by Morgan Blaze
Finally, he managed to look at Luka. Now she was smiling.
“What?” he said. “Jesus Christ, I don’t get females.”
“You really like her, don’t you?”
He almost said something sarcastic, but decided he’d better come clean—at least with Luka. She’d hound him relentlessly if he didn’t. “Yeah,” he said. “I do.”
“Well, you just be careful with her. Because I like her, too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t be dense.” The Look surfaced again for an instant. “And…you’re right. I assumed the worst, and I’m sorry about that.”
A grin tugged at his mouth. “Hold on a second,” he said, patting his pocket. “Would you mind saying that again, after I turn my phone on so I can record it? It’s a miracle—Luka Dawson, apologizing for something.”
“Ha, ha.”
He smiled. “Since you’re so sorry, I have a small request.”
“No.”
“You’ve really got to try letting me ask before you turn me down,” he said. “I just want to borrow your car, so I can get back to work before my own brother decides to fire me.”
“Oh. Well, I wouldn’t want you to get fired.”
“Nice to know you care.”
“I don’t. But if Mark fires you, he’ll make Reese work overtime and I’ll never see him.” Smirking, she dug her keys from her pocket and tossed them to him. “Ask Reese to pick me up after work,” she said. “Oh, and tell Kyla I’ll be out in a minute. I want to grab a few things while I’m back here.”
“All right,” he said. “Thanks, Luka.”
“Uh-huh. You owe me.”
“Okay, you twisted my arm. You can borrow The Beast.”
She laughed. “No, thanks. Now get out of here, before Mags fires me for being a sucker and letting you take my car.”
He waved and walked out into the main room, where he found Kyla moving bottles of nail polish around on a shelf. “Hey,” he said as he approached, not wanting to startle her. “Sorry about that. The sisterly lecture is over now, and Luka says she’ll be out in a minute.”
Kyla turned with a smile. “Lecture?”
“Yeah. She managed to resist a full-blown interrogation. Probably saving that for tonight.” He stopped in front of her—and suddenly had no idea what to say. “Um. So maybe I’ll see you later sometime, or…something?”
“Sure,” she said. “Something like that.”
For a moment it seemed she’d say something more, but then she sighed and looked away. Christ, this was torture. He’d never had this much trouble talking to a woman, and he’d never been so worried about screwing things up. But he couldn’t bring himself to push her. “Well, have fun with Luka,” he said.
She nodded. “I will,” she said faintly.
Feeling more awkward than ever, he gave a half-wave and started for the door. His phone buzzed in his pocket just as he reached it. Probably Mark. He debated ignoring it, but figured he’d just get it over with, so maybe Mr. High-and-Mighty wouldn’t bother speaking to him when he got back to the job site.
He pulled the phone out, but didn’t recognize the number. Then he glanced over at Kyla—who faced away from him with her phone to her ear.
Brow furrowed, he answered the call. “Hello?”
“Hi, Gage.” Kyla’s voice came to him through the phone and from the room, creating a faint echo. “You said to call any time I wanted pie. So I’m calling.”
“Er. Are you serious?”
“Totally.” She turned and flashed him a mischievous smile, still holding the phone. “I’d love some pie. Are you free tonight?”
A grin spread on his face. This had to be the sweetest thing he’d ever experienced, and it wasn’t even a real date. “I’m free whenever you want me to be,” he said. “How about seven? I’ll pick you up.”
“Okay. See you then.”
“Wait, one more thing,” he said. “Are we going to talk on the phone at the diner? Because if that’s the plan, I’ll bring my headset.”
She laughed. The sound was like music. “I think we can manage without them,” she said. “Besides, this is a disposable. I’ll run out of minutes.”
“Okay. Tonight at seven, no headset.”
“Sounds great.”
He smiled and ended the call, then slipped out the door into the bright afternoon sun. Maybe he could manage not to screw this up after all.
Chapter 8
Even though she was expecting company, Kyla’s heart still jumped when she looked outside and saw a car pulling into her driveway. Mostly because it wasn’t the one Gage had been driving last night. This was a bright yellow sports car, and for just an instant she was sure Mike had decided to come after her.
But then Gage got out, and her fear shifted into frazzled nerves.
She wasn’t sure she’d be able to go through with asking him out, until she actually did. She’d been so tongue-tied and uncertain when he was leaving Mags’ that she could barely say anything. At the last minute, she remembered his number was in her phone, and took a chance that calling would jolt her loose from the paralysis—even if he was still in the same room.
It worked. But now he was here, and she was panicking all over again.
The doorbell rang, and she moved away from the window to take a deep breath. She could do this. She was a normal person doing normal things, like eating pie at a diner with a gorgeous guy who was practically a stranger. After they’d both been almost arrested earlier today. Totally normal. No problem.
She opened the door, hoping the smile on her face looked more real than it felt. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Gage treated her to an intense look that once again brought her to the verge of melting. “I promised this wouldn’t be a date, so I didn’t bring flowers,” he said. “But I did get you something. Hope you don’t mind.”
