Page 68 of Claiming Her Cougar
“Okay,” I say slowly, drawing out the word.“So, you’re just going to stress over this?”
“Pretty much.And stress eat.”
I laugh.“As long as you have a plan.”
Mallory laughs too, so that’s a win.“I’m pulling in at the Fork.I’ll go in and get us a table.Did you want me to order anything for you?”
“Coffee and OJ, please.”
“Okay.See you soon.”
She hangs up.
If we just didn’t worry about keeping whatever this is we have a secret, then Janet or anyone else wouldn’t have anything to talk about.But that’s a topic to tackle another day.Now that we’ve finally gotten started, I’m not going to risk Mallory changing her mind.I’ll do what it takes to convince her to be more than my friend with benefits.I’m going to convince her to be mine.
28
MALLORY
I snaga table for four at Go Fork Yourself and ignore the dirty looks I garner for having prime real estate.Thankfully, Daphne and Logan arrive right after I sit down so it no longer looks like I’m taking up a four top all by myself.Logan goes to look at the pastry case and Daphne turns curious eyes on me.
“Shut up,” I tell her before she can get a word out.
“I didn’t even say anything!”she protests.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“He’s meeting us,” Daphne says.
“Who is?”I know she’s talking about Liam, so I don’t know why I’m even questioning it.Blargh.This is such a mess.
“Miller.I think he has a crush on you, and since nothing is going on with Liam, you should give him a chance.He’s a nice guy.”
“What?”Oh no, no, no.Miller is a nice guy, but he’s not the guy for me.That will be even more awkward.I don’t want to hurt Miller.I like him.But not the way I like Liam.If I’m being honest, I’ve never liked anyone the way I like Liam.
Daphne smirks.She’s been teasing me.Bitch.
Speaking of Liam, he walks in the door and joins Logan at the pastry case.After a moment, they walk to our table and sit down.Logan sits next to Daphne, who’s laughing at my panic at the thought of being matched with Miller, which leaves the chair next to me open for Liam to drop into.
“Hi, Daphne, what’s up?”Liam asks.
“Hey, Liam.It’s okay.We know,” Daphne says.
A beautiful smile appears on Liam’s face as he turns to face me, and my tummy flips in a way that has nothing to do with being hungry.
“You told her?”he asks, pleased surprise clear in his voice.
I give Daphne a death glare.“No, I didn’t.”
She smiles back serenely.
“Oh.”Liam’s smile fades.He picks up the coffee I ordered for him and takes a sip as he looks over the menu.
Damn it.Why does this have to be so complicated?
Our server arrives to take our order.I’m hungry, but I’ve lost my appetite for the decadent gourmet specialty pancakes they offer.I end up ordering a stack of regular plain pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, and a side of ham.Everyone else gets omelets with toast and home fries.
“So, what do you have planned for today?”Logan asks.
