Page 22 of Demons

“Yes, I am sure it does. Look, I didn’t mean to upset you. I apologize. My plan had been to charm you into having lunch with me.” His smile was back.

I opened my mouth to decline the invitation with a lie that I had to go to the ranch, but Esther grabbed my arm before I could say anything.

“Let’s all do lunch together!” she exclaimed, grinning. “Jaiden and I are going to The Doghouse. I’m craving a bacon cheeseburger from there. Come with us!”

“Their bacon cheeseburger does sound good. Thank you, Esther,” Haines replied, sounding pleased with this turn of events.

Esther knew that Bloodline had left for New York, and she would more than likely call me out on it if I said I had to go to the ranch. This was what she’d been wanting. Me to double date with her. Looked like I was going to get it over with today. After this, I would be sure she knew it would never happen again. I had tried it and did not want to date Haines.

“We will meet y’all there!” Esther said with a little wave of her hand, then hurried off to get Jaiden.

I might have been backed into a corner, but I wasn’t riding with him. “My car is this way,” I told him. “I’ll, uh, see you there.”

Before he could say more, I hurried away, taking long strides and not glancing back. Esther meant well, and I knew that, but I was still pissed at her. Next time, I was leaving the service early.

When I had been a teenager, I’d stayed clear of this place. The Doghouse was where the popular kids at the high school always ate on Friday and Saturdays.

Sebastian Shephard was the only reason I’d even stepped foot in here back then. That was only once too. My friend he’d dated begged me to go with her. The entire experience had been overwhelming, and I’d ended up quietly leaving when they were busy making out.

Sunday after church, it was a place where churchgoers had lunch. There were few restaurants in Madison, so they all filled up when services let out. It had been at least a year since I’d eaten here, and stepping inside still felt like going back in time to when this was intimidating. I was aware of how silly that sounded since I was a grown adult, but some things marked you and didn’t shake loose.

Esther hadn’t been homeschooled. She’d been a part of the crowd. Maybe not the popular one, but she had a group of friends on the inside. I did not.

A hand touched my back, and I jumped, startled. Haines’s chuckle grated on my nerves as I realized he’d walked in behind me.

“There they are.” He nodded his head toward Esther, who was standing up from a booth, waving at us like she couldn’t be seen.

I nodded and started in that direction, wanting to walk fast enough that Haines had to move his hand off my body. I hadn’t said he could touch me, and the way he had assumed it was welcome added to the ongoing list of things I did not like about Haines. Unfortunately, he was taller than me—most people were—and his strides easily kept up with my hurried ones, leaving his hand on my lower back.

After today, Esther might want to hide from me for a while.

She was beaming like an idiot when we arrived at the booth. I’d have prepared a table with chairs so I wasn’t stuck so close to Haines, but leave it to Esther to get a booth. I should have gotten here first. My sitting in the parking lot, trying to think of a way to get out of this, had been wasted time. Now, I had to sit in the damn booth.

Haines motioned for me to go in first, and forcing a smile, I shook my head.

“I don’t like booths. Being stuck inside makes me anxious,” I lied.

I could feel Esther’s gaze on me, and I knew she was looking at me like I’d gone crazy. Not once in our life had I said anything about getting in a booth first. But if I was on the outside, I could leave without having to wait for him to move, and I could keep some distance between us.

He nodded, giving me an odd look, and I shrugged, still smiling. Haines slid into the booth, and I followed, only to stay near the end. I refused to make eye contact with Esther. She’d made me do this, but she couldn’t make me like it.

“So,” Esther said, drawing out the word, “we all four finally got together. With Capri working all the time, it’s been a struggle.”

“You’re riding for the Shephards in the Belmont Derby Invitational,” Jaiden said, sounding almost excited about it.

I knew he kept up with horse racing some. He was the reason that Esther had even watched some of the races I’d ridden in.

Since this entire lunch wasn’t his fault, I turned to him and nodded. “Yes. Riding for them is thrilling and nerve-racking.”

He grinned. “I bet. They’re one of the best. That’s got to be some pressure.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But riding on one of the best does have its perks. In the past, I rode horses that weren’t considered winners. Their owners had hopes, of course, but they never expected them to actually win.”

“I’ve heard great things about Bloodline,” Jaiden told me.

“Okay, let’s talk about something not so boring,” Esther chimed in, and I cut my eyes at her. She was looking at Haines though, not me. “How’s the dentist life?” she asked.

I might throw my fork at her. Why would she ask him that? She knew that man loved to talk about himself and teeth.

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