“Are those your children?” I ask. They’re sitting on the lap of a pretty woman who must be their mother.
He barely glances at it. “Yeah. Ella is six, and Poppy is five.”
“Wow. A year apart. I bet they’re really close.”
“They are.” He cocks his head. “Miss…?”
“Reed. Grace Reed.” I extend my hand across the table. “And you are?”
“You can call me Lucky.” He doesn’t take my hand, and I drop it.
I cock a brow, my smile fading a bit. “Lucky?”
“It’s what everyone calls me.”
“And what is your last name?”
“Hartwell. So, Miss Reed, how long have you been in Stillwater?”
“Not long.”
“How long is not long?” he presses.
“Um, I guess five months.”
He nods, studying me. “And where were you before that?”
“Hattiesburg.”
“And how long did you live there?”
“Two months, I think.”
“You seem to move around a lot. There a reason for that?”
I shrug. “Just worked out that way.”
“What was your last job?”
“Until this morning, I was a waitress at Nick’s Diner. Do you know the place?”
“I’ve driven past, but can’t say I’ve ever eaten there. Why’d you leave?”
I take a deep breath and give him the truth. “This morning an old man came in with a handful of coins and asked me how much he could buy with the amount. I gave him a meal for free. My boss found out I didn’t charge him, and he fired me on the spot. Said it was the same as stealing.”
“It is.”
“So, you think I was wrong to do it?”
He folds his arms and leans in his chair. “Not saying it wasn’t the right thing to do, but it’s not yours to give away, is it? Maybe you should have gotten permission.” A grin forms on his face. “Guess that makes you a rule breaker.”
“Not usually.” I lift my chin. “Are you a rule breaker?”
“Grace, I breakallthe rules.”
His answer makes me nervous, and something over his shoulder catches my eye. Through the archway is the kitchen with an island. Slung over the back of one of the barstools is a leather vest. I focus on the patches.Evil Dead MC, Alabama.
The blood drains from my face. Biker gang.