“That’s great,” I tell her. Then I pull out my wallet and stick two twenties inside the book. “I told you I had a feeling.”
Her head bobs. “You were right.” Then she pats my shoulder. “Maybe you’ll find someone someday, too.”
Her words stick with me as I leave the diner, bag of muffins in hand.
Maybe Iwillfind someone.
Maybe I’ll be the next Blade and Arrow member to fall, like Cole’s wife, Maya, predicted.
“It happened with the other two branches,” she teased the last time she came for a visit. She was watching Cole play with their older daughter, Clara, while she held their newborn, James, in her lap. “First it was me and Cole. Then Leo and Georgia, and Zane and Elle. Before we knew it, everyone on the team was coupled up. Then it was the Bravo Team’s turn. Now that Rafe and Indy are both in relationships, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of you fall.”
“I’m not sure about that,” I told her. “That would mean meeting someone who actually interests me. And that hasn’t happened yet.”
“It happens when you least expect it,” Indy said as he and Bea joined our small group. “I never thought I’d meet my future wife at the VA hospital. But here we are.”
“You never know,” Bea added, giving her fiancé an affectionate look. “I certainly didn’t think I’d fall in love with my cranky patient. Like Indy said, it can happen any time. Anywhere. The grocery store. A hospital.”
“Or protecting a client,” Maya interjected with a smile. “We’ve certainly had a run of those.”
Or, I wonder as I spot a flash of fiery red hair across the street, maybe she’s right here in Williston.
Maybe she’s waited on me at the diner, her amber eyes lighting up whenever she smiles and her laugh doing strange things to my stomach…
Maybe she smells of honey and vanilla, a scent I never thought about as being sexy until I met her.
Maybe her touch sets off sparks through my body, even from the briefest contact.
Maybe the conversations we share every time she waits on me, ones I spin in my head for days after, are a sign of more than physical desire.
Maybe it’s all a sign thatshe’sthe woman I’ve been waiting for.
The only problem? I’m not sure she’s interested.
The object of my thoughts stops at the intersection just ahead, waiting for the single light in town to change.
Noelle.
She’s been stuck in my mind since the first time I met her.
It was just about two weeks ago, and I’d stopped into Doug’s Diner on my way back from the airport, just as I did today. Normally, my Tuesday routine consisted of early morning flight practice, followed by a stop for breakfast at McDonald’s in nearby Newberg, before heading back to HQ to get started on my work for the day.
But that morning, I decided to change things up by driving through Williston on my way home instead. As I passed the postcard-worthy town park and the quaint storefronts, the brightly colored awning above Doug’s Diner caught my attention. It reminded me of the little diner my dad used to take me to when I was a kid, and how he’d insist that nothing tasted as good as an authentic diner breakfast.
So I stopped. I went into Doug’s Diner, the cheery bell above the door jingling as I entered, and took a seat at the long white counter at the rear. I was just picking up my menu when sheappeared in front of me with a pot of steaming coffee and a tentative smile.
Noelle.
Shit, she took my breath away. Her hair was pulled back, but there were little red curls framing her face. Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink, and her eyes were the most incredible shade of amber, shifting from gold to bronze as the light hit them. And when she let out a nervous laugh after fumbling her introduction, I knew I was in trouble.
Then we got to talking, and that’s when I knew I was interested in more than her looks. Noelle didn’t get into personal things, aside from telling me how she’d just moved to Williston a couple of weeks before, and she hadn’t waited tables since she was in college.
“I’m hoping it’s like riding a bike,” she told me. “It’s been ten years since I carried a tray loaded with food. Hopefully, I don’t end up dumping one all over a table.”
When I saw her carrying an overloaded tray across the diner not ten minutes later, I had to battle myself not to jump up and take it for her. In the past, I probably wouldn’t have noticed what a server was carrying. But with Noelle… I wanted to take the burden for her. I wanted to carryallher trays for the rest of her shift.
I didn’t ask her out that first day. Partly because she was new at the job and I didn’t want to distract her. But more so because she was giving out friendly, professional vibes instead of the flirtatious ones I just received from Glenda.
So instead of asking her out, I told her I’d be back. And I was rewarded with a brilliant smile, one that remained with me for the rest of the day. “That would be great, Webb,” she told me. “I’m scheduled for most mornings, so I’m sure I’ll see you.”
