She seems to relax at hearing my words. “It’s okay, I’ve had days like that, too. You know, when things get a little too much to handle and everything seems to be going wrong.” She gives me a small smile.
For the first time I got here, Ireallylook at her. The first thing I notice about her is her hair, it’s short, a deep red wine colour with a slight wave running through it, the ends just brushing her shoulders. The next thing is her eyes, jade green with flecks of gold that shimmer under the lights. I trail my eyes down her body, tall with curves in all the right places. Her body is the perfect hourglass shape that I could stare at for hours.
My gaze shifts back up to her eyes, her beautiful round face lit up with a wide smile as she peers down at me, notebook in hand. She can’t be much younger than me, maybe twenty-six or twenty-seven at most.
“Did you say waffles?” I ask. She nods. “I thought waffles were for breakfast?”
“My daddy always said that breakfast was the best meal of the day so why not make waffles available all day long?” She tilts her head and the bells on her hat jingle as the lights flash all the way around. I can’t help the smile that tugs at the corners of my mouth. Usually I’d find it annoying, but for some reason, I find it adorable.
“Waffles it is then.”
“What would you like on top?”
“Why don’t you surprise me?”
She makes a note in her notebook before returning her gaze to me. “Okay then. Anything else?”
I scan my eyes quickly over the menu. “I think I’ll have the steak sandwich too.”
“Excellent choice,” she says, then spins on her heel and walks away.
The second she reaches the counter, her friend pulls her in almost immediately and I watch as she glances back over her shoulder, her eyes holding mine for a moment before turning her attention back to her friend.
I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s captivating. So unlike the women I’m used to. She’s beautiful in a natural sort of way, unknowing of her own beauty which makes her all the more appealing. It’s refreshing.
This day just got a lot less infuriating and a whole lot more interesting.
2
“He’s staring at you,” my best friend, Maeve points out and I nudge her arm with my elbow.
“Stop looking,” I scold, my heart skipping a beat with the knowledge that he’s watching me.
“Why? It’s not everyday Christian Grey comes to town.” She wiggles her eyebrows with a grin and I laugh.
It’s rare we get outsiders here, and in a town as tiny as ours, it’s very easy to tell the locals from the newcomers. They stick out like a sore thumb because in this town, everybody knowseverybodyand they’re all up in everyone else’s business.
It’s exciting to see a fresh unfamiliar face around town, but it begs the question what they’re doing here in the first place. Haven’s not exactly a tourist spot. Sure, we get the occasional hiker, but hedefinitelydoesn’t look like one. No, this guy looks like he just walked off of Wall Street or out of a cologne commercial on TV.
I glance up briefly but drop my gaze when I find his eyes on me again. Heat rushes into my cheeks and my belly flips under his intense stare. I can’t remember the last time I was this affected by a man. Not even my ex had this affect on me, the only thing he has an effect on now is my upchuck reflex.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful man in my life, well, on television maybe, but not in real life. He’s impossibly good looking, he looks like the lovechild of Theo James and Liam Hemsworth. His hair is cropped close at the sides but long and wavy on top. A handsome symmetrical face, a jawline that could cut glass and piercing blue eyes that feel as though they can see right into my soul. And who doesn’t love a guy in a suit? It has my body doing some strange things. He’s mesmerizingly handsome with clothes on, imagine what he looks like without all those layers and buttons and…
Stop. Just stop. Don’t go there, Lorna.
I’m not one to embarrass easily, but standing in front of a guy like him makes me feel totally inadequate and suddenly self-conscious in my own skin, not to mention a complete dork in my Santa hat. He must think I’m a total nut job.
“Santa definitely delivered this year, girl. Take him home and open up that gorgeous package of-”
“Shut up!” I whisper-shout, praying to God he can’t hear a word of this conversation, and I’m relieved when I sneak a peak over my shoulder to find his attention buried in his phone and not on our not-so-quiet conversation.
Maeve has zero filter and speaks before she thinks. It’s gotten her into trouble once or twice but she doesn’t care, which is kind of why I love her. We’ve been friends since we were three, so we’re more sisters than actual friends. She’s a waitress here, and it’s great having my best friend by my side every day.
“Admit it, he’s super-hot.”
“Fine, I admit it. He’s gorgeous. Doesn’t mean I want to sleep with him.”
She narrows her eyes. “But ithascrossed your mind, right? I mean, I wouldn’t say no…”
