“Well, I’ll definitely get one, then,” she said, smiling again.
“Sweet. You enjoy that, Laurie.”
He watched her walk away, but Jay felt nothing. No little zing of interest, and he blamed that squarely on Blue Jay McAllister. Damn her.
“Ask the woman out, for gosh darn sake.”
These hissed words came from over his shoulder, so he turned and found the entire walking group.
“Pardon?”
He wanted to be like them when he was old enough to not give a shit what anyone thought about him. That, and with age came the certain knowledge that you could venture an opinion in this town once you were over the age of sixty-five, and no one called you out on it.
“Ms. Day, Jay. She’d be perfect for you,” Linda, owner of the Do Si Do Diner, said. Today her hair was a cross between brown and blond, literally. The lower half was brown and the top part blond.
“Ah, no thank you, and you all are not focusing on me as your next matchmaking project.”
Linda clutched her chest theatrically. “I have no idea what you’re insinuating, young man, but let me tell you, I don’t like it.”
“Amen,” the rest of them chorused.
Jay rolled his eyes. “I know you all and what you’re capable of.”
“What are they capable of?”
Zoe, the youngest Duke dropped into the seat across from him.
“Nothing,” he said quickly. “You want a coffee? My treat.”
“Cool,” she said, eyes narrowing as they went from him to the walking group. “I’ll take a muffin too.”
He’d realized the error in his plan of walking away when he looked back and noticed the walkers were now talking to Zoe and she was listening intently. No doubt they were talking about Laurie Day and him being a perfect match.
“I went for the scone,” Laurie said when he reached the counter.
“Nice. They’re good heated up with butter,” Jay said lamely.
Ryder, who was making coffee, rolled his eyes at Jay but stayed silent until he placed her coffee down in front of her. “Here you go, Laurie.”
“Thanks, and bye, Jay. See you later.”
“Bye.” He raised a hand as she walked away.
“The way I see it is, you either don’t like the woman, or you’re too dense to see the signals of interest she’s firing your way,” Ryder said, going back to the machine.
“Fuck off,” Jay said. “Your sister wants a coffee, and I’ll take another.”
“She’s nice.”
“Zoe? I know, I’ve known her as long as you have. Nice may not be the term I’d used. Fiery, nosey, opinionated?—”
“Very funny, but you know I meant Laurie Day.”
“I don’t want to date her, end of story,” Jay said. He needed to nip this in the bud before it bloomed, which, looking at the conversation going on behind him, it likely already had.
“Why not?” Ryder started frothing the milk.
“Because I don’t. Do we need to gnaw this to death, Rye?”
