His hazel eyes flared, and I rejoiced internally for striking a nerve. “They’d probably choke to death having you because you’re another man’s personal order.”
“Are we still talking about what you’d like to order or something else, Stranger?”
“Both.”
I frowned. “Both what?”
He sighed, sinking back in his chair. “You’ve been here for six hours.”
“Have I?” I turned in search of the wall clock. “I didn’t notice.”
“Did anyone give you a hard time?” he asked, casting a quick look over everyone.
“No,” I replied, even though I’d been insulted and harassed like three times. This was where Hudson and I met, and he hadtried to force me to stay back in bed after my phone call with Ma’am Jeena. But I couldn’t forget what she’d done for me in high school—gave me a lot of food during and after school until I left the town. So if she told me to help her out for free, I would. Of course, she’d offered money, but I rejected, knowing how truly she wanted help.
“If anyone did, tell me.”
Actually, I would keep it to myself and take it to my grave. Halloween might be cancelled in this town if they found another dead body days after the first. It had not died on everyone’s tongue, too. So it’d scare the shit out of them.
“I have a lot to attend to. What do you need, Theon?”
“You. Come back to bed with me.”
Okay. Shit.
How does one keep a straight face in this situation? Do they—
“Ainsley.”Ma’am Jeena
“I’ll be back soon. Think of what you wanna have before then. I mean edible food. Something you can consume. You know, nutrition.”
I turned and attended to the woman with a baby. “He looks so cute. What is your order?”
“Heis a she.” She smiled warmly, and I chuckled.
“My apologies. She looks gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” she said and went on to place her order from the menu.
After I left her side, I tried to focus on my job. I attended to two more customers—a couple who seemed to be debating over their drink choices—and answered a call for a delivery order. My mind was buzzing with tasks, but despite everything, my thoughts kept drifting back to Theon.
I finished writing down the delivery details and handed it to Ma’am Jeena. When I finally allowed myself to glance back in his direction, I paused.
There was a woman sitting with him now.
She was opposite him, leaning slightly forward, her long, sleek hair cascading over her shoulders. She wore a short dress that showed off her legs, paired with high heels that framed her feet perfectly. And Theon—he wasn’t looking at me anymore.
For the first time, he wasn’t staring at me with that strong gaze. No, his focus was entirely on her. He was watching her talk, his eyes fixed on her like he was trying to give her the same effect he always gave me. And from the way the woman’s face had flushed red from ear to ear, she was definitely feeling it. She was blushing so hard it was almost painful to watch, and Theon...he just stared at her, like he had all the time in the world to listen to whatever she was saying.
My stomach twisted. He hadn’t come to the shop to see me. He was here to meet her.
I didn’t know why I felt so...off. It wasn’t like we were in a relationship...? If Theon had wanted to do something behind my back, he wouldn’t have done it here, right in front of me. But still...it stung. Maybe it was the fact that for once, he seemed genuinely invested in someone else, paying her attention the way he usually reserved for me.
I tried to shake the feeling off as I attended to more customers, but it lingered, gnawing at me with every drink I handed over the counter. The thought looped through my head like a broken record. Why didn’t he tell me he was meeting someone? Were we not close enough to share things like that? Or when he said I was his, did he only mean in bed? Was that it?
The more I thought about it, the more it annoyed me. I knew I had no right to feel jealous, but there it was, bubbling up, making me feel even more ridiculous.What is wrong with me?
When I finally had a moment to breathe, I found myself standing behind the counter, watching them. The woman was still talking, her laugh loud enough to carry across the room. Theon didn’t even say anything. What was funny? And why hadn’t he taken his eyes off her.
