Page 10 of (Un)Expected

“Go away.”

I chuckled. “What happened to that small-town hospitality I keep hearing about?”

She turned toward me, smiling tightly. “Go awayplease, Mr. Campbell.”

“That’s better, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that,” Alex snapped, turning back to glare at her computer screen. “In case you’ve forgotten my name, it’s literally right here.” Her finger tapped the small gold bar attached to the pocket of her navy blue blazer.

My eyes dropped down, trying not to let them linger on the curves hidden beneath the thick fabric. Instead, I did my damndest to focus on the name tag, smirking when I noticed it said something different. “Alexandria, huh? I think I like that more.”

“What do you want, Cole?”

“Who says I want something?”

She groaned, squeezing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “Listen, jackass, I have had averylong day and am in no mood for entertaining…whateverthis is. So let’s end this pathetic excuse for flirting and tell me what you want.”

“Pathetic?”

“Solid 3 out of 10. If this were a bar, my drink would be in your face.”

“Alright, you got me there,” I chuckled. “But I do need your help. We’re starving and can’t find anything that’s open.”

She rolled her eyes. “And that’s my problem because….”

“Besides it being your job?” I chuckled, leaning in a little closer. “Or did you forget that your boss said you were supposed to be available to us at any time?”

“I am supposed to be available forAdam,” she said, “not you. So if he needs something,Adamcan call my desk. Otherwise, leave me alone.”

She went back to her work with a winning smirk, probably thinking she had the last laugh.Good luck with that.I wasn’t deterred that easily. Maybe Alex was used to people backing away when she bared her teeth, but she had no idea that she’d met her match. Stubborn was practically my middle name at this point, and verbally sparring with her had been the highlight of my day.

“Look,” I said, tapping my fingers on her desk. “We could really use your help. Something tells me you know what’s still open, and I’m borderline desperate here. A restaurant, any restaurant. That’s all I need, and then I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night.”

Alex stared at me, not saying a single word. With her arms crossed and lips pursed, I got a nasty flashback of visits to the principal’s office. Usually, I didn’t back down from anyone, but my palms started to sweat a little under the weight of her glare. After a long minute, she said, “Give me one good reason why I should help you.”

“Seriously?”

“Yup,” she answered, leaning back against the counter. “You’ve been unbelievably obnoxious since the moment we met, so I think some groveling is needed.” She arched a brow. “Convince me.”

I fan my hand over my face. “It’s for Adam?”

“Err,” she said, mimicking a buzzer. “Wrong answer. Have a great night.”

“Okay, okay,” I sighed, running my hand over my face. “Alex, look—I’m sorry for being a dick. I’d say it won’t happen again, but I can’t promise that. What I can promise is that I’ll do my very best to treat you with respect.”

She arched her brow. “And if you don’t?”

“Then call me the fuck out. It’s the least I’d deserve.”

Alex stared at me, as if trying to weigh the sincerity in my words. I meant every one of them, and I hoped she could see that. Eventually, she gave a resigned sigh. “Fine.”

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Don’t push it.” She scrunched her face, clearly trying to think of something. I knew we were testing our luck, but I wasn’t kiddingwhen I said I had faith in her. Alex clearly took her job seriously. She was the first one we saw when we walked in this morning, and she was still here, long after her shift must have ended.

Besides, if she didn’t figure something out, then I’d be stuck wandering around, trying to find food. From what I’d seen, the only thing open this late was a gas station on the very edge of town, and after a horrible bout of food poisoning from a Quick Mart sandwich years ago, I’d rather take my chances with the all-green option in our fridge.

Alex exhaled as she searched on her computer. “There’s not much available right now. What are you in the mood for?”

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