Page 18 of Waitress at the Shadow Ridge Inn
“Coffee, please. And maybe a slice of pie.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Won’t that ruin your dinner?”
He laughed. “Probably. But seeing as I was just shot down by a beautiful woman, I think some comfort food is warranted.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that. Even when rebuffed, he retained his good humor.
“Apple, pumpkin, chocolate cream, or shoofly?”
“Apple.”
“Warmed up with a scoop of vanilla bean and a caramel drizzle?”
He placed his hand over his heart. “It’s like you can see inside my soul.”
“It’s a gift,” I said lightly. “I’ll bring that right out.”
“Thanks, Casey.”
I returned to the kitchen, feeling the oddest mixture of lightness and sadness. Thankfully, neither Michelle nor Lou was in sight to give me flack about it.
“Hey, I’m here,” Shannon said, breezing in from the back entrance. “Consider yourself officially relieved.”
Relief was what Ishouldbe feeling, but I wasn’t.
I prepped Steve’s order, added a healthy puff of whipped cream on top, and said to Shannon, “This is for table seven. See you tomorrow.”
Then, I slipped out the back like the coward I was.
7
Two weeks later,nothing had changed. I was still working nearly every day. Rose still hadn’t hired someone to lighten the load. And Steve Ziegler was still coming in several times a week with his sparkling eyes and crooked smile and looking gorgeous and being a complete gentleman.
He hadn’t asked me out again. Hadn’t even flirted really. Just came in—sometimes alone, sometimes with one or more of his brothers—ate, then left.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t one hundred percent fully aware of his presence or the fact that he shot surreptitious glances my way when he didn’t think anyone was looking. I couldn’t fault him for that since I was basically doing the same thing. I couldn’t help it. He was easy on the eyes, and my days seemed a little brighter when he was around.
Which was yet another reason why I should get the hell out of Dodge. I was thinking about him way too much, and it was getting harder and harder to remember why going out with him was a bad idea.
If Angie were here, she’d take one look at him and tell me I was an idiot for not hitting that. More likely, she’d tell me he was not my type and go after him herself. Because, yeah, that had happened a few times.
I hadn’t minded so much then because she was right. Those guys hadn’t been my type. But Steve … he was, and the thought of Angie being anywhere near him filled me with something dark and possessive.
Huh.
My stomach growled angrily. I supposed it was a form of karmic payback. I’d slipped out of the inn without my usual takeout box of Lou’s goodness. Jessie had been loitering in the back at the end of my shift, and I knew she wanted to talk to me. I’d been avoiding her since the episode in the kitchen.
To assuage the hunger, I poured myself a bowl of cereal, took up residence on my sofa, and tried not to think any more thoughts about Steve Ziegler or Jessie’s premonitions.
Flipping through the channels, I found nothing remotely appealing. I scanned the books on the shelf with similar results. I’d already read most of them, but I wasn’t opposed to a reread. Perhaps a good, steamy romance would improve my mood and allow me to escape for a few hours.
It didn’t. I kept picturing Steve as the hero character, and that was not helpful at all.
Exasperated, I gave up and reached for one of the prepaid burners. It’d only been two weeks since I’d called Angie, but I needed to talk to someone.
The phone rang several times before she answered. “Hello?”
I could hear people talking and laughing in the background.
