Page 51 of Starting Over

“Allie,” I growled.

“Eat your lunch, Sheriff. We still have a lot to go over.”

I sat there, dumbfounded. “You really aren’t going to tell me anything?”

Setting her fork on her plate, she sat back and studied me.

“Are we in middle school, doing our homework after school and talking about our crushes?”

She threw my words back at me and it pissed me off. She was right, though. I hadn’t wanted to talk about Maureen and my feelings for her with Allie. I needed to show her the same respect, and not hound her about what they talked about.

“Fine.” Against my better judgment, I let it drop. Allie clearly wouldn’t be any help. The fucking girl code extended to women you just met, I guessed.

We finished our lunch, then continued going over town issues. Maureen stood from her stool, putting some money on the counter, and walked to our table. My irritation at her being in my town didn’t stop me from letting my eyes trail down her body.

“It was nice talking with you, Mayor. I hope we can do it again.”

“You can count on it. In fact, some of the other ladies in town have a book club that meets once a month. I’ll text you the time and place,” Allie said.

“That sounds fun,” Maureen replied, then shot her gaze to me. With a tip of her head, she said, “Sheriff.”

“Maureen.” My voice was tight in response. I was surprised she acknowledged me at all, to be honest.

She walked out of The Diner, my eyes glued to her plump ass. Watching it sway from side to side.

Allie laughed across from me and said, “You are so screwed.”

Don’t I know it.

Chapter Thirteen

Maureen

Ignoring the sheriff and the beautiful woman he was sitting with, I walked to the counter and sat down. If I had been able to see them through the window, I never would have stepped into The Diner. Now that he’d seen me, I couldn’t leave.

“Good afternoon. Can I get you something to drink while you look over the menu?”

I looked up at the waitress. She was young. Well, younger than me. She looked to be maybe late twenties or early thirties. The nametag on her T-shirt said Julie.

“Hi, Julie, I’ll start with a coffee and a water.”

“You got it,” she said with a smile and bounced away. Young girls were always bouncy. I hadn’t been bouncy in years.

Looking over the menu, I wasn’t sure what I should order. Knowing Declan O’Rourke was sitting at a table behind me with a beautiful woman, who was likely his girlfriend, or maybe his daughter’s mother, caused me to lose my appetite.

The waitress set down my coffee and water and asked, “Have you decided?”

Looking up from the menu, I stalled on making any decisions, like wanting to flee from the building, by asking her what she recommended.

“The pot roast is always good, and the meatloaf is phenomenal, but the burgers are my favorite.”

A burger did sound good, but would it be too heavy for my nerves at this moment? Probably. Was I a glutton for punishment? Definitely.

“I’ll take a burger with everything,” I said, handing her my menu.

“Great. I’ll get that right in for you.”

As she walked away, I sat there, wondering what I should do. I wasn’t used to eating alone. At least, not at a restaurant.

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