Page 37 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
When had she become her own worst enemy?
12
JJ tipped his hat as old Mrs. Fogerty called out a good afternoon from the library steps.
“Have a good weekend, ma’am,” he called back.
Everyone he passed on Main Street seemed to be in good spirits this afternoon. Probably because it was a Friday and the sun was shining bright.
JJ shifted the sack of groceries from one arm to the other.
It was a good day for a trip into town. His gaze caught on the sign for Mama’s Kitchen. It was an even better day for one of Mama’s famous burgers.
He headed in, the bell above the door clanging as it opened.
The diner was full for the midafternoon, and he spotted familiar faces straight away.
“JJ!” Lizzy called as she waved. Rose gave him a welcoming smile, and Lizzy’s step-twins, Chloe and Corbin, nearly knocked over their water glasses in their eagerness to say hello.
“Want to join us?” Lizzy laughed as she mopped up water droplets and smiled at him.
JJ snagged a menu off the counter before heading their way. “Aw, I don’t want to disturb you guys.”
“You’re not disturbing anything,” Rose said quickly, her eyes all wide and earnest. “I just ran into Lizzy and the twins while waiting for Dex to finish up with a patient.”
Lizzy smiled. “And the twins and I are just enjoying a quick snack before we head to a playdate.”
“You should join us, JJ,” Corbin said. In what JJ had to assume was an attempt at a whisper, Corbin added, “They’re talking about you.”
Chloe nodded in affirmation when JJ arched his brows.
“Corbin.” Lizzy gave him a sharp look, but he ignored it, going back to his coloring with a grin.
Chloe giggled. “They want you to take the dragon out for Aunt Emma’s auction date.”
“If you two don’t quit tattling, I’m gonna stop treating you to after-school snacks at Mama’s,” Lizzy warned. But her indulgent smile made it impossible to take her seriously.
“It’s not tattling. It’s the truth,” Chloe argued.
Rose dipped her head with a snicker. “I think maybe Emma needs to add ‘tattling’ to their vocabulary list.”
JJ was too caught up on another word Chloe had used to pay any mind to their banter. “The dragon?”
Chloe nodded happily, clearly not understanding that “the dragon” was not a term of endearment.
JJ looked to Rose, who blushed as she dipped her head again, avoiding his gaze.
Lizzy just grinned. “A Ms. Dahlia O’Sullivan.” She’d adopted a snotty tone when she said it, as if Dahlia was some snooty, standoffish witch and not her own blood who felt more out of place in this town than any of them could imagine.
JJ’s insides rebelled against the insult. Did no one in this family see her for who she truly was? She was a woman who desperately cared. Maybe she went about showing it all wrong, but it annoyed him more than he cared to admit that no one else seemed to notice.
They were having too much fun making her out to be the bad guy.
He slid into the booth beside Chloe, placing his grocery bag under the table and hiding his displeasure behind a neutral expression. “Why are you calling her the dragon?”
Lizzy scoffed. “Do you seriously have to ask that?”
“I suppose I do.” The Southern drawl that had faded over the years came back when he was riled, and right now it sounded more pronounced than ever.
