by Tia Lewis
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to drop by when I felt like it.”
“You know what I mean. You hungry?” He had a menu in hand before he even finished the question.
“Yes, but not for anything here.” I jerked a thumb in the direction of my car. “I have food in there. All I need is you.”
He frowned. “You know how busy it is here. Lunch is coming up.”
Debbie clicked her tongue. I grinned when I saw that she was already holding his jacket. “And you know we can handle a single lunch shift without you. Come on, now. You deserve an hour or two off, for heaven’s sake.”
“Last time I checked, I’m the one running this place.” He took his jacket with a scowl.
“Last time I checked, I’ve been working here longer than you, and that gives me seniority, young man.” She put her hands on her hips and stuck her chest out. “And I say you should go out and get some fresh air and enjoy your lunch. We’ll be here when you get back.”
He looked at her, then at me. “I’m outnumbered.”
“Damn right.” She put her hands on his back and shoved.
Moments later, we were in Dawson’s truck. His only condition was that he drive, so I pulled the basket and blankets from my car and left them in the bed of the truck before we left.
“What did you have in mind for our lunch?” he asked. Out of the diner and on our own, his attitude seemed to have softened. Every breath of fresh air he took through the open driver’s side window seemed to relax him a little more.
“I thought we could go to the lake.” I watched him closely to get a feel for his reaction.
He smiled a little. “Yeah. That would be great. It’s been a long time.”
“Oh, come on.” I swatted his knee. “Don’t tell me you haven’t ever taken another girl to the lake.”
He shook his head. “No other girl. No. Not ever.”
“Not ever ever, or not ever at the lake?”
He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Not ever at the lake. I wouldn’t take anybody else to the lake. But no, I haven’t been saving myself all this time, if that’s what you’re asking.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I was just checking.”
“You were just fishing for information.”
“Potato, po-tah-to.” I shrugged it off, still laughing. Of course, he didn’t save himself. A man like him? He probably had women crawling over him on the daily. I could just imagine them coming in to see him, touching his arm or his hand as he passed out menus and food. He could have his pick without even trying.
That was none of my business. I had to live in the moment and enjoy the fact that the love of my life was driving us to the lake for a picnic.
Considering that he hadn’t been there in so long, he knew the way. He turned down an unmarked road and drove into the woods along the edge of town until we got to the clearing. My heart swelled when I got a look at what I had been away from for so long.
“Wow,” I breathed as I climbed out of the truck. It was like stepping back in time. The water was just as clear, the sky just as blue. It was funny seeing so few leaves on the trees when it was so balmy out, and the leaves that still clung to their branches were every shade of red and orange and gold. There were mountains in the distance, and the trees out there were just as colorful. It could’ve been painted on a canvas; it was so perfect.
I breathed deep, taking in the fresh air. “I’ve missed this place,” I confessed. “I didn’t even know I did, but I did.”
“Funny how that works,” he said as he pulled the basket from the back of the truck. I spread blankets out for us and unpacked our sandwiches, iced tea, and cupcakes.
He laughed when he saw them. “Cupcakes?”
“They’re easy to transport,” I retorted. “Sorry if I didn’t feel like packing an entire cake, or wrapped-up slices.”
“No, no, this is nice.” And it was. We could be ourselves—no funeral, no house to finish getting ready, nothing. Just us. The years seemed to melt away when it was just us.
I stretched out on my back, propped on my elbows and watched the still water. Bubbles would break on the surface every so often, revealing the fish underneath. “Still good fishing out here?” I asked.
“Oh, sure. Lots of guys come out here every weekend and most weekday mornings.” He polished off a second cupcake after eating a sandwich and a half—I was glad I brought extra—then chugged back some iced tea. “I have to admit; it’s nice not to rush through lunch for once. I’m usually left picking at my food in between doing things for customers.”
“See? This was a good idea. It’s what you needed.” I smiled over at him, but he wasn’t smiling. He looked very serious. “What’s the matter?”
“I was wondering what you need.” It wasn’t an innocent statement. I heard more in his voice, saw more in his eyes. And all the past memories came flooding back. My body started to respond before he even closed the gap between us and stretched out on his side, just next to me.
“What do you think I need?” I murmured. We were just inches apart. His hand rested on my belly, and I reached for him and ran a finger down the side of his face. He turned his head slightly to catch my fingertip in his mouth. He kissed it, then sucked gently. I bit down on my lower lip to hold back a sigh.
He kissed my palm next, then the inside of my wrist. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as his tongue darted over the sensitive spot. I wasted no time wrapping my arm around his neck and pulling him down with me until we were side-by-side, facing each other.
His mouth was warm, firm, electrifying. I swept my tongue over his lower lip, and he groaned deep in the back of his throat. I held him tighter and crushed my mouth against his as his hand cupped my breast and the passion swelled.
“Is this a good idea?” I whispered breathlessly, even as my back arched to meet his touch and my nipples tightened.
He slid his hand under my shirt and ran his tongue over my earlobe. “What do you think?” he whispered. He bit down, and I gasped as heat raced through me.
