Page 79 of Someone to Tempt
“They’re already lucky to have you,” I counter. “Jodi would be, too. You’re a hell of a catch, man.”
He laughs self-consciously. “No one has ever called me a catch.”
“Get used to it.” I grab the check the waitress left on the table when she delivered the food. “For the record, I don’t do hype talks if they aren’t warranted.”
“Thank you.” He stands and shakes my hand. “For the record, I wouldn’t back you as your grandpa’s successor if I didn’t think you could do the job.”
“That means a lot.” I hold his eyes for a minute, then he nods and heads for the door. He walks out of the diner, his shoulders a bit straighter than when he came in, while I pay at the cash register.
A tingling along my neck makes me glance over my shoulder, and I see a familiar face walking down the back hallway that leads to the alley behind the building.
“I should have known you made that sandwich,” I say as Nick turns to see who’s followed him out into the afternoon sunlight. “It was amazing, by the way.”
He takes a long swig from his water bottle. “Getting nothing but raves. Sometimes simple is best.”
“There’s nothing simple about you returning to Skylark.”
“I think the same could be said about you.” He lowers himself onto the wrought iron bench that faces toward the alley. There’s an ash bin sitting next to it for the restaurant employees who take their smoke breaks out here.
I gesture toward the can. “Do you smoke?”
“Of all the vices I’ve had, which you know better than most have been numerous, nicotine has never been one of them.”
I acknowledge his answer with a nod, then ask, “Why are you in the diner’s kitchen today?”
“The head cook’s looking to retire, and I’m pretty sure I nailed my interview to replace him.”
“You’re staying in Skylark?”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
I raise one brow. “I’ve said it before—only if you’re going to cause trouble for Iris.”
He shades his eyes as he glances up at me. “And I don’t care what bullshit line either of you gives me about dance partners, you’re together, which means she’s going to get hurt. It’s why I asked you to stay away from the start.”
My temper flares. “What makes you think I owe you that?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Friendship? Loyalty?”
“Loyalty like the way I let her believe for years that night was my fault?”
“Our mother perpetuated that lie.”
“You could have corrected that. Told her the truth.”
“The truth is she’s way too good for either of us.”
“One hundred percent.” I take a seat next to him. “But I promise she’s in control of what’s happening between us. If it makes you feel any better, I’m probably the one who’s going to end up a big, sad, brokenhearted pile of dookie at the end of it.”
He eyes me carefully. “Then why start?”
“She might be too good for me, but I won’t be the one to tell her. So, are you really thinking of settling down in Skylark?”
“It’s a small town,” he answers, “but there’s a lot of space here. It’s the kind of space that helps keep my head clear, so I’m going to give it my best shot. What about you?”
“Like I told Iris, once my grandfather decides about the foundation’s future, I’ll be heading back to Texas either way.”
“What about my sister?”
