Page 10 of Pretend You Love Me
I pull in front of Head and Tail and switch off the car.
“What are we doing?” she asks.
“Eating,” I say.
“Oh, I don’t want to bother you.”
“You’re not bothering me,” I snap. I’m not sure why I half-yelled that, and she’s visibly cowering now. I take a deep breath. “You look pale and hungry. You need to eat.”
She sits up straighter. “I can just go to my rental and be out of the way.”
“You need to eat,” I say. I’m trying to control my breathing. Why is she being so fucking difficult? I don’t need her passing out and bashing her head on the ground and breaking her other arm right now.
She doesn’t budge.
“Get out the truck, Ginger. We’re eating. Now.”
“Whatever you say, Grumpy,” she says, getting out of the truck. Her dress slides up her leg as she scoots out of the truck. My entire body is at attention now.Goddamn it.The last thing I need is to get hard in the middle of town in the middle of the fucking day with poor lost Cinderella over here.
As soon as I walk in the door, everyone - and I mean every single fucking eyeball - turns and stares. I’ve never come into the front door of Head and Tail - ever. I’ve never eaten in the dining room or sat at the bar.
“Table in the back,” I say to Sadie before she can ask me what the hell I’m doing and who the hell is this.
She nods, and we follow her back. I don’t make eye contact with anyone, but it’s fucking hard because there’s what feels like 900 eyeballs on me right now.
Ginger is glancing around nervously.
Sadie puts us right in the back out of the way. It’s going to be about fifteen and a half seconds before everyone in town knows I’m sitting here with a strange woman.Fuck me.
“There’s steam coming out of your ears,” Ginger says.
“What?”
“Like a cartoon character, you’re so grumpy that there’s steam coming out of your ears,” she says.
I give an exaggerated eye roll.
Sadie comes back with waters and menus - well, one menu for Ginger. I don’t need one.
When she walks away, Ginger gives me a sideways look.
“Have they banned you from eating here?” she asks. “Too grumpy for this establishment.”
I scoff.
“Do you know what’s good here?”
“Everything,” I say.
“Well, that narrows it down,” she mumbles. I look at my watch again. No way in hell I’m getting it done. Not that it matters. I mean, it does matter. It matters a lot, but if I’m being honest, I probably wasn’t getting it done anyway.
Sadie comes back.
“Can I get the burger please?” Ginger says.
“Make it two,” I say.
Sadie nods, collects the menu, and walks away.
