Page 5 of Rainbows Over Cedarwood

He’d lost his mind, but damn it, there was a spark between them. His chest tightened a bit and blood coursed faster through his body. For the first time in a long while, he looked forward to spending time outside the diner. He’d thought Jay had been his last chance to have a decent relationship, but seeing Ashley had him thinking otherwise. He wasn’t ready to jump right into a long-term relationship, but a few dates, some kissing and hot sex would be perfect. Hell, Ashley could be that one he’d been looking for. A vision of Ashley nude and begging for him came to mind. He shifted his stance to hide the growing erection. Shit. He didn’t want to look like a hornball.

Colt waited until Ashley’s car had disappeared from the lot before he headed back into the restaurant.

“Well?” Sarah, one of his servers, stopped him by the lunch counter. “What about him?” She rested her hands on her hips. She’d been one of his employees since he’d taken over the business. Unlike most of the waitstaff, she wasn’t afraid of him or scared to speak her mind.

“What about him? I barely know him.” Colt straightened the menus in the holder and kept his gaze from hers. Only a year older than him, she treated him more like a mother than a contemporary.

“But you’re into him, I can tell. You never leave the safety of the diner and only visit the people on the floor when you’re in sales mode. You changed.” She soft-punched his arm. “He’s a nice guy—well, he seems to be. He’s a good teacher, too. Janel loves him for art.”

Now she’d brought her kid into the equation. She didn’t have to be quite so observant or pushy.

“He’s shy and sweet. When I went to talk to him during conferences last spring, he reminded me of a scared rabbit. Once I told him I wanted to discuss ways to improve Janel’s art skills at home, he loosened up.” She turned Colt around, forcing him to look into her eyes. “If he’s in the single fathers society, then he’s gay and might be on the hunt for a date. Give him a shot. Besides, everyone felt the tension between the two of you. You both looked like you could combust at any moment.”

“Looked like you could combust at any moment.”Jeez.He shoved his hair off his forehead. “Single fathers society? Where’d you get that?”

“The coalition calls them awful names. Other than referring to them as the support group, some of the people around town refer to them as the single fathers society. They’re a special little conglomerate of nice guys who happen to be gay and aren’t out to bring hell to Cedarwood. What the coalition doesn’t realize is that there are more people in town who don’t care about these guys’ sexuality than there are ones who do. I like Colin and his group. It’s a good thing for them.” She poked him in the belly. “Maybe even a good thing for you and Ashley Willis. Don’t walk away from this because of that dick ex-boyfriend of yours. Tear Ashley’s clothes off and fuck him until you both drop.”

“Why?” he asked, half-challenging her. He had no intention of going back to Jay, but he wanted to hear her out—especially the fucking part.

“If you do go back to your ex, I’ll kick your butt. I might be your employee, but I’m not above knocking some sense into your thick head.” She grinned and winked. “Understand me?”

“I do.” He sighed. “I’ll be in the office until closing. I’ve got paperwork to do.”

“Right,” she replied, drawing out the word. “If that’s what you’re calling it.” She strolled away, leaving him alone by the counter.

Damn straight. Paperwork…and getting my mind off Ashley.He headed back to his office and closed the door. He wasn’t about to get into the dating pool. No committee or coalition would change his mind. He wasn’t going to fall for Ashley Willis and he refused to fall in love.

Now if his dick and his brain would agree, he’d be fine.

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