”
Gavin places a hand on his cheek and laughs. “You just might be the best friend I’ve ever had.”
I laugh too.
“So how’d the job go?” he asks. “Are you employed?”
I snort.
His brows pull together. “What’s that about?”
“It turns out that the best friend you’ve ever had is leaving Peachwood Falls tomorrow morning.”
Gavin frowns. I find myself frowning too.
“I don’t understand,” he says, confused.
“It didn’t go well today. The guy I would be working for—coincidentally the same guy from last night, mind you—I don’t think he hates me, necessarily,” I say, scrunching up my face while I think. “But I think he wants to.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and studies me.
“But you know what?” I ask with growing irritation. “That’s on him. I mean, did I poke at him a little? Yeah, probably, but only because he made it easy. And I don’t think he cared, either. But that doesn’t justify his stance that I’m somehow not trustworthy.”
Gavin cocks his head to the side, amused.
“It’s not about that,” I say, the filter to my mouth nowhere to be found. “What is it about? I don’t know. Maybe he hasa girlfriend and thinks she’d be uncomfortable with a single woman living with him. That could be it. Maybe it’s a control issue with his mom, and he’s rebelling because she had me show up without his consent.”
Gavin chuckles, his eyes sparkling. “Maybe he’s just a dick.”
“He isa dick.”
