I watched as her eyes turned glassy with unshed tears.
“Patience, your tables need their drinks,” the other server broke in and pulled Patience away. There was so much left to say, but we were at an impasse because I would have to leave eventually, and probably sooner than later. Getting involved with Patience was a mistake of epic proportions for both of us. I knew that, but that didn’t stop me from craving her smiles… her glances… and her presence.
Chapter 9
PATIENCE
I didn’t get a chance to talk with Tucker again, though my eyes drifted over to him more than once throughout my shift.
“Are you going for it with him?” Hailey whispered to me as she passed me behind the bar.
“I don’t know,” I told her honestly.
“G and I were talking today. We think you should go for it.” She nudged me in the arm.
“Giana called you?” I questioned, sliding another beer to one of the regulars and pocketing the tip he laid out on the bar.
“Yep. While you two were eating lunch. She said you were both giving off all kinds of sexy sparks at Nonna’s. Understatement of the freaking century. You two are a whole damn firework show.”
I groaned. “Don’t you two have your own love lives you can worry about?”
Hailey laughed. “Yeah right. All the good ones are taken around here or aren’t interested.”
“Not interested? Who’s not interested?” I grabbed onto her statement like a life preserver, hoping to turn the subject away from my own love life.
“It doesn’t matter. Like I said, he’s not interested.” She shrugged it off.
“Then he’s an idiot and doesn’t deserve you.” I smiled at my friend and wondered who it was she had a crush on, and why hadn’t she told me?
***
I was about an hour into my shift when I saw some guy I’d never seen before approach Tucker. I studied him, but he didn’tlook familiar to me, and the way they greeted each other made me think they weren’t close friends either.
When they both left the bar, my curiosity got the better of me. “Hey, I’ll be right back,” I told Hailey and followed them both outside, not even stopping to grab my coat.
“Tucker?”
I approached the two men as they were talking beside an older modeled truck. “Patience, you shouldn’t be out here without a jacket,” he said as he shrugged out of his own and wrapped it around my shoulders. His warmth enveloped me, and his concern for my well-being caused a different kind of warmth to radiate through my chest.
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking at the guy who was studying Tucker’s motorcycle.
“He’s been looking for a Harley, and I was looking for a truck.”
“You’re selling your bike?” I gasped. I knew he loved his bike. It was one of the things we had talked about over lunch. I hated the thought of him having to give up the beautiful piece of machinery that he seemed to baby. It also caused a wave of panic and fear that he may be getting ready to leave sooner than I thought.
“Trading, but yeah. Why?”
“I just thought—never mind—it’s none of my business. I was just making sure everything is okay. I’ll see you back inside.”
I’m not his girlfriend,I had to tell myself for the millionth time today. God, I could get used to being around him. I could get used to his chivalry and care, but to let myself enjoy those things would only end up breaking my heart.
I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my hand to stop me from leaving. “I have to take the truck for a test drive, Patience. Don’t leave the bar for any reason. You stay inside in case Grant comes around, okay?” He tucked a wayward strand of hairbehind my ear. I had to fight myself from stepping forward and embracing him. He had a hold on me.
“Okay.” I nodded and removed his jacket, handing it back to him before I headed back inside.
If he was getting a truck, he wouldn’t need me to take him places. A part of me felt disappointed because today had been fun. I forced myself not to think about it. I tried my damnedest to focus on working and not on the fact that my heart felt like it was breaking at the thought of Tucker leaving. He just got here. It was too soon for me to feel so attached to him, but I did.
I almost dropped a tray of shots when I realized that I had fallen for him—completely, head over heels, mad for Tucker. He was a mystery to me in so many ways, but I knew the important stuff. He was a good man: kind and caring, strong, protective, and patient. And, he made me laugh. I liked the way he made me feel when he was around and who I get to be when I’m with him. Craved him in a way I’d never craved anyone before—in a way I didn’t fully understand.
