Page 27 of Filthy Elites

“I’m a little shaken. I was heading to Dennis’s Diner for lunch.”

“What a coincidence. So was I. Are you meeting anyone there?”

“No, I’m flying solo today. You?”

“I have to meet someone later, so I was just going to kill time there. Maybe we can hang out.”

Would it look bad if I ate lunch with Justice? I’m not interested in him, and I know Jason doesn’t like him. But hell, the guy just saved my life and saying no would be rude. Besides, I shouldn’t care what that jerk thinks.

“Yeah, let’s.”

I feel better having company now. I don’t know Justice, but he seems all right. He opens the door and urges me to walk in first. The place is full, so we wait for the hostess.

This time, a cute redheaded teen greets us. She smiles at me, but when she turns her attention to Justice, her grin wilts a fraction. Does she know him?

“Welcome to Dennis’s Diner,” she says.

“Hi, Alexis. Long time,” Justice replies.

“Yeah. Follow me.”

Okay, I’m definitely not imagining things. Our waitress knows Justice and doesn’t like him very much.

Once we’re seated, she asks, “What can I get you to drink?”

“Just water for me,” I say.

“Same,” Justice adds.

“All right. I’ll be right back.”

Once she’s out of earshot, I ask him, “Where do you know her from?”

“We went to middle school together. Alexis’s dad owns the diner.”

“She wasn’t very friendly toward you,” I point out.

He leans back and shrugs. “I dated her best friend for a couple of months, and when I broke things off, I became the villain. You know, the usual.”

I frown. “It’s not usual unless you did something to warrant a bad reputation.”

He squints and then smiles. “Nah, I swear I did nothing to Carmen. I just didn’t like her as a girlfriend.”

A moment later, Alexis returns with our drinks.

“Did you make your choice, or do you need a couple more minutes?” she asks.

I open the menu to search for the item that caught my eye yesterday. “I’ll try the Dennis Super Charged Dog. It sounds delicious.”

“Oh yeah, it’s one of my favorites,” she replies with a smile.

“I’ll have the usual.” Justice grins at her, but his smile has no warmth.

“Right.” Her expression closes off as she jots something down on her pad. “The food shouldn’t take long.”

The exchange between them leaves something foul lingering in the air. Luke told Sage he didn’t like Justice because he was shady, and I’m beginning to wonder if he was right.

“So, Nicola, tell me what brought you to Triton Cove.”

---