Page 11 of Country and Clove
She played her part like an actor on a stage. Smile here, talk about the weather there, and then wish them a wonderful rest of their day. Sometimes, the mask did slip when a customer really grated on her nerves. To be honest, she probably would have been fired long ago if her parents hadn’t been the owners.
Well, just one parent now. Annie had been gone for almost ten years.
“Thank God you’re here!” Rylie slammed her tray down on the counter. The abrupt action jostled Clove out of her dark trip down memory lane. The other server was piling plates to take out to the tables. Several of her curly blonde locks had slipped from her bun and now blew hastily around her face as she worked.
“Woah, take a breath,” Clove calmed the other woman. “How can I help?”
“I have a few tables ready to check out and then things will slow down but table eight just got sat. Can you handle them and the high-top near six?”
“You got it. Why don’t you deliver those plates and then take an early lunch break. I can cover things for a bit.”
“Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. Thanks, Clove.” Rylie was a great employee but she tended to get flustered easily. She was a human born to two lycan parents. It was rare, but not unheard of, for two pureblood lycans to produce a child without an inner animal.
Like Clove, Rylie often felt like an outsider to the cliques in the pack. Clove had taken her under her wing when she needed a job and now the bubbly blonde felt more like a little sister than an employee.
Clove downed a quick cup of coffee before grabbing her name tag and trusty white apron. She looked in the mirror, smoothing down her wild black and blue hair and plastering on her best customer service smile.Let’s do this.
Three men sat at table eight. Clove immediately recognized Dane. He was Ginger’s boyfriend. Scratch that. Ex-boyfriend now that she had found her fated mate. Clove made a mental note to pull him aside when his friends weren’t around to ask how he was doing.
“Good morning, gentlemen. I’m Clove and I’ll be taking care of you today. Can I start y’all out with some drinks?”
Mine.
Clove’s stomach swooped as her eyes flicked to the opposite side of the booth. Maple eyes peered up at her in surprise. A shocked silence danced between them for a long moment. What were the chances he’d end up at the restaurant the morning after they found each other?
It has to be fate.
Mineminemine.
“Hi.” The word came out light and breathy. Clove suddenly felt like a lovesick teenager. Rich, brown eyes, dark, curly hair beneath a taupe cowboy hat, and a face that was so handsome it should be illegal. Today he wore a sage-green button-up and dark jeans. Her body was already tingling with the memory of their time together in the woods. Definitely hadn’t been a dream. Her imagination wasn’tthatgood.
Aaron’s gaze lit momentarily before he quickly looked away.
“I’ll have a coffee.”
“A coffee?” Clove asked blankly.
“Cream and sugar,” he added without looking up at her. The temperature of her skin began to climb. What the actual fuck? Surely he wasn’t trying to pretend like he didn’t remember her.
“Same for me,” Dane said. The third man said nothing. His green eyes tracked between Aaron and Clove.
“Coffee for you, Lucas?” Dane asked, bearing the same uncomfortable expression everyone at the table now shared.
“Yeah, mate. Coffee sounds great.” His tone was far less interested than the scrutinized look he passed between the two of them.
Dane glanced around the table once more then gave Clove a tight smile. “I think we need a few more minutes to look at food.”
“Right.” She nodded once. “I’ll be right back with the coffees.”
She headed to the kitchen in a daze. She wasn’t crazy. Aaron’s wolf had answered her call. He was her mate. They had both felt it right before giving each other the most incredible, pleasure-filled night of their lives. So why was he ignoring her? And why did he leave her in the woods? She had originally chalked it up to a work emergency, but now it felt like he had intentionally left her, alone, to get breakfast with his friends.
Maybe the alcohol had gotten to her and she had imagined the whole thing. This is exactly why she didn’t usually get so drunk, and especially not in public. Drunk Clove equaled bad choices. Her wolf growled its disapproval.Mine.At least someone still corroborated the mate story.
“Shit.” Hot coffee overflowed from the cup in her hand and splashed onto her apron.Get it together, Clo!
She was carrying the tray from the back when her eyes snagged on Aaron as he slipped out of the booth and strode to the bathroom. She tossed the coffees onto the table, with a quick, “I’ll be right back to check on you,” before dumping the tray back over the counter and heading in after Aaron. He was going to explain himself. Right now.
The door slammed open. Clove quickly scouted for other customers. Confirming Aaron was alone, she shut the door, locking it behind her.