“You know what I mean.” It was one thing for a pair of teenagers to fool around at the lake, but for full-grown adults, it seemed a little too risky.
“There’s nobody here, and I’m aching for you.” He took my hand and placed it over the obvious bulge in his jeans. I groaned at the feel of it, imagining what he would do to me. “You know you want this.”
“I do,” I gasped when he sucked on my neck. I wanted all of it, as much as he could give me for as long as he would give it. The sweetness and heat, the feeling of him overtaking me and leaving no choice but to give in to sheer abandon. I squeezed gently and listened to him groan against my skin. His breath was hot, just like his tongue. I closed my eyes and decided I didn’t care.
The air was still just a little cool on my legs as I helped him get my jeans off, and I shivered. It wasn’t summer, after all. He noticed and looked around. “Here. Get up.” I did, and he pulled one of the two blankets off the ground. He used it to cover himself while he pulled his jeans to his ankles—I giggled at how naughty it all was, and how frantic he was to be with me. He managed to get a condom out and on before pulling me into his lap. I wrapped the blanket around us as I settled onto him, while he pulled my panties to the side to accommodate his straining length.
“Oh, yes.” I leaned against him as I lowered my body onto his. It was a tight fit, it always had been, and it felt so right. He gripped my butt and moved me up and down on him, while I ground my hips in circles to rub my clit against him. My arms tightened around his shoulders.
I held the blanket closed as we rocked together, building slowly, taking our time even though we were out in the open. Under the blanket, he pulled up my shirt and bra so his hands could move freely over me. I gasped at the feeling of his stroking caress, teasing and playing even as I rocked faster, grinding harder and more desperately all the time.
“That�
�s right,” he groaned in my ear. “Take what you want. Come for me. Let go.”
“Yes!” I gasped, riding harder as the tension built. Everything in the world was concentrated in that one spot where our bodies joined. That was all that mattered. I closed my eyes and sank deeper into the sensation as a fluttering feeling started to spread through me, enclosing me, making me scream and dig my teeth into his shoulder.
“Keep going…that’s right…” He took my hips and slammed me up and down as I continued to come, tightening and pulsing around him, until his groans echoed in the still air.
I slowed, then stopped, and was able to move just enough to raise myself from his lap. He slid away, and I felt that fleeting sense of loss I always did whenever he left me. But I smiled, and he smiled, and everything was right.
The first thing I noticed when pulling into the diner parking lot was the presence of two BMWs. One was mine. I immediately recognized the other one, and recognition froze the blood in my veins.
Dawson was saying something, but I couldn’t hear him anymore. I could only hear a sort of hazy white noise in my head. No way. He wouldn’t. How could he find me?
When he climbed out of the truck and turned to see me still sitting there, Dawson asked, “What is it? You okay?”
I wished I could nod, but I shook my head, instead. “I’m so sorry.” I should’ve told him. I had so many chances to tell him. I wished I had, but it was never the right time—and it still hurt too much.
“For what?” He still didn’t understand. I struggled to find the words, but I could hardly breathe, much less speak. A hand clenched my throat, cutting off my air.
I didn’t have to speak, anyway. The diner’s door opened and out strode a tall, dark-haired man wearing a black coat and sunglasses which covered most of his thin, angular face. I hadn’t seen that face in two months. Not since the day our divorce decree was finalized. He stared at me through the windshield—I couldn’t see his eyes, but I’d be willing to bet they were cold. That was his usual state.
“Who is that?” Dawson asked.
“My ex-husband,” I breathed.
17
Dawson
“Your what?” My head snapped around, and I stared at her. “You were married?”
She nodded. She was still staring at him, and him at her. “It’s over now.”
But she couldn’t tell me, could she? Why not? Not because she still had feelings for the asshole—and I decided he was an asshole right away, of course—because she wasn’t the type to sleep with me while she was in love with somebody else.
What was it, then? Had he hurt her? The way she was breathing, her chest rising and falling like a scared animal in a trap, made me wonder.
So I closed the door to the truck and walked to him. “Can I help you with something?”
He finally noticed me. “Yeah. I was waiting for my wife.” That possessive tone of voice. The dismissiveness toward me. Yeah. Asshole, all the way.
“Sounds like she’s your ex, pal.” I glanced back at her. She was frozen in place. I turned to him again. “And I don’t think she wants to see you.”
He smirked. “Well, I think she’ll want to see me after she finds out why I’m here.” I could just about see his eyes when the sun hit him the right way, and he was sizing me up. Yeah, do me a favor and take a swing, I thought as my hands curled into fists. He must’ve decided the fight would be completely one-sided because instead of taking a swing, he handed me the thick envelope I hadn’t noticed until then.
“What’s this?” What could he want to do with me?
Instead of explaining himself, he walked to his car. “Take a look and get back to me. I’m staying at the, um, hotel in town.” Like I needed another excuse to want to break every bone in his body. He couldn’t have sounded more disgusted if he tried.
I didn’t move until he pulled out of the lot and disappeared down the road. The weight of the envelope in my hand brought up all kinds of questions. None of them were as important as the ones racing around in my head when I looked again at Amanda.
