Page 75 of Outlaw Heartstrings
“O-okay,” she says, all breathy.
I start to walk away, but then I pause. Over my shoulder, I shoot her a smirk as she continues to stare at me with heat in her eyes. I make one final demand before I march down the stairs. “And Alba?”
“Yes?” she whimpers longingly.
“Delete the fucking dating app.”
28
ALBA
The elderly customer yelps when I accidentally knock over her water glass while setting her ravioli in front of her.
“Oh my…Oh…I’m so sorry…” I say, hurriedly reaching for the tumbling glass while juggling the plate of pasta in my other hand. “I’m so sorry.” I barely manage to keep the hot dish from crash-landing in the woman’s lap.
Thankfully, the customer catches the glass, avoiding disaster. She smiles graciously at me. “It’s okay, dearie. Everything is fine.” She leans closer and whispers so only I can hear. “But between you and me, I can tell that you need a break.”
She’s right. I’ve already messed up her pasta order twice. Nowthis.
My shoulders collapse when I exhale. I check the clock on the wall. “You’re right.” I smile at her. “Thank you so much for understanding.”
“I’ve definitely been there,” she tells me. “Being a working woman isn’t easy.” She graciously mops up the wet table with her linen napkin.
“Again, thanks for understanding.”
I clean up the mess I made, refilling the water glass and giving the patron a dry napkin. Then with one last apology, I disappear into the back of the restaurant and collapse against a wall in the dark hallway. I push out a heavy breath. Jeez—today’s been rough.
Throughout my shift, I’ve been replaying that conversation I had with Easton last night. The man offered to be my sex genie.Oh my god.The more I think about what that implies, the more I know that I can’t possibly go through with it.
Sure, it’s a nice concept. Easton’s face is breathtakingly handsome and his body is beyond yummy. Any girl would be lucky to get some of that action. But unfortunately, my moral compass is in working order. I can’t just go around hooking up with my sister’s ex-hookup.
Breathtaking face and beyond-yummy body notwithstanding.
It’s so tempting, though. Because he’s nice. He’s justnice.And funny, and considerate, and charming.
And nobody’s ever kissed me the way he does. Or made me laugh the way he does. Or listened to me the way he does.
And I want him. I really, really want him.
But is any of this a good idea? Especially with Jagger’s paternity up in the air? Are we just making an already complicated situation more hopelessly complicated? At this point, I don’t even know.
This whole scenario feels so unfair. The first guy I’ve been interested in in ages is completely off-limits to me. Just my luck.
When someone pops up in the open entryway, I jump.
Jules frowns at me.“Hey, are you okay? You’ve been weird and jumpy since you got here this morning.”
“Ugh. Just a lot going on.” I flinch.
She sashays in my direction, and I stare at her. Did I ever mention that my bestie looks like a freaking Victoria’s Secret model in her slutty Tinkerbell uniform?
“Is it Jagger?” she asks, concerned. “Is he all right?”
I smile instantly at the thought of my nephew. “Jagger’s great. It’s just—” Mr. Drummond’s voice booms through his office door as he speaks on the phone, and I grab my bestie’s hand, leading her into the alley out back. “It’s Easton,” I say, closing the door with my foot.
Julissa’s entire posture changes, instantly going defensive. “What did Easton do? Is he being mean to you? He’d better not be being mean to you. Or else I’m marching up Marigold Peak right this minute and kicking his ass.”
I huff out a laugh. “Easton hasn’t been mean to me, Jules. The opposite, actually.”
