Valerie
“Let me speak to the owner, please.” Slumping in my booth as the super old, super ugly lady in the booth behind me so sweetly posed her question, I covered my hands over my face. A foreboding groan bubbled up in my chest, and a sourness coated my tongue when I peeked through my fingers. The waitress bounced off, no doubt thinking she was going to get complimented on her excellent service.
“Do you wanna leave before this starts?” Rolling my lips between my teeth, I shook my head at Natasha’s cautious probe, and she frowned from across the table. “We haven’t even ordered yet. We can just go somewhere else.”
“I like this place, though.” My grumble earned me a scoff, and I glared hotly at my sister as she flipped her long, dirty blonde hair over her shoulder. “Where’d you rather go, Nat? I only have a half an hour lunch. I don’t have time to go somewhere else.”
“We work together, you idiot. We have the same lunch.” Huffing loudly, I crossed my arms over my chest even as my cheek twitched in an effort to smile. Natasha grumbled under her breath, and I discreetly glanced over my shoulder at the old woman waiting patiently behind me. She’d done nothing for the past several minutes but talk crap about the waitress to her friend— she’d gotten theworstservice— her meal wasruinedbecause, shocker, the place was busy for the lunch rush! Not one thing did she say to the waitress’s face, and she ate the whole damn pizza between herself and her friend. Her white, curly hair and thickly wrinkled face betrayed the fact that she was a witch, and I was so, so annoyed with this day already.
“You look like you want to punch her.” Frowning as I turned back around, I opened my mouth to make a snooty comment when I saw the waitress coming out of the kitchen. Her boss was obviously also the chef, and I held my breath as I clamped my mouth shut.
If the old dust bags behind me asked for compensation and started smack talking o the waitress, I was gonna lose . . . my . . . shit. Every single day for the past week, these two ladies came in and did this two-faced act. They’d apparently worked up enough courage to try this, and I was honestly curious as to what would happen.
I’d been coming here for lunch— and breakfast and dinner, pretty much— at least twice a week since moving here, and not once had I ever seen the owner come out of the kitchen.And during the lunch rush, too.
“Oo-oo, hottie alert, Valerie.” Snapping me from my dark thoughts, Natasha pointed through the swirling, glass divider at the door. My gaze followed, and I pursed my lips thinly as a man and his buddy chatted up the hostess. His light brown hair styled perfectly, his smile revealing small dimples that framed his strong jaw. “I’d go home with that.”
“Yeah.” Broad shoulders flexed when he took off his jacket, and I bit on my bottom lip absently. “I wonder where he works out? Maybe, I should start going there.”
Shrewd, brown eyes scanned the restaurant, and my chest tightened when they met mine through the polarized glass. His polite smile morphed into a sexy smirk, and I tapped my feet against the floor absently.Super-hottie alert.
A sharp scoff from behind me broke the intensifying moment, and I twisted around sharply to watch the scene play out. The poor waitress clearly didn’t know how to take such a second face, and the old lady startedreaminginto her service. She talked so fast that I barely registered any single word, and her old-lady wrinkles started to ripple with anger.
“Excuse me.” Goosebumps washed over my exposed legs and under my shirt at the deep, rich baritone. Like thunder, it was powerful enough to cut off the ancient bone pile. My eyes snapped past the waitress as she jumped in surprise, and the guy I’d been ogling looked down his nose at her. For a second, shocked tension thrummed through the air before he turned to the owner, his eyes narrowing into tight points. “I don’t appreciate having to eat around disgusting garbage.”
My throat tightened at how casually he spoke, and my breath caught when the owner seemed a little . . . unsure.
“Of course not, sir. I was curious what they were going to say, considering they’ve been here for an hour and eaten everything in front of them. I apologize for the disruption.”So much for the entertainment value of these ladies getting kicked out.The thought struck me with a jolt of disappointment, and I watched the elderly women get up huffing and puffing. If the guy’s stare wasn’t so intense, they might’ve gotten into it with him. I’d loved to have seen that. It seemed like my heart skipped a beat when that gaze flickered to me, but he only cast me an appreciative look before turning on his heel and walking back to his hostess.
“Um . . . sorry about the delay. What can I get you today?” I blinked hard, tearing my eyes off him to focus on the waitress, and she held her pad and pen poised expectantly.
“I’ll have some ofthat.” She giggled a little at my sigh, and I cleared my throat before sitting up a little straighter. “I’ll have the chicken parm with extra cheese and sauce.”
“Of course. And for you?” I didn’t catch Natasha’s answer when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I licked my lips heavily. “I apologize again for taking so long. I’ll be right out with your drinks and make sure you’re not late.”
“No problem. Those old ladies were witches.” Natasha smiled reassuringly, and I ran my hand through my curls as the waitress flounced off towards the kitchen once again. Casting me brows arched in knowing curiosity, my sister propped her forearms on the table to drum the top with her manicured nails. “Hot guy swooped in and saved the day, Val. Just your type.”
“Iknow! I can feel him staring at me.” Frowning at the slippery smirk my sister shot me, I slumped over the table and groaned softly. “If I didn’t have to go back to work, I’d go over and talk to him.”
“I don’t think Paul would mind if you’re a few minutes late. Just say you hit traffic.” Natasha sniggered at her own, stupid, joke, and my frown darkened more in dismay than anything.
“We walked here. Jesus, Nat, that’s not funny at all.” I wouldnotlook over despite the ache in my eyeballs, and I scrunched up my face as Natasha laughed in earnest. “And you called me an idiot.”
“You’re younger than me.”
“By six minutes! That’s not fair!” My eyelid twitched when she snorted lightly, and I huffed as I covered my face with my arms. “Go away. I’m tired of you.”
“Just face it, Valerie. We were together in the womb, and we’ll be together in the tomb.” Shivering dramatically in faux disgust, I shook my head. I sat up, and my sister smiled broadly with merriment in her eyes even as they slid past me. “You should go over and give him your number.”
“Oh, yeah, why don’tyougo and give him my number?” Natasha and I were fraternal twins, but sometimes I just wanted to break her nose. Her smirk turned innocent, and I opened my mouth to say something before the waitress appeared by my side with our drinks. “I’m not going over there. We’ve lived here for almost a year, and I’ve never seen that guy before. He’s probably not sticking around until the weekend, anyway.”
“Who? That’s Carlyle.” Chiming in as she set my drink in front of me, the waitress downright grinned at my surprised squeak. “He lives just outside the city. We deliver to him all the time.”
“I thought you didn’t do delivery, only take-out?” Confusion laced my tone, and she nodded firmly with a slight shrug as she held her little tray against her front.
“He’s the only one we deliver to. He always has massive orders and gives huge tips. Every once and a while, he’ll come in, but I haven’t seen him in a few months, myself.” I couldn’t help myself from glancing back, but Carlyle was engaged in conversation with his friend. He was so handsome, and I pursed my lips thinly as my mouth watered.
