Decision made, Buck continued his walk, figuring he’d brave a few more streets then grab a slice at the new pizzeria he’d seen back near where he’d parked. Getting something to-go, he’d easily have enough time to head down to the reservoir and park before he was due at the caterer’s, and he could eat in solitude. The plan suited him better since he’d be forced to socialize later on, and he only had so much of that in him.
The rest of the walk went well. He didn’t feel any eyes that seemed particularly focused on him. He even received a few smiles and hellos from strangers.
Huh.Strangers. Fifteen years ago, before things had gone to shit, there wasn’t a block he could walk here without seeing a bunch of familiar faces.
How things changed.
He guessed that was for the best.
Taking a right at the end of the block, Buck ate up pavement as he walked by a number of renovated houses, took another right at the public library—which had seen a face-lift a few years before he’d joined the Coast Guard—and easily made it back to the lot where he’d parked. The pizza place was straight ahead, and he aimed his feet in that direction.
Walking in, Buck was glad to see that the place was dead, and headed to the counter to order.
The girl behind the brand-newish Formica gave him a brilliant smile.
“What can I get you?” she asked, clearly checking him out as her eyes roamed the length of his body.
“A couple slices to go,” Buck answered briskly, trying not to fidget under the scrutiny. “Pepperoni.”
She punched his order in and turned back to him with a calculated lowering of her lashes. “Uh… Anything else?”
“Nope. That’s it,” he told her, trying to ignore the young woman’s blatant innuendo for “anything else”.
Pizza.He was here for pizza. Normally he could down a whole pie by himself, but therewasthe rehearsal dinner in a few hours to consider. Buck didn’t want to appear rude by not eating the feast Spencer was providing.
Reaching for his wallet, Buck ignored her “come hither eyes” as he paid, because, yeah, this chickadee waswaytoo young.Maybeshe was eighteen? But even legal, he’d never put anyone under twenty-five on his radar for a good time.
“Haven’t I seen you in here before?” she asked flirtingly, not put off by his abrupt answers, and clearly trying to keep him from walking away to wait for his food at one of the tables.
“Nope. My first time in,” he answered, hoping if he kept his speech short and clipped, she’d take a hint and back off.
“New to town, then?” she continued probing. “I’m a student at the University, but I stayed for the summer, and I really like to meet new people.”Hint, hint.
Yup. He could have figured that.
“You should be careful about the signals you’re putting out. I’m almost old enough to be your father,” Buck admonished with a stern shrug he hoped would turn her off.
At thirty-three, he would have had to have birthed her at fifteen to be her dad, but he was trying to make a point.
She laughed, undeterred. “Hardly. I’m nineteen, and I’m pretty discerning.”
Uh, huh. He’d only missed by a year. He wasfourteenwhen she was born.
“And you didn’t answer me,” she persisted. “Are you just passing through?” She was busy scribbling something down, so maybe she was losing interest?
Buck didn’t want to engage with her much more, but he didn’t want to be downright rude, either. If the pizza turned out to be good, he’d probably be hitting this place up quite a bit, so he needed to mind his manners.
“Nope. My family is local. I’ve been…away for a long time, but I’m back now.”
She looked up, narrowed her eyes, and snapped her fingers. “I knew you looked familiar. I think I know your brother. Mason Sothard? He’s our town’s police captain?”
“Yup. That’s him,” Buck sighed.Yeah.All the Sothard boys looked alike. It was hard to aim for any kind of anonymity when your sibs were high profile.
“Well, welcome back,” she said with a huge smile. “I’m Andrea.” She reached across the counter for a handshake.
Again, Buck didn’t want to be impolite, so he took the gesture, but Andrea made it last a lot longer than was necessary. Purposefully, he didn’t give her his name in return. Maybe she’d get the hint?
Buck finally managed to extricate his digits, but not before he noticed that she’d put a small slip of paper in his hand. He looked down at it, then back at his server.
