“You’ve never been here before, and suddenly two days in a row.Three if you countthatnight.Why?”
He pouted.“Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“As a paying customer, yes.Personally, no.”
“Brutal honesty noted, but I know something you don’t.”
She didn’t want to take the bait, but curiosity got the better of her.“Ugh.And that would be...”
“You and I are kismet, darlin’.”
The way he said it, so insincerely, put her on edge.Never again would she trust a smooth-talking man.
“Don’t.Just don’t.What would you like to order?”
His brow furrowed.“Same as yesterday, please.”
“Coming right up.”
Kira turned and hurried away, plugging his order into the system before fixing his tea and delivering it.The new waitress, Annie, was a friend of Joe’s and they worked well together since she was just as taciturn as her.Christine had talked her ear off.Now, she hoped she wouldn’t mind taking over Sinn’s table.
“Hey, see that guy with the Mohawk?”
Annie’s eyes flickered past her.“Yeah.”
“Do you mind taking over his table?”
“Is he a bad tipper?”
Kira shook her head.“No, actually, he’s a great tipper.But he is a flirt and I don’t flirt.”
“Gotcha,” Annie said, smiling.“No problem, Doll.”
Relief filled her.“Thanks.I owe you one.”
Kira continued with her other tables, forcing herself not to glance at him.When he left, her shoulders sagged, and she inadvertently glanced out the windows only to find him staring at her.Their gazes locked, and the heat radiating from those intense eyes scorched her.There wasn’t irritation, like she thought there’d be.Instead, curiosity mixed with intrigue stared back, and she wondered if she had just thrown down a challenge.
Lunch came and once more, she didn’t feel like eating, so she sat down in a back booth to roll silverware into a paper napkin.It was monotonous work where she could let her mind wander to nothing.Sometimes she’d get a song stuck in her head.Sometimes she stared out the window and asked herself when she’d leave Wyoming.Sometimes she even envisioned it, although she knew she’d never do it.Cheyenne was just as good as any place.
“Why did you pass me off to the other server?”
Her head snapped up and realized Sinn had somehow snuck up on her.For a brief moment, panic burst through her.That fight-or-flight feeling that turned her stomach upside down.She had to remind herself she was safe.That blip in her past remained firmly there.
“Kira?”he asked, concern laced his voice.
“Uh, sorry.”She took a deep breath.“What did you say?”
Instead of answering, he slid into the opposite side of the booth, then threaded his fingers together and laid them on the table.“Are you all right?”
“Just ducky,” she replied, a bit defensive.“Why?”
“Because you don’t look ducky.You looked scared.”
Damn his eagle eye!
“You just startled me, that’s all.”
“Why did you stop serving me?”
