window, flinched, and one of the plates in her hand slipped. Marc didn’t move away, but he cocked his head like he was studying Alex. At least she wasn’t the only one psychoanalyzing her.
“Thanks, Alex.” Kady butted between them, forcing Marc back a step. “You know, this is fun. I spend all my days behind a desk talking to the same six people. It’s nice to get out and talk to normal folks.” She flashed them a big smile, grabbed her plates, and hurried back out to mix with her customers.
“Alex?” Marc murmured.
Fascinated, she watched him extend his hand to touch her arm and pause just as his fingers grazed her skin. Her breath caught in her throat at the sensation. A little flattery goes a long way. That was what he’d said. It sure did.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine. Orders are starting to stack up.” Alex kept her gaze in the kitchen where no orders were appearing, but both Jeanie and her mother were trying to eavesdrop while appearing busy. Mom was better at it than Jeanie. Neither was getting anything useful done in the meantime.
Now Marc took a step back. “All right.” He tapped the counter twice with his long fingers and walked away. Behind her, she could hear him chatting with customers and keeping things going.
“Are you crazy?” Jeanie hissed.
“Jeanie,” her mother snapped.
“Mom, do you know who that is? He’s gorgeous and he’s rich and he’s so nice. How can you be such a—” Jeanie’s lips had pressed together to form the first phoneme of the next word before she remembered that her mother was next to her.
It was enough for her mother to swat Jeanie on the shoulder. “Watch your tongue.”
“Can we just get some orders finished up here?” Alex flicked through the bills on the shelf. “We have hungry people, and we don’t want to disappoint Ida and Paul.”
Her arm still tingled from his very slight touch. Jeanie was right. She was crazy, and she was being a bitch. But another man who got whatever he wanted with a little flattery? This, she did not need unless she wanted to try the hair of the dog that bit her. She scanned the dining room so she could get a glimpse of him. He was standing beside a table chatting up the diners who were loving it. As charming as he was, he couldn’t be as charismatic as Roger.
* * * *
Alex cleared her last table. Paul had shown up after three with the news that Ida was resting at home wearing a heart monitor, though they suspected she’d had a panic attack. Then he took over the kitchen. Once the drama was over, the townspeople drifted back to whatever they had been doing before the interruption, leaving only diners. After that, it was pretty much back to normal…with one exception.
Marc had stuck around all day hosting and being pleasant and confusing and leaving her no way to sneak out of there to think.
“Hey.”
Alex jumped. One of the water glasses in her hand slipped and smashed on the concrete.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Marc crouched with her to help pick up the broken glass. “Crazy day, huh?
“You could say that. I’m glad Ida is okay.”
“I’m not sure what this town would do without her.” Marc lifted the plates out of her hands. “I came in here today to talk to you.”
“Why?” Alex focused on dusting up the last retrievable shards with her cloth so she wouldn’t have to look at him.
“Sorry I missed you yesterday. My buddy called with a new song. He wanted to finish it up right away. That’s why I didn’t call to let you know I was running late.”
“Oh.” Jeanie was right. She was being a bitch. “That’s okay. I wanted to go to Dolly Sods after work anyway, and then I decided to go with the star-watching group. There are a lot more stars here than at home.”
“I know what you mean.”
She stood up and he followed suit.
“I sent you a text.”
“Sorry. I forgot my phone at home.” Intentionally.
“So are you busy tonight? It’s early. We could still make the
“Thanks, Alex.” Kady butted between them, forcing Marc back a step. “You know, this is fun. I spend all my days behind a desk talking to the same six people. It’s nice to get out and talk to normal folks.” She flashed them a big smile, grabbed her plates, and hurried back out to mix with her customers.
“Alex?” Marc murmured.
Fascinated, she watched him extend his hand to touch her arm and pause just as his fingers grazed her skin. Her breath caught in her throat at the sensation. A little flattery goes a long way. That was what he’d said. It sure did.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine. Orders are starting to stack up.” Alex kept her gaze in the kitchen where no orders were appearing, but both Jeanie and her mother were trying to eavesdrop while appearing busy. Mom was better at it than Jeanie. Neither was getting anything useful done in the meantime.
Now Marc took a step back. “All right.” He tapped the counter twice with his long fingers and walked away. Behind her, she could hear him chatting with customers and keeping things going.
“Are you crazy?” Jeanie hissed.
“Jeanie,” her mother snapped.
“Mom, do you know who that is? He’s gorgeous and he’s rich and he’s so nice. How can you be such a—” Jeanie’s lips had pressed together to form the first phoneme of the next word before she remembered that her mother was next to her.
It was enough for her mother to swat Jeanie on the shoulder. “Watch your tongue.”
“Can we just get some orders finished up here?” Alex flicked through the bills on the shelf. “We have hungry people, and we don’t want to disappoint Ida and Paul.”
Her arm still tingled from his very slight touch. Jeanie was right. She was crazy, and she was being a bitch. But another man who got whatever he wanted with a little flattery? This, she did not need unless she wanted to try the hair of the dog that bit her. She scanned the dining room so she could get a glimpse of him. He was standing beside a table chatting up the diners who were loving it. As charming as he was, he couldn’t be as charismatic as Roger.
* * * *
Alex cleared her last table. Paul had shown up after three with the news that Ida was resting at home wearing a heart monitor, though they suspected she’d had a panic attack. Then he took over the kitchen. Once the drama was over, the townspeople drifted back to whatever they had been doing before the interruption, leaving only diners. After that, it was pretty much back to normal…with one exception.
Marc had stuck around all day hosting and being pleasant and confusing and leaving her no way to sneak out of there to think.
“Hey.”
Alex jumped. One of the water glasses in her hand slipped and smashed on the concrete.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” Marc crouched with her to help pick up the broken glass. “Crazy day, huh?
“You could say that. I’m glad Ida is okay.”
“I’m not sure what this town would do without her.” Marc lifted the plates out of her hands. “I came in here today to talk to you.”
“Why?” Alex focused on dusting up the last retrievable shards with her cloth so she wouldn’t have to look at him.
“Sorry I missed you yesterday. My buddy called with a new song. He wanted to finish it up right away. That’s why I didn’t call to let you know I was running late.”
“Oh.” Jeanie was right. She was being a bitch. “That’s okay. I wanted to go to Dolly Sods after work anyway, and then I decided to go with the star-watching group. There are a lot more stars here than at home.”
“I know what you mean.”
She stood up and he followed suit.
“I sent you a text.”
“Sorry. I forgot my phone at home.” Intentionally.
“So are you busy tonight? It’s early. We could still make the
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