Page 8 of Griz's Edge

“Hey, Deloris,” I greet and give her a hug. “You doin’ okay?”

“Same as always, Griz, same as always. You need something, or you here to eat?”

“Here to eat,” I answer and step back, going ahead and sliding into the seat across from the woman who has caught my eye.

Deloris looks between the two of us and cocks a brow. “You wanna beer?”

“That’d be great, Deloris,” I tell her and nod toward the woman. I learned her name was Marley. “I’ll have whatever Marley’s havin’ for dinner.”

One of Marley’s brows cocks as she watches me closely.

“Gotcha, darlin’, and I’ll let the old coot know you’re here for dinner. He’ll wanna see ya,” Deloris says as she walks off.

I don’t bother giving her a response. Instead, I stare at the woman in front of me.

“See you figured my name out, did you?”

God damn, her voice is like sin all in itself.

“I have my ways.” I grin, shrugging my shoulders slightly. “So, what are we getting for dinner?”

“The hamburger steak burger,” she answers and lifts the tea in front of her to her lips. “There’s also an order of loaded fries coming.”

“Gonna be a good meal, and you were gonna eat all by your lonesome. It’s a good thing I stopped in.”

Marley scans the diner, and I know a few of my brothers are in here. We all had stopped in together, but I saw her car in the lot and told them they’d have to eat without me.

“How come you’re not sitting with your friends?” she asks, eyes coming back to me.

“‘Cause I’m sitting here with you.”

I don’t know what it is about her. I hadn’t been able to get the vision of her out of my head. After one damn meeting with her, and I wouldn’t even call it that, she worked her under my skin. To make matters worse, she hadn’t even tried to do that, it just fucking happened.

“You don’t have to sit with me. I’m perfectly capable of eating alone,” she says, taking another sip from the straw.

“I’m sure you are, Marley. However, this evening, I’m having dinner with you.”

Keys had gotten back to me last night with her name. Marley Keys. New to the area and was a freelance process server and skip tracer—interesting choice in the line of work. My brother had made a joke about how she and him had something in common, and he hadn’t even met the woman. He’d thought it was hilarious his road name was her last.

“I’d love to know how exactly you found out my name,” she says, setting the glass to the side as my aunt comes to the table. Without a word, she sets my beer in front of me before walking away.

“I’ve got connections.” I shrug.

“I see, but that doesn’t explain things,” she points out, her fingers clasping in front of her with her elbows out, and her body leaning in just the slightest.

“I suppose not.” Grinning, I lift the beer to my lips and take a long draw from it before lowering it back to the table and leaning back in the booth. My legs stretch in front, caging hers in. “Tell me, Marley, what’s a girl like you doing moving out here?”

I was all kinds of curious about her. The way I see it, if I get her in my bed, I could work her out of my system and move the fuck on. It’s bad enough she’s got me on the edge, and I want to know all that I can about her.

If I’m honest with myself, it pisses me off that she intrigues me so damn much. I mean, with the bullshit Hattie pulled and now being served those papers, I shouldn’t want anything to do with any woman. Period.

“I decided on a change.” She shrugs. “Want to tell me why I was serving you papers yesterday?”

“You didn’t look?” This woman can’t be for real.

Marley shakes her head and leans back, hands unclasping, and she places them flat against the table. “I don’t make a point to look at what’s in the envelopes I serve. I just deliver them and move onto the next. If there’s something I need to know, then the clerks at the courthouse will let me know.”

I can’t tell if she’s being honest or not.

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