“Just made extra. It’s my routine. It’s nice to have a friend to share it with,” I say with a smirk at the friend part.
After a bite of her burrito, she closes her eyes and groans. “This is so good. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
I’m amused as I watch her eat. Every bite is better than the first based on the sounds she makes. And, for someone as ritzy as a VP from the city, she eats messily without a care in the world.
Sauce dribbles down her chin and I absently hold a napkin up,eyes locked on hers. Her cheeks turn slightly pink as she takes the napkin to clean up the mess.
Dammit, I knew I wouldn’t be good at this friend stuff. Friends don’t like staring at their friend’s pouty lips.
“Anyway,” she says, tearing her gaze from mine, changing the subject. “I just love the Bees. Did you hear they all got on the cliff and mooned someone named Jonah Black when he was parking his boat?”
I laugh. “No, I didn’t know that. But I will be sure to give Jonah crap about that.”
“They’re hilarious,” she says.
“They’re something.”
“Theyreallyare,” she murmurs, a wistful tone lacing her words. “And this isreallygood. You keep spoiling me like this, I’ll be here every morning with coffee.”
I wouldn’t hate that.
Marina showed up later and looked at me with a smirk when she saw Silvie working in the corner. She’s still got her laptop open, one leg tucked under her, and she’s been working non-stop.
I ignore Marina’s smirk and pretend to organize receipts, even though I’ve already done it twice.
“Since when do customers bring laptops here to work like we’re a coffee shop?” she whispers as she walks behind me and puts on her apron.
“Ha, ha.” I roll my eyes playfully. “She needed a place to work, and it was quiet here.”
“Mmmm, hmmm,” she says as she clocks in on the cash register. “I’ve seen you chase off tourists for that.”
“She’s Birdie’s. She’s not really a tourist,” I say as I restock the shelves.
The bar is still quiet, and early beachgoers have trickled in for food and drinks. Marina stops to chat with Silvie, who smiles at her and laughs at something she says. I love the way her whole face lights up when she talks to people. Like you’re the only person in the room. She gives her whole attention. It’s mesmerizing to watch.
Another hour goes by, and I slide back into the chair across fromher. She looks up as if she forgot where she was. “Oh my gosh. I’ve been here for a while. I should get out of your hair.”
I hold up a hand. “Just came over to check on you and see if you wanted lunch.”
She bites that sexy, plump lip thatI’vethought about biting.
“I wouldn’t mind a bite to eat,” she says as she reaches for a menu on the table. “Can I buy you lunch?”
I laugh. “No, you don’t have to do that. But I can place your order if you’d like.”
“Can I please get the chicken cobb salad with extra croutons?”
I smirk. “Sure. I’ll get that going.”
I put it in and made up a bunch of orders for the beach crowd. Music changes up, and when I look her way again, she’s dancing a little in her chair, and it’s adorable.
“You always look like that when you work?” I ask as I set down her salad and a water that she didn’t ask for, but I brought anyway.
She glances up. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Happy?”
She snorts and closes the laptop. “That couldn’t be a farther assessment from the truth.”
