high-maintenance baby. “Do you mean outta town? Or the diner?” She joked with a small smile, but they both fell flat.
“I meant the diner—but I can see why you might wanna skip town.”
“Forget it. I’m fine. I’m used to her. She’s no big deal. I’ll just have, um…a hot chocolate.”
“Really?” Nick gave her slanted look. “That’s it ? Hot chocolate.”
“Yeah.” She waved it off and finally shrugged out of her coat after a bead of sweat trickled between her shoulder blades.
“Fine.” He nodded, peeling off his jacket and scarf.
Lily winced at her reflection in the polished silver accent décor. Lost inside the oversized marble-gray sweatshirt, her figure looked similar to Jabba the Hutt , while his fitted charcoal-colored sweater accentuated the biceps budging beneath. What a mismatched combination they were.
“Hot in here, huh?” Nick dug his fingertips into his collar, stretching the neck hole.
Not as hot as you.
“So, is this how you usually spend Thanksgiving—in the diner?”
Escaping for a long walk sounded too weird and would probably generate more questions she wasn’t in the mood to answer. “Not really. This is a first. I usually spend it at home. Alone.”
“Yeah. Me, too. I can live without the family drama.”
When the waitress appeared with two glasses of water, Nick ordered for them both.
“Two hot chocolates, please…” Heat flared in his eyes as he asked Lily, “You sure that’s all you want?”
She thought of a dozen things she wanted—all of them required scrubbing her brain with soap. “I’m sure.”
“That’s all.” He dismissed the waitress, and at the same time his cell phone rang a sick song from inside his pocket, but he didn’t answer it.
“You just said you were hungry.” Lily halted the server. “Wait a minute please.”
“I can’t eat in front of you while you just sit there watching.”
“Give me a break. You can eat whatever you want.”
“ Whatever I want?” His devilish smile spread slowly, making Lily’s skin tingle. “Well, then, can we add a few big cookies?”
“Cookies and cocoa,” the waitress confirmed before walking away.
“Sounds like the Santa Claus diet.”
“We’re grownups. Whose gonna stop us from eating cookies for dinner? I’m sure we can find a bite to eat later. Maybe hit the mall, too.”
“You gotta be kidding.” Lily giggled. “It’s Thanksgiving. The stores are closed.”
“The radio said they’re opening at midnight for early Black Friday shopping.”
“I don’t go near there on a regular day, never mind Black Friday. Shopping’s not my thing.”
“I thought it was programmed into the female-chromosomes—the shopping gene.”
“Nope. Not this female.” It was much better excuse than venting about being broke.
“Do you wanna come with me?” His voice dropped an octave, making a trip to the mall sound so seductive she couldn’t say no. Made her wish he’d ask the same question in her bed.
“We’ll see.”
“Aww, come on. I’d like to get Chief Maresca something more than a bottle of scotch for giving me the job.”
She sighed, tapping her nervous fingers on the tabletop, getting the feeling he didn’t take no’s very easily. “Okay, fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. I guarantee the mall will be a zoo, and you’ll wish you listened to me.”
“Probably.”
The waitress delivered steaming mugs of cocoa overflowing with whipped cream and marshmallows alongside a mountain of cookies—a bunch of rainbow squares, an oversized black-and-white, and a few linzer tarts. She left the check, which Nick paid in cash on the spot.
“Hey.” She reached into her bag and took out some crumpled singles. “I owe half.”
“Put your money away.” He gave her the same look as he did when he told her not to walk home from Brawny’s farm, so she put the money back.
After they gobbled the cookies, he pointed to her cheek. “You have some
“I meant the diner—but I can see why you might wanna skip town.”
“Forget it. I’m fine. I’m used to her. She’s no big deal. I’ll just have, um…a hot chocolate.”
“Really?” Nick gave her slanted look. “That’s it ? Hot chocolate.”
“Yeah.” She waved it off and finally shrugged out of her coat after a bead of sweat trickled between her shoulder blades.
“Fine.” He nodded, peeling off his jacket and scarf.
Lily winced at her reflection in the polished silver accent décor. Lost inside the oversized marble-gray sweatshirt, her figure looked similar to Jabba the Hutt , while his fitted charcoal-colored sweater accentuated the biceps budging beneath. What a mismatched combination they were.
“Hot in here, huh?” Nick dug his fingertips into his collar, stretching the neck hole.
Not as hot as you.
“So, is this how you usually spend Thanksgiving—in the diner?”
Escaping for a long walk sounded too weird and would probably generate more questions she wasn’t in the mood to answer. “Not really. This is a first. I usually spend it at home. Alone.”
“Yeah. Me, too. I can live without the family drama.”
When the waitress appeared with two glasses of water, Nick ordered for them both.
“Two hot chocolates, please…” Heat flared in his eyes as he asked Lily, “You sure that’s all you want?”
She thought of a dozen things she wanted—all of them required scrubbing her brain with soap. “I’m sure.”
“That’s all.” He dismissed the waitress, and at the same time his cell phone rang a sick song from inside his pocket, but he didn’t answer it.
“You just said you were hungry.” Lily halted the server. “Wait a minute please.”
“I can’t eat in front of you while you just sit there watching.”
“Give me a break. You can eat whatever you want.”
“ Whatever I want?” His devilish smile spread slowly, making Lily’s skin tingle. “Well, then, can we add a few big cookies?”
“Cookies and cocoa,” the waitress confirmed before walking away.
“Sounds like the Santa Claus diet.”
“We’re grownups. Whose gonna stop us from eating cookies for dinner? I’m sure we can find a bite to eat later. Maybe hit the mall, too.”
“You gotta be kidding.” Lily giggled. “It’s Thanksgiving. The stores are closed.”
“The radio said they’re opening at midnight for early Black Friday shopping.”
“I don’t go near there on a regular day, never mind Black Friday. Shopping’s not my thing.”
“I thought it was programmed into the female-chromosomes—the shopping gene.”
“Nope. Not this female.” It was much better excuse than venting about being broke.
“Do you wanna come with me?” His voice dropped an octave, making a trip to the mall sound so seductive she couldn’t say no. Made her wish he’d ask the same question in her bed.
“We’ll see.”
“Aww, come on. I’d like to get Chief Maresca something more than a bottle of scotch for giving me the job.”
She sighed, tapping her nervous fingers on the tabletop, getting the feeling he didn’t take no’s very easily. “Okay, fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. I guarantee the mall will be a zoo, and you’ll wish you listened to me.”
“Probably.”
The waitress delivered steaming mugs of cocoa overflowing with whipped cream and marshmallows alongside a mountain of cookies—a bunch of rainbow squares, an oversized black-and-white, and a few linzer tarts. She left the check, which Nick paid in cash on the spot.
“Hey.” She reached into her bag and took out some crumpled singles. “I owe half.”
“Put your money away.” He gave her the same look as he did when he told her not to walk home from Brawny’s farm, so she put the money back.
After they gobbled the cookies, he pointed to her cheek. “You have some
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