Page 11 of Gentle Fox

"It's beautiful." There was no hiding the awe in my voice. I didn't care what Owen said, Willow Creek was perfect.

I couldn't wait to get out of the vehicle and explore: the ice cream parlor, the bakery, the bookstore. I didn't know which place I wanted to visit first.

My stomach chose that moment to protest loudly for Owen to hear. I guess the diner would be my first stop.

"We should probably stop for food before I introduce you to the team."

"The Crazy Fox?" I asked hopefully.

There was that half grin and damn dimple again. Owen had to know what that thing did to the female population. He likely wielded it like a damn sword to bring women to their knees.

I was ashamed to admit it was working on me as well.

"If I took you anywhere else first, Bertha would have my head."

I had no idea who this Bertha lady was, but I liked her already.

We pulled up in front of the diner and I couldn't contain my excitement. This feeling right here was why I bounced from job to job. The excitement and rush of something new was a high I couldn't live without.

The moment we stepped through the door of the Crazy Fox, I knew I had found my soulmate in whoever designed the place. Not a single booth, table, or chair matched. Every decade in the last seventy years was represented and there was so much color that the place should be an eyesore but somehow fit perfectly together.

The seating arrangements weren't perfectly positioned like most restaurants. In fact, it looked more like people grabbed chairs from wherever they needed and the booths were set haphazardly throughout the place. It looked more like a toddler setting up a room in a dollhouse than an actual restaurant.

Everything about the diner screamed chaotic but homely. I could see why it was packed despite the late hour.

"Grab a seat wherever you like. I'll be with you in a minute," a tall server with a tray full of food said as she quickly rushed past us.

"Come on. I see an open table over here."

Owen slipped his hand on my mid back and gently led me to the table he was referring to. It only had one chair but luckily another table not too far away had a spare one we could borrow.

"Isn't Lex going to join us?"

I didn't see the jacked-up Jeep pull in next to us, but I figured he had to be close behind. He was never more than a few car lengths away every time I looked in the mirror while we drove.

"Probably not. He's not a sociable kind of guy. I'm betting he headed straight for the office."

“Speaking of your office, where is that located? I know from the address that it’s on the main street here, but all the pictures I saw only showed from the antique store and down.”

"Two doors up from here, on the other side of the antique shop. It was owned by a tailor before Mav bought it. The only run-down shop on the entire block."

Now it made sense that there were no pictures of it. No one would want to represent the town by showcasing a building that was empty. Willow Creek Security hadn't been in town long, so I was eager to see how they redesigned the building to fit in with the rest of the shops on the street.

"Welcome to the Crazy Fox. I'm Jo and you must be new to town. I haven't seen your face around these parts yet."

Damn, the woman was good, and it made me curious. "You would be right. Just rolled in actually. Do you know everyone in town?"

Jo laughed. "Not everyone but newcomers usually stick out. We get the same people in here most of the time. They have their routines. I could set my watch by half the town and when they come in to eat. Plus, I'm good with faces, so I'm positive I've never seen yours before."

Jo's smile was contagious. If everyone in town was even half as friendly as she was, I was going to really like it here.

She ran through the specials even though they were listed on a board when we first walked in. I had to give the cook props for creativity. Some of the club sandwich concoctions weren't things I would ever think to pair together. Maybe that was why the place was so popular.

Several people throughout the place were giving us strange looks, so I asked Owen what it was all about.

"I'm not crazy in thinking everyone is staring at us, am I?"

"Nope." He didn't even look around to see if I was right. "That's just how they are. Once they see your face more than once or twice, they’ll start to ignore you."

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