Page 59 of Some Like It Fox

The office phone rings, and then it keeps ringing, one call after another for over an hour. Then I deal with an employee calling out, an angry customer, and an unannounced visit from the health inspector. The hours fly by until it’s time for me to help with the dinner rush.

I’m at the bar, mixing one of my specialties, a gimlet with elderflower liqueur, when Atticus walks in, the sight of his broad shoulders and purposeful stride triggering a rush of heat that coils and settles between my legs.

Damn he’s sexy.

He’s with his family. Other than a few brief greetings here and there at town functions, the last time I saw them was over a decade ago. Paul’s dark hair is shot through with gray, and the laugh lines around Moira’s eyes have deepened, but otherwise, they look almost exactly the same. His cousins, on the other hand, were just kids ten years ago. Now they are unrecognizable as adults, all dolled up in summer dresses.

They take a seat in a corner booth and my feet itch to rush over and get their orders, but I manage to suppress the urge. They are in Gloria’s section. She can handle it. There’s no reason for me to run over there. We’re just friends. Totally casual friends.

And yet something continuously tugs my attention to their booth. Part of it is just drinking Atticus in with my eyes, and part of it is sheer curiosity. I want to know more about his family, and his life, especially after everything we’ve shared.

Marika and Sylvie lean in toward Moira and Paul, engaged in conversation. Atticus sits on the same side as his cousins, but he’s positioned slightly off to the side, his posture upright. He’s both connected to the group and yet slightly apart.

I frown, thinking about Christmas and how they all went to Bermuda, and what he said on our hike, how he’s always the outsider.

Gloria gives me their order, and I make drinks for the table, filling the tray with Paul’s beer, Moira’s old-fashioned, and the girls’ sodas. Atticus gets a bourbon, the same brand we had together last winter. I shiver.

I need to find a way to get him alone again. And soon. And for more than ten minutes.

My stomach clenches at the thought. “I’ll bring out the drinks, Gloria. You can take your break.”

She’s been on her feet for three hours. She tosses me a relieved smile. “Thanks, Taylor.”

I take a breath before winding a careful way through the crowded tables to where Atticus is sitting with his family.

“Hi.” I give them all a bright smile. “Paul, Moira, nice to see you both again.” I set their drinks down in front of them. “Happy Birthday, Marika. This round is on the house.”

“Oh, my goodness, thank you so much,” Marika says.

Moira leans forward to pat my arm. “That’s so sweet. It’s been a long time. I think the last time I saw you was at the Fourth of July last year.”

I smile and nod.

“You’re working at Veronica’s now?” Paul asks.

I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Only temporarily. I’m helping Veronica while she’s with her son in Binghamton. His wife is expecting.”

“Taylor is managing the whole place for Veronica,” Atticus says, his eyes on mine, warm and proud. “She does everything from payroll and scheduling to accounting and dealing with vendors.”

“A renaissance woman.” Moira smiles at me. “Sounds busy.”

“It is,” I murmur. An idea strikes me, a way to spend some time with Atticus. Alone. “It’s made for some late nights, for sure.” I clear my throat and then speak a little louder. “Sometimes I fall asleep on the couch in the office.”

“I’ve done that while studying,” Sylvie chimes in. “Wake up with the worst crick in my neck.”

“Luckily the couch turns into a bed.” My gaze drifts to Atticus.

His eyes lock with mine, understanding burning in the air between us. The corner of his mouth twitches.

We make idle chitchat for a bit until duty calls, and I leave them to get back to work.

I can’t wait for this shift to be over. If it wasn’t for the crowded restaurant, I might have mauled him right there in the middle of the bar.

It’s sort of terrifying how much I crave him. But not terrifying enough to stop.

ChapterSeventeen

Atticus

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