"No, it needed to be done. I can't keep up with everything. I just...wasn't ready until you showed up and I realized I have no time to spend with my best friend because I'm constantly working. That probably also explains why I have no other friends and I haven't been on a date in longer than I'd care to admit."
"Okay, then I'll go take a little nap and I'll bring food to the shop around noon."
Cam nodded. "Sounds good. I'm going to finish getting ready and go run some errands before I go in."
She went to her room and I picked up my mess from the table, along with my now-empty coffee cup. Once everything was clean, I collapsed on my bed and passed out.
* * *
Three hours later,I was a little bit better rested, showered, dressed, and semi-coherent as I waited at the diner for the lunches I'd ordered. Rachel, the woman behind the counter, sat a to-go cup of Dr. Pepper in front of me. Even though I'd forgotten to order it.
"Bless you, Rachel. May all your dreams come true."
She grinned at me. "You always order one, so I made it up out of habit."
"I've trained you well, young padawan."
Rachel laughed and drifted away. I sipped my Dr. Pepper and scrolled through news articles on my phone. I barely had time to read the news when I was working my day job, much less working with Cam, so now was my chance to catch up.
I was so engrossed in an article on the upcoming elections that I didn't notice when two women sat on stools next to me. It wasn't until I heard Ben Murphy's name that I tuned into their voices and realized they were the two women who'd been gossiping about Ben at The Red Boot the first night I'd gone home with him.
Crap, what were their names? The blonde was something with a J or a G. Jill, Jenna. No, Gina. Her name was Gina. And the other one was a B word. No, not a bitch. Her name started with a B.
"I heard he's banging some chick from Greenville."
As soon as she said it, I remember. Barbara. Good ole Barb. With a tongue that matched her name. It was barbed as well.
Jesus, didn't these women have anything better to talk about? Like politics or religion or something a helluva lot more important to the state of the world. And why in the hell did they only sit next to me when they were gossiping about Ben?
"Ben Murphy will never settle down. He might get married eventually, but he'll never be a one-woman man."
I bit back a scoff. The man worked so much he barely had time to date and they thought he had time to deal with two or three women at a time? Idiots.
"I know," Barb sighed. "But he's so pretty."
"He is. And he does a good job of treating the women he's with like they're the only ones. Mary Anne said that when they dated, he was great. He cooked her dinner, listened to everything she had to say like he actually gave a shit, and never got skittish when they talked about what they wanted out of their futures. She thought he was going to propose to her then, boom, dumped. Broke her heart."
"I wouldn't have to get attached to him. Just enjoy the attention and maybe a few gifts," the other one said.
I nearly snarled at her words. I felt gross just sitting next to these two.
"If you think you could keep your heart from getting broken, go for it."
It took every ounce of my will not to twist around on my stool and tell these bitches what assholes they were being. But this was Farley, Texas. An outburst in the middle of the busy downtown diner would be shared all over the county within an hour. And it wouldn't take long for people to connect the crazy, loud chick with bright red hair with Cameron McClane.
I knew Cam hated being at the center of gossip because she didn't want it to affect her business, so I literally bit my tongue. Okay, not literally because I didn't want to hurt myself. But I did lock my jaw up tightly.
I was saved from making a huge mistake by Rachel coming over to me with a paper bag in her hand.
"Here's your lunch," she said as she sat it down in front of me.
"Thanks, Rachel," I said.
"See you later." She waved at me and moved in front of Barb and Gina with a notepad in her hand. "What'll y'all have?" she asked.
Based on their behavior at The Boot a few weeks ago, I knew the women next to me wouldn't leave one, so I tossed a ten on the counter as a tip for Rachel and grabbed the paper bag.
Though it was cooler than usual for July, I'd walked to the diner from the parking area behind Crave. Now, I was glad for the relief in the heat because I needed something to chill my anger.
