Page 15 of Playing for Keeps
“And he was still in one piece,” Del said, his voice deep and deathly slow. “Don’t know how much longer that’s gonna last if he keeps flappin’ off at the mouth.”
He’d discarded the pieces of the last straw and pulled another one from the canister at the end of the table.
“This is an old routine,” Rylan told him. “You know he’s all talk. Just trying to get under your skin.”
Del nodded but kept his focus on the straw. “I know all the right things. I’ve done all the right things. Stayed out of trouble after going to the House. Went to college, started a career. I sent money home to my mom to help with the house and my sister. And he’s still got a problem with me.”
“Hisproblem. Not yours,” she said.
He shook his head and then dropped the straw staring down at it like he was wondering what the hell he’d been doing. Then he sat back heavily against the seat and shrugged.
“You’re right,” he said. “Shouldn’t let him get to me.”
“No. You shouldn’t.” She paused and then opened her mouth to say something else, only to close it just as quickly. Del was an incredibly attractive guy. He wore a cream-colored shirt, short-sleeved, so the sinewy muscled arms were on display. His black hair was cut low, the beard and mustache neat and sexy. When they were teenagers, he and Lance had their left ear pierced. Lance had since added a piercing to his other ear and wore two diamond studs daily. While Del never wore an earring anymore. He rarely ever smiled either. She wondered why she’d never noticed that before.
“What are you doing here? You said you were heading home when I saw you last,” he said, his deep voice interrupting her thoughts.
It was just as well. They were thoughts she definitely shouldn’t have been having.
“I was hungry,” she replied.
He shook his head. “You always did eat like you belonged on the wrestling team instead of under the hood of a car.”
“Starving is underrated,” she quipped.
The waitress showed up at that moment, handing Del a bag. He accepted it and said, “Add whatever she orders to my tab.”
The woman nodded and pulled a notepad from the front pocket of her apron. She looked at Rylan with a smile that asked for her order.
“Ah, I need a few minutes to look at the menu.” She wasn’t really hungry.
“You want a bacon double cheeseburger with everything, mustard instead of mayo and an order of fries with salt and pepper, no ketchup,” Del said dryly when the waitress was gone.
The fact that he knew her standing order at the diner was like another poke of the red-hot needle of embarrassment. It was also effective in reminding her why she’d really come to Margie’s tonight—to tell Del what an ass he was for tricking her.
“Not tonight,” she snapped.
“Oh really? What makes tonight any different than the last twenty years? You love cheeseburgers almost as much as you love tinkering with cars.”
He’d said it in such a matter-of-fact way that she’d almost agreed with him. Except she knew it was an insult. The girls Del went out with ate like rabbits, nibbling on salads or sipping on soups as if those items actually left their belly full. They laughed at his corny jokes and batted their long eyelashes when he ran up to them on the sidelines after a game. While it had taken years for Rylan to realize that didn’t make them bad people, it just wasn’t the type of woman she was meant to be. Which confirmed the fact that she and Del were never going to be an item.
“I’m here because I have something to say to you,” she started with determination.
Her arms had been resting on the table up to this point, but now she pulled them back, so that her hands fell in her lap.
“Say it,” he prompted. “’Cause I’m heading home. It’s been a really long day and I’m ready to unwind.”
She nodded. “With a beer and your newspaper?”
He blinked and then shrugged. “Yeah, probably. I don’t know. I might just toss this sandwich into the fridge and crash.”
“Really? What about getting online?”
“What? Why would I get online at this time of night?”
It was her turn to shrug. “I don’t know. You may be looking for someone…I mean expecting to hear from someone online.”
He didn’t respond but continued to stare at her.
