Page 44 of Hearts Don't Lie

“I most certainly do.” She beamed a megawatt smile at him. “I’m Kai, a friend of Kenna’s and the owner of the Piñon Grind. How can I help you?”

“Hardin. Nice to meet you.” He perused the enormous blackboard behind her and pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet. “She sent me in for her coffee. I’d typically just get her black, but you’ve got so much to choose from, or maybe she likes something special every once in a while?”

Kai nodded. “Every so often she has a Raspberry Mocha Latte with coconut milk.”

“Hm. Hot or iced?”

“Hot.”

“Is it supersweet?”

She laughed. “Surprisingly no. Just really good.”

Hardin and Mac had only had a cup each from the thermos Issa had left for them. “Can I have two of the sixteen-ounce please?”

“Sure.” Kai wrote on the cups with a black marker, then handed Hardin his change.

He deposited it in the tip jar and sensed a presence close to him. Glancing to his right, he spotted two women, roughly his age, appraising him openly. Each of the blondes gave him an encouraging smile. “’Scuse me,” he said, moving toward the pickup area as a high school boy replaced Kai at the register.

She quickly made his order and placed the coffees in front of him. “Here you go, Hardin. Tell my friend good morning.”

He grinned and nodded at Kai. “Will do.”

Mac glanced at the front door as the overhead bells chimed. Hardin held the door open for two twittering blond women who smelled like money and did nothing to hide the fact that they were ogling him. She got it. He was so easy on the eyes.

Hardin set down the large coffee in front of Mac, slipped off his sunglasses, and lowered himself onto the corner of her desk. “Kai says hello.”

“Thank you,” she said, taking a sip. “Oh man. I haven’t had one of these in forever. Yum.” Her attention turned to the women. “Hi, ladies! Can I help you?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Hardin touching his lip and looking at her meaningfully. She wiped the foam from the spot he’d indicated.

“We came in to book a hike.”

“Unfortunately, all of our guides are out for today”—Cori searched though the computer in front of her—“through the next, um, three weeks, and then we’re still pretty full.”

“What about you? Are you available?” the statuesque blonde asked Hardin, changing her posture to jut out her ample breasts and display her shapely behind, which was encased in snug, fashionably torn jeans. She looked as if she was going to start drooling. “You don’t look like you’re occupied.”

Hardin narrowed his eyes and grinned wryly. Mac cringed inwardly at the woman’s overt pass but kept her face expressionless.Fucking unbelievable.How was he going to respond?

“The boss has my dance card filled for the day,” he answered sardonically, then rose, giving Mac a sly smile and a thumbs-up, and a wink only she could see before he ambled toward the break room.

“You can leave your name and number with us. If anything comes open, we’ll call,” Mac said evenly. “Just know the chances are slim. We have a wait list.”

The less curvy blonde challenged Mac. “Does that happen?”

“On occasion,” Cori said, looking from the blondes to Mac.

“I see. We’d like him. That man who just left. What’s his name? He looks familiar.”

Cori pushed an open spiral pad toward Miss Statuesque. “Write your contact information down. We’ll call if anything opens. It would be very last minute.”

“We’re only here for a week, so do your best. I made a note that we wanthim,” she said with an edge, writing firmly on the pad, clearly accustomed to getting her way.

Oh, yes ma’am.Mac swallowed her rising anger. Fuck you and your money.She heard a chuckle from behind her. Hardin was in the break room, with the door open, listening to the full exchange.

The blonde raised her voice so that it carried into the hall. “We’re staying at that quaint little inn down the street, the Urban.”

“Wonderful,” Cori said. “Enjoy PR and the scenery.” She read the fresh entry in the ledger. “Mina.”

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