She climbed down from the truck’s cab. Her shoulders hung low. She didn’t look at me as she unloaded the basket and blankets from the bed and loaded them into her car.
“Do you feel like telling me what just happened? Why would he be here?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea. Literally. I didn’t tell him I was coming. I haven’t spoken to him in months. I hate him.” She lifted her head and looked me in the eye for the first time since he showed up. “I hate him.”
I wanted to know what he did. I wanted to know why she didn’t tell me. I wanted to know what was in the envelope. I think she’ll want to see me after she finds out why I’m here. I could still hear his voice in my head. It couldn’t be anything good that I was holding.
“Come in,” I said. It wasn’t a request. I walked up the steps and into the diner, then headed straight for the back booth. We could be alone there. Debbie opened her mouth to tease me, probably, but the look on my face made her jaw snap shut. I heard Amanda walk in behind me.
I opened the envelope and was skimming the documents inside by the time she sat down. “What is it?” she whispered.
“Something legal.”
“Shouldn’t I read it, then? Not to insult you, but you know…” She trailed off like she was embarrassed. Not that she was wrong—it was Greek to me. I handed it over to her and watched her intently as she read. When her face fell, it felt like a block of ice had made its home in my stomach.
“It says the owner of the diner is selling to another company.” She looked up at me, pain all over her face.
“Oh. Well, that’s not so bad, is it?” It wasn’t ideal. I wanted to buy it myself, but it wasn’t like I’d be doing that anytime soon.
She shook her head and slid a single sheet of paper across the table. “Read this.”
It was a printed email. “They’re tearing it down? How can they do that when it’s more profitable than ever?”
“It’s a restaurant company,” she muttered. I glanced up to find her going over the paperwork again. “They probably want to build something bigger, with higher prices. Greedy bastards.”
“What can we do? And how long do we have?”
“It looks like they’re giving the sale sixty days until it’s final. That gives us time, but not a lot.” She laid the papers on the table and touched her fingers to her temples.
“What if I could get the money together in advance of the sale? I could outbid this restaurant company.”
“You would have to take on partners,” she reminded me. “You don’t want to do that.”
“I’ll do anything to save this. It’s not just about a building. You’ve seen for yourself.” My heart went like a trip hammer. The more I imagined the town without the diner, the more disgusted I felt. “Do you think the people who live around here would be interested in some high-priced place? They probably couldn’t even afford it. What would give them the idea it would work?”
“It won’t work. Like you said, they’re greedy.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “I wonder what gave them the idea.”
I watched her face work as she thought it through. I had a sneaking suspicion myself, but I didn’t know how he could’ve pulled it off. “Did he know about me?”
She shook her head. “Jesus, he only knew the name of the town and my mother’s address…” Her eyes lit up with understanding. “He asked her. He must’ve called and asked a bunch of questions. He’s a lawyer, better than me. He knows how to ask without asking, if you know what I mean.”
“So this is personal?” I got up and stormed out of the place with her on my heels.
“No, no! Not like this!” She caught up with me at the truck and threw herself between me and the door. “Please, don’t!”
“Don’t make me move you out of the way,” I warned.
“You would never hurt me, so don’t even pretend you would.” She took my face in her hands. “Please.
It would only make things worse. He wants you to come after him—that’s why he made sure to tell you where to find him. It would be just another way to get you out of the way.” She turned my head until I was looking her in the eye.
“Why? Why me?”
“He’s evil. Vindictive.” Her hands shook. “He thinks he wants me back, but he was the one who ruined everything. He screwed everything that moved—his friends, my friends, girls in his office. The minute I found out and told him I wouldn’t put up with it—that we were over—he decided to do anything he could to hurt me. Like he hadn’t already hurt me enough.” Her hands fell to my shoulders, and she touched her forehead to my chest. “He made my life hell.”
I had to ask. “Is that why you didn’t tell me?” I asked, and I wasn’t smiling when I did. I hated the way he took me by surprise. It didn’t have to be that way. “Did you not think you could trust me?”
“It hurt too much,” she whispered, head still down. “I was so embarrassed—still am. It went on for years, right under my nose. In my bed. And I was oblivious. I worked too hard to notice, or maybe I didn’t want to notice, so I worked too hard. I’m still ashamed of myself for spending all that time with him. Wasted time.”
She lifted her head, then, and her eyes swam with tears. “Besides, didn’t we say we wouldn’t talk about the past?” Yeah, we had, and it was my fault for agreeing. I was so glad not to have to explain why I’d pushed her away, wasn’t I? Then again, I couldn’t have known she would hide something that important.
“Yeah, we did.” I gritted my teeth and reminded myself there was something bigger at stake. There was time to work everything else out.
“Let’s figure this out together. I know we can.”
I nodded. “You’re right. We can.”
“I feel responsible for all of this.” Mrs. Greenley’s eyes were wide, sorrowful. “I should’ve known he wasn’t only calling to check on me. It’s just been lonely since Craig…” She trailed off, and Amanda jumped a little like she had been shocked.
