“Something,” she repeated his last word. Lexi looked back down at the card, then back up at him. He could practically see the wheels turning, almost as if she wanted to say something but wasn’t quite sure if she should.
“I, uh...I think I’ll go wait in the car,” Derek offered in a not-so-subtle way. “Lexi.” He tipped his head to her. “Always a pleasure.”
Looking both amused and a bit embarrassed, Lexi gave him a short wave. “Bye, Derek. Come back soon. Hopefully, it won’t get quite so intense next time.”
“Are you kiddin’? That shi...stuff is what we live for.” With a wink and a smile, D was gone, leaving Trevor and Lexi still standing there.
“So.” His deep voice rumbled awkwardly as he shoved his hands into his pockets.Christ, you’d think I’d never talked to a woman before.
“Thanks, again, Trevor.”
“No need to thank us. Like I said, it’s kind of what we do.”
“Right.” Lexi smiled before nervously skittering her gaze away from his.
Several seconds of silence stretched between them. Derek’s words from earlier ringing between his ears.
Just grow a pair and ask her out already.
The man was right. Trevor had faced down the worst the world had to offer. Surely, he could ask this woman on a date.
“Lexi, I was wondering if you’d like to—”
He’d just started to ask her out to dinner, when a loud crash from the kitchen echoed loudly through the diner. Their heads spun in that direction.
“Crap. I’d better go see what I can do to help.” She looked up at him, regret swimming in her eyes. “Sorry.”
“Never apologize for doing your job, angel. You have my number. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”
Grinning, she held up the card. “Got it.”
“Good. Now, go. We can talk another time.”
Lexi started to walk away, but turned to ask, “Will I see you again, soon?”
Loving the hopeful tone in her voice, Trevor answered with, “Count on it.”
Giving him another big smile, she turned and walked through the kitchen’s swinging doors, sliding his card into her back pocket as she went.
Chapter 2
––––––––
“That’s it.” Joe Walkerslapped the palm of his hand down onto the counter. “Effective immediately, that man is no longer welcome here.”
“He comes in pretty regularly.” Lexi tested the temperature of the running water with her fingertips. “You’ll be losing money.”
Sure, she was still pissed as hell about what Rob had done, but she’d also had a few hours to calm down.
Pushing the faucet handle down, she cut off the steady stream of hot water. Sliding on a pair of bright yellow dishwashing gloves, she then grabbed the nearest pan and scouring pad and began to scrub.
“Your safety comes before money,” Joe said angrily. “You should know that. He had no right to put his hands on you. Period.”
Caleb took the pan from Lexi’s hand and rinsed the suds off before setting it into the drying rack. The tall, lanky kid was cute...or, at least he would be when he got a little older and filled out some.
“Don’t worry, Joe.” Using the back of his hand, he swiped at a sprig of dark hair from his forehead. “I don’t think we’ll see Rob again. Not after the way those two guys went at him, anyway.”
Lexi’s insides danced at the memory, but she ignored it. “They didn’t goatRob.”
