Page 2 of Hard To Leave

As I poured the steamy caffeine into the cup, Ree slithered up behind me. “I see you met Jack.”

“I guess,” I mumbled out, still confused by my reaction to him.

“Such a shame about his daddy passing away, isn’t it? By the looks of it, he’s not handling it very well.” She shook her head while securing a loose strand of her bleached blonde hair into a bobby pin.

“That’s right, Kristen had mentioned that,” I told her, feeling sorry for him. I noticed he was no longer on his phone, but staring out the big picture window with a distant look on his face.

“Jack’s a good boy. Just keep that in mind if he flirts with you.”

I laughed a little. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. He’s not exactly my type.”

“Oh, trust me, sweetheart, he’s everybody’s type. He may not look like it now, but that boy is so charming, he could convince a horse to stop eating hay.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if I ever own a horse,” I called over my shoulder while carrying the steaming cup of coffee over to his table.

“Thanks,” he said, finally lifting his head to look at me. When he reached up to remove his baseball cap, I could fully study his profile and see everything.I get it now,I thought to myself even though I normally wasn’t attracted to blonds. It was obvious by his dark blond hair, broad chest and strong jawline that he was all man. He was so gorgeous it was hard to look away.

His lips twitched. “Would you like to take my order now?” he asked like I was a confused waitress who didn’t know what to do next.

I slid my pen out of my apron and fought the urge to roll my eyes at his sarcastic remark. “Of course, sir, what can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a turkey club, and instead of the fries, I’d like a cup of French onion soup, please,” he said, closing his menu and handing it back to me.

“Sure, I’ll put your order in. Let me know if you need anything else.” I smiled, suddenly eager to get away.

He held out his hand. “Actually,” he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “There is one more thing. How about your number? It’s Chloe, right?”

I was impressed that he remembered my name until I followed his gaze to the name tag that was pinned to my uniform. Clever.

He gave me a once-over, making it clear he liked what he saw. His reaction puzzled me because my outfit was nothing special. It was just a light blue polo with the Seaside Café embroidered on the chest. The thin material was sticking to my skin, and I was sure I looked like a hot mess thanks to standing over the grease fryer waiting for a batch of onion rings to come up. Yet, for some reason, it felt hotter under his intense gaze than it did moments ago back in that kitchen.

“Sorry, but my number isn’t on the menu,” I said, forcing a smile while trying to ignore a trickle of perspiration that was rolling down the back of my neck.

He raised his eyebrow, seeming to enjoy how uncomfortable he was making me. “That’s a shame. Most of the best things I’ve had weren’t ordered off a menu.”

I tried to keep my head down and eyes on my notepad so he wouldn’t notice the pink growing on my cheeks as he continued. “You must be new because I would have remembered you.”

“Been here for six months. I understand you own a vacation home here in town.” I purposely left out the fact that he just lost his father. You just never knew how grief could affect people and I wasn’t sure he would want to talk about it.

His lips kicked up into a full-blown grin. “Aww, you were asking people about me. How sweet.”

“Actually, I didn’t ask. Kristen mentioned it when you walked in.” I jerked my hand in her direction as she strolled across the restaurant. The smell of Marlboro Lights followed her across the diner. She told me she was trying to quit, but it didn’t smell like she had been trying very hard. Jack never even looked in her direction; he kept his gaze on me. “She’s the fan. I’m sure she would be happy to give you her number even though it’s not on the menu.”

He seemed amused by me. “Is that so?”

“Yep,” I replied, feeling my hands go clammy.

Rubbing his hand along his jaw, he grinned. “I’m not interested in her number. I have someone else’s digits in mind.”

“You haven’t even looked at her.”

“Don’t need to. I know what I like, and it’s standing right in front of me.” My cheeks heated as he casually leaned back into his seat. He traced his hand along his perfectly shaped jaw. “So, Chloe, tell me…where are you from?”

“Not far.”

“You’re not going to make this easy on a fella, are you?” He laughed and then kicked his long legs out in front of him. “How do you like the area so far? I could give you a tour around town sometime if you’d like.”

“No need. The town is only four blocks big, and I’ve pretty much done it all.” I was acting cold but running warm. This man was no good; I could feel it in my bones. So why the hell was I letting him get me so flustered?

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