Page 7 of A Lonely Road
She was probably only a few inches past five feet, with luscious curves a man could sink his hands into. Her hair was different today, braided back from her face on one side so the rest fell in rich waves down her back. Even dressed as simply as she was now, in jeans and a cream sweater, she looked divine.
For some odd reason, I liked the idea of her working here, seeking refuge in my restaurant. Even better, I liked the fact that I’d be able to keep an eye on her—though perhaps not in the way Mr. Jenkins had intended. I was determined to learn everything I could about her, everything she’d allow me to learn, and having her close at hand would make it a whole lot easier, given the mile-high walls she had built around herself.
I had a feeling the payoff would be high enough to reward my patience.
Half an hour later, my phone gave several chirps in quick succession. I rolled my eyes when I saw the texts were all from my twin sister, inquiring about the new arrival in town.
If I so much as admitted the woman was attractive, Samantha would never give up pushing, not until she’d slipped adiamond ring in my pocket and arranged a date at the only swanky restaurant in town—or done it herself. Nora was a little too reserved to be Sam’s usual type, but stranger things had happened. My sister loved the same way she lived, with wild abandon, while I’d been so caught up in work and home renovations that I hadn’t been out on a date in over a year.
I responded with a casual observation about the weather, grinning when she shot back half a dozen colorful expletives. We might have been in our thirties, but needling my twin never got old.
On the other hand, I knew Sam would not let the matter drop without a real answer. She’d be over there ringing poor Nora’s doorbell by tonight if I didn’t say something to quell her interest, and I'd promised Nora no one was likely to drop by.
She drives a heap of scrap metal. Battery died as soon as she pulled up.
Sam was not amused.You know that isn’t what I meant, you jerk. Details. NOW.
Cocking my head, I wondered what I could offer to assuage her curiosity. No way was I telling her the woman was sharp, beautiful, standoffish, a bit prickly. I pictured the dark curls and smattering of freckles across her nose, the guarded brown gaze that flared with interest so quickly I’d almost missed it—she was certainly all of those things and more.
My sister didn’t need to know that, not yet anyway. Those points were all fodder for matchmaking and I was determined not to pull my interfering sister into the mix. Not until Noragot her footing and felt comfortable enough to tolerate a little friendly conversation.
Of course, I'd probably need all the time I could get just to teach my twinhowto engage in friendly conversation without bowling Nora over.
She’s nice,I replied, adding a smiley face.
My sister would just have to take a chapter from my book and learn how to be patient. I silenced the phone and tossed it down on the desk. Let her stew over it—Spruce Hill was a small town, and she’d surely run into Nora sooner rather than later.
Besides, it was perfectly clear that Nora could handle herself. I just hoped I’d be there to see it when she finally encountered my boisterous twin.
Chapter Four
Jake
Overthenextfewdays, Nora seemed determined to learn the rhythms not only of the town, if my sister’s ridiculously well-connected gossip mill was any indication, but also of The Mermaid in particular. She showed up at different times of day, and she never took me up on my offer of a free table—she always ordered something, whether it was a meal, an appetizer, or just dessert.
I made a mental note that the strawberry shortcake was her favorite.
Though our prices were reasonable, I quietly instructed the staff to give her the employee discount. For all I knew, she could be an heiress, but I had no clue how much a translator made for their work. Even if she was independently wealthy, that didn’tmean I couldn’t be a good neighbor and give her another reason to keep coming back.
One night, when I was tending the bar until closing time, I noticed her narrowing her eyes at the bill. When she glanced up, I gave a benign, friendly smile. If she wasn’t willing to ask about it—and I was pretty confident she wouldn’t—then I sure as hell wasn’t going to bring it up.
Much to my disappointment, Nora didn’t show up to the restaurant the following evening or the next. While I consoled myself with the image of her tucked safely in a corner booth, dark hair cascading over her shoulders and veiling her face as she worked, a familiar voice called my name and I shook myself from my daydreaming to greet my best friend.
“Casey, hey. I thought you guys were camping until Wednesday,” I replied as she slid onto a stool at the end of the bar.
“Came back early. Tommy and Angelica’s baby has an ear infection. The poor kid couldn’t stop crying, so we decided to call it quits and head home. Such is life now that we’re old enough for shit like marriage and families, huh?”
Casey McDonald was as close to me as my own sister, a near constant in my life since we first moved to Spruce Hill. If Sam was a tornado, Casey was the calm, deep water of Lake Ontario. She'd been in love with Sam for as long as I could remember, but somehow the two of them never quite managed to get past the fear of ruining their friendship in order to take the plunge.
At sixteen, I’d been pretty happy to learn Casey was only interested in women—she was stunning and teenage me might very well have ruined my own friendship with her in the way my sister had managed to avoid for so many years.
Now? I’d give my left arm to lock the two of them in a room together and not let anyone out until they finally confessed their love for one another.
I laughed as I handed Casey a cold beer. “Next thing you know, we’ll be sitting in rockers on a porch together, talking about the olden days. I’m sorry I missed camping, though. When’s the next trip? Maybe I can manage a few days away to join you.”
Casey took a long pull on her beer and raised a brow. Her startling, fire engine red hair was combed back like James Dean and there was a teasing light in her eyes—tiger eyes, Sam always called them, a fierce hazel that missed nothing.
“Sure you won’t be too busy with a certain newcomer in town?”
