Page 20 of The Closed Off Captain

I sit against the seat and cross my arms across my chest. “Don’t even try to figure out my eating; I can’t figure it out most of the time.”

He finishes my eggs in three large bites. “Try me.”

“Okay, let’s see. I can’t eat much wheat or it makes me sick. I don’t eat eggs unless they’re in baked goods that don’t taste too eggy. I can’t eat nuts, broccoli, beans, sauerkraut, gluten, and spicy foods because they all make me sick. What else? Oh, I haveto watch my caffeine intake, or I get headaches. Oh, and I think I can’t do dairy anymore either. So, there you go.”

His frown deepens. “What do you eat?”

I laugh. “It’s tricky; I’ll say that much.”

“I’m sorry. We could have gone somewhere else.”

“And not check out this spectacular diner?” I ask without a smile.

He huffs out a laugh. “Next time, you can pick the restaurant.”

"Oh, next time, huh, Big Guy?” I smirk.

He grabs the receipt and slides out of the booth. “Come on, Miss PR.” I grab my purse and phone and slide out of the booth, grabbing his sweatshirt as I do.

“I don’t like that nickname,” I say, catching up to him. He stops suddenly, and I crash right into his back. He takes a step backwards, and I squeak. He turns quickly and wraps an arm around my back, keeping me on my feet.

“Sorry,” he says right next to my ear. “She came out of nowhere.” I watch the waitress with the huge tray on her arm walk past us and into the dining room.

I step away from him, trying to steady my pace. “How’d she not see you, Aiden? You’re huge?”

He scowls down at me, and I give him a cheeky grin. His scowl disappears, and he stares at me a moment too long to not feel self-conscious. I pat my face. “What? Do I have food on my face?”

“You should smile more.”

“What?”

He seems to shake himself out of it. “I’m going to pay the bill; you can go out to the car if you want.”

He hands me the keys, surprising me. I keep them in hand as I walk outside. I check my phone and realize I missed a call from the nursing home where Grandma May lives. My heartbeatkicks up a notch, and I quickly check to see if they left a message. Because I’m not looking where I’m going, I plow right into somebody. I stumble back as hands wrap around my upper arms, steadying me. “I’m so sorry,” I say.

A guy I don’t know stands in front of me. “No worries. It’s not every day a beautiful woman nearly runs me over.”

I blink at him, not reacting as quickly as I should because my mind is still racing with the missed phone call. “Well, I’m sorry I ran into you,” I say with absolutely no emotion. I step back, and he drops his arms.

“I’m not,” he says with a grin. His eyes look over my shoulder, and I’m not surprised when he takes a step back. I feel a presence behind me and know with one hundred percent certainty that Gunner is behind me. The guy is a whole lot less friendly now. He makes a beeline for the door.

“Who was that?” Gunner asks, watching the man go inside.

I shrug. “I have no idea. I accidentally ran into him,” I say absently as I check my phone messages.

“No, you didn’t,” he says in a low voice. I lift my head at his tone. “He set himself right in your path while you were looking down.”

“Oh. Well, thanks for scaring him off, Aiden,” I say, patting his arm.

He scowls. “Stop calling me that.”

“But it’s so fun when you scowl like that,” I say as I climb into the truck after he opens the door for me. The smile slides from my face when I see that it’s Susan that called. She’s Grandma May’s favorite nurse. I call the number before Gunner gets in the car. “I have to make a call,” I tell him as he climbs inside. He nods and starts the car. I stare out the window and wait for Susan to pick up.

“Hey, Chloe,” she says after the third ring.

“Susan, what’s wrong?” I demand.

“Everything’s okay. She took a small fall this morning getting out of the shower.”

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