Page 23 of Lavender Lake
My brow wrinkled. “Sounds familiar.”
“They wanted Declan too,” he said. “But he passed.”
“Ah, I remember now. Hadley mentioned something . . .”
“The coffee company is looking to push various roasts into every smokehouse and BBQ joint in the country. It’s not as simple as a photo shoot and a paycheck. They want the publicity that goes with a rodeo tour. So, when I get back on the circuit, my beans are spoken for.”
Mr. Bixby came out of the kitchen carrying our plates. He set them down in front of us. “Can I get you anything else?”
We shook our heads and Mr. Bixby went into the back again.
I picked up a tater tot and swirled it around in the gravy before placing it in my mouth. I let out a groan that was borderline pornographic.
Bowman raised his brows and smirked, no doubt thinking the exact same thing.
“I thought poutine was with fries,” he said.
“Yep. But I like mine with tater tots.” I shrugged. “Just one of my many quirks.”
My phone chimed. While I was distracted by attempting to find my cell phone at the bottom of my bag, Bowman took his fork and stabbed a gravy drenched tater tot and brought it to his lips.
“Hey, that’s mine.”
The tater tot disappeared into his mouth and he chewed and swallowed. “Damn. That’s good. Better than my burger.”
He reached for my bowl.
I smacked his hand. “Are you trying to lose a finger?”
He grinned. “What if I say please?”
“No.”
“What if I beg?” His gray eyes swirled with heat.
With a sigh, I reluctantly pushed the bowl toward him.
I grabbed my cell and looked at the screen.
Hadley
You still mad at me?
She’d purposefully left out a very important detail about our father’s life.
Damn right I was mad at her.
I didn’t know what to say, so I shoved my phone back into my bag.
Bowman pushed the bowl of poutine back toward me. “You need this more than I do.”
CHAPTER SIX
The Diner
“You feeling any better?” Bowman asked.
“I’m full. That’s something.” I pushed my empty bowl away.
