Page 28 of Jacob

As her gaze flicked about the diner, she hesitated. He frowned while moving forward. He wanted a hug. Not that he’dforceone upon her.

The one-armed side hug he got was akin to what he’d given a distant cousin once at a family barbecue in Texas. He wasn’t quite sure if they were related, but it was an obligation—expected politeness. If he hadn’t have hugged the cousin in some manner, his mother would’ve smacked him in the back of the head.

This awkward hug with Sparrow was a far cry from the near kiss in the dark stock room. Then again, it was quite bright in the diner. So, either she was embarrassed by his looks or his cut. Both ideas had him fighting a scoff as he sat in the booth opposite her.

Sparrow slid into the booth as well and placed her hands on the base of the planter holding the lollipop bouquet. She kept her gaze down, not meeting his eyes while he peered around the arrangement intently watching her.

Taking a deep breath, she slid it toward him. “I can’t accept this.”

Arching a brow at her, he canted his head. This was unexpected. He’d yet to meet a woman connected to an MC who didn’t accept gifts. “If you say you don’t eat lollipops anymore, I’m going to have to call you a liar.”

The look she gave him when she met his eyes was quite pathetic. “No, it’s—”

“Hey, I’m Sandy,” the waitress said as she bopped over, pad in hand, ponytail swaying, and cracking her gum with a wide toothy grin. “Do you need any coffee or drinks or anything to start?”

“A pop is fine,” Jacob ordered. “And a medium-rare bacon burger with fries.” He pushed the unopened menu toward the waitress.

“Some mozzarella sticks are fine with a water,” Sparrow said, offering her own menu.

The waitress nodded, writing the orders down.

This wasn’t going well. She wasn’t even ordering real food.A fucking appetizer? Jesus.

He nodded at the waitress after she commented their food would be coming out soon and serving their drinks. Waiting for her to leave, or be out of earshot, before turning his attention back on the woman opposite him. The woman at his table. The woman who drew him to Ohio.

“You going to leave this here for her?” He gestured to the lollipops. “As her tip?” he asked, thumbing toward where the waitress had been. “I’m not sure she looks like the lollipop type.” He leaned out of the booth as though checking her out before eyeing Sparrow.

He wasn’t sure how to interpret the brief glare he earned in response. Now how quickly she looked away out the window, covering her mouth as though considering her next words—if he were a guessing man, he’d guess that was embarrassment. What the fuck?

“I noticed you said youcouldn’taccept it,” he pointed out, applying a little bit of pressure. “Not that youdidn’t wantit.” He pushed them back toward her, making sure they weren’t in the middle of the table, but definitely more on her side.

Snapping her head back, her gaze cut to him, then to the candy. “I know what I said.”

Yep. She chose her words very purposely. She was way too fucking smart to be fucking around with bikers. “What are you going to study?”

“Huh?” She peered at him.

“You said you’re taking a test this weekend to go back to school,” he reminded her. He wanted her to know he’d listened. If she bluffed, he wanted to catch her in it. Though, going back to school was a pretty shitty thing to lie about. Most went with boyfriend.

She blinked. “Business or accounting.” Her words were slow, almost skeptical. “I’m not sure yet. I just want to pass and get my foot in the door, then I can see which feels more comfortable.”

“Here you go,” the waitress said as she dropped off their drinks. “Your food should be out in a minute.

They both nodded, mumbling gratitude before they reached for their drinks. As he pulled the sugary fizz into his mouth, he considered what his mother would say. She’d always pushed him to be something other than just a biker. She didn’t care that it was all he ever wanted to be, just like his dad.

“Probably business,” he echoed her words. “A generalized thing, you could spread out that way. Get your foot in the door, start making some money somewhere. Then while you’re doing that earn the accounting stuff on the side.” He lifted his right shoulder in a shrug. He didn’t know what he was talking about. He made the shit up. It sounded good.

The smile on her face made it all worth it. He swore he saw some sort of relief in her eyes. The straw rested on her lips, much the way her lollipops usually did as she watched him fingering his own straw.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Probably. I don’t know. We’ll see. I just want to do something useful, you know?”

Useful?“What do you mean?” he asked.

Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, which intrigued him as she fixated on the lollipops. She ran her fingers along the outer ring of small candies. “It’s nothing. I just…it’s something my dad promised me.” She waved her other hand, trying to dismiss it.

Unable to stop himself, he reached out and caught her hand. Entangling his fingers with hers, he sought to meet her pale green eyes. The eyes he used to gaze into all those years ago. The eyes he remembered having brown flecks in them. The eyes she seemed to want to deny him until that point.

She didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she stiffened. Glancing around the diner, she seemed concerned with who would see him holding onto her. Her throat bobbed and she moved the display before she met his eyes. “My dad wanted me to help out the club is all,” she mumbled.

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