Rose closed her eyes with embarrassment. She was going to kill her.

Gray sent Violet a curious look. “Of course. Nothing better than the feeling of seeing that one person you’ve thought about all day. The person who gets you, who sees you. Your heart leaps into your throat when you lock eyes, and everything seems just a little brighter.” He glanced down at the coffee, very specifically not looking at her.

Her cheeks flushed with heat, and Rose decided the top of her coffee cup was very fascinating.

“Rose doesn’t think it’s possible.” Violet offered, hiding a smile.

She was definitely going to kill her. “Don’t you have potted plants to bring out, buttface?”

Violet cackled as she and Nick walked to the prep room to grab decorations for the event.

Gray’s fingers traced a pattern on the table in front of Rose. “Never been in love before, I take it?” He bit his cushy bottom lip, and she’d give every pair of heels she owned to take his mouth right now.

“I believe in the business of love,” Rose countered as she pulled out glasses they’d fill with champagne tomorrow. “There’s proof in business. A give and take.”

“That’s a shame.” Gray sipped his coffee as he walked to the door but turned back. His dreamy face that sent shudders down her spine stared back at her with open wanting. “I bet you’d be easy to love.”

He opened the door and walked out, and goddamnit, why did she feel like crying at those words? Tears tugged on the edges of her eyes. No, Parker. Get through this. You’re just tired.

Rose rolled her shoulders and thought her turn at Nick’s massage station couldn’t come soon enough.

As the door clicked shut, Rose walked to Vi and poked at her ticklish sides. “Violet Renee Parker, you are so dead.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Violet said through raucous laughter. She scampered away from Rose, still laughing. “For someone who doesn’t believe in love, you flushed awfully fast.”

I believe in it, Vi. I just don’t believe in it for me.

GRAY

“Hey, Pop.” Gray hit the checkout counter with a friendly thump as he walked into the diner the next day. It was surprisingly quiet for Mother’s Day afternoon, though he guessed most families were home already.

“Therrrrre’s trouble,” Pop called out companionably from the cash register.

“Hiya, handsome. Sit over in my section,” Margie called out as the tingle of welcome bells on the door echoed in Gray’s ear. She power-walked by on her orthopedic sneakers in the old-timey waitress outfit she still loved wearing every day.

“Margie, you know everything around here, right?”

“Is this how you ask for my number? Because I’m spoken for.”

Gray snorted and sent her a smoldering smile. Margie was seventy-five if she was a day, and the entire town hadn’t been able to convince her to retire yet. He sank into a booth in her section.

“Don’t break my heart like that, Margie. One of these days, I know you’ll finally go out with me.”

Margie cackled and put her glossy, lacquered red nails on Gray’s arm. “Such a charmer. Whaddya wanna know?”

“Roadside Towing Company; who runs that? I’ve searched all over the internet and can’t find anything.” He’d finally dragged the towing company’s name out of Rose after badgering her via text all week.

“Hmm,” she thought, glancing up at the ceiling as if it would give her the answer. “I think that’s that Leonard guy; was caught once or twice for thieving, possession… I don’t know. Been a long time since I listened to the scanner every night.”

“Do you know his last name?”

“McCauley, I think? Pop,” she called over. Gray loved that Margie called him Pop even though they were siblings. “Who owns Roadside Towing? Leonard McCauley?”

Pop waddled over, wiping his hands on his apron. “Leonard…” he clicked his tongue, “... Anderson.”

Fuck. “You’re sure?” Gray asked.

“Sure am. He’s a little SOB.” The bell rang from the window, and Margie walked to grab her order.