“You did?”
He nodded and coughed once. “It’s…not very romantic. Sorry.” He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
She laughed as she took it. “You got me a can of Mace.”
“Yeah. I figured you probably used up most of yours on Deputy Dean. And since you apparently carry that stuff around, I thought you might want some more.” He smiled crookedly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve never given a girl a weapon before.”
“It’s perfect,” she said. “Thank you.” She had to turn away as she tucked the small canister into her purse, so he wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes. He didn’t even know why she carried pepper spray—but he’d seen that she needed it, and got it for her. The gesture touched her beyond words. “Well, let’s hope I don’t have to use it tonight,” she said when she’d gotten herself under control.
He smiled. “Pretty sure we won’t be attacked by waitresses.”
“That’s good to know.” Her own smile felt more natural this time. “Okay. I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Right this way.”
They got in the car, and as he backed out of the driveway she said, “Is this one yours?”
“Nope. It’s Luka’s.”
“Of course it is,” she said. “This suits her.”
“Yeah, just don’t ask me what I had to do before she’d let me borrow it.” He rolled his eyes, but a faint smile remained. “She’s going crazy with all this wedding stuff.”
“Oh, right. She did mention she was getting married.”
“How many times?”
“About a hundred.”
Gage laughed. “She’s not usually this neurotic, I promise. She just really loves Reese.”
“I can tell.” Kyla couldn’t help being thrilled for Luka. She’d met Reese briefly when he came to pick Luka up from the salon, and the two of them were ridiculously happy together. But with all the wedding talk, it was hard for her to avoid thinking about her own experience in that department. It’d felt so wonderful at the time, so real—but it was all a lie.
For
several minutes, they rode in silence that wasn’t terribly uncomfortable. Kyla watched through the window as they passed through parts of the town she’d never seen. There was a residential area with close-set houses, a few roads with businesses and homes mixed together, a fairly big community park, and a street where there seemed to be nothing but churches. Then they went over a railroad crossing and the structures became further apart, a little shabbier than the main part of town.
“So,” Gage said eventually. “Do you have family in Covendale?”
The question threatened to bring her panic back, and she had to remind herself that it was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. But that didn’t help her figure out how to answer it. “No one related,” she said. “But I…well, there’s Stella Fawkes.”
He glanced at her. “Miss Stella? I never would’ve guessed you’re from the South.”
“Oh, we’re not related. She’s my friend.” She had to change the subject fast, or this was going to get awkward. “Luka told me you have a family business with your brothers,” she said. “What’s that like?”
“A serious pain,” he said with a grin. “Mark likes to pretend he’s the boss all the time, not just at work. But he’s always been like that.” He shrugged, and added, “He just resents Jonah being in charge for so long, and now he’s trying to make up for it.”
“And Jonah’s the oldest brother, right?”
“Yeah. He’s the giant, cranky one.”
“I think it’s great that you have such a big family,” she said. “What about your parents? Do they live in town, too?”
He winced and stared out the windshield for a long time. At last he said softly, “They’re dead.”
“Oh God. Gage, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right. Everybody in town knows, but they don’t talk about it anymore. So you wouldn’t have heard anything.” He let out a long sigh. “Our father died when Luka was still a baby. He was driving drunk, and he…took a few people out with him.” His features hardened for an instant, but relaxed as he said, “Mom had cancer. Jonah was nineteen when she passed on, so he kind of took over from there.”
Kyla had to close her eyes to stem the tears that stung them. Her heart ached for him—for all of them, especially considering the way the town treated their family. No wonder they were all so close. They only had each other to depend on.
Yet both Gage and Luka had welcomed her without hesitation. It was funny how wrong people could be when they all thought the same thing.
“Hey, let’s talk about something less depressing. Like pie.” Gage smiled and gestured at her window, toward a bright red aluminum building with a cheerful neon sign reading Pete’s Diner. “This is the place. I hope you’re hungry, because they do everything big here.”
“I’m starving.” She pushed her darker thoughts aside, determined to enjoy this like a normal person. “Bet I can eat you under the table.”
He grinned. “You’re on.”
“What do I get if I win?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “What do you want?”
“Hmm.” She thought back a few minutes, and then smiled. “If I win, you have to tell me what you did to borrow Luka’s car.”
“You drive a hard bargain,” he said. “All right. And if I win, you have to tell me your last name.”
“Or I could just…tell you my last name.”
“Yeah, but it’s more fun this way.” He parked the car in front of the diner and turned off the engine. “Okay, how about this. If I win, we go on a real date.”
She was surprised to find her hesitation didn’t last long. “It’s a deal.”
* * * *
“Wow. They have a separate menu, just for pie?”
Pete’s Diner wasn’t what Kyla expected. But then, she really didn’t know what to expect. It was bigger inside than it looked, bright and clean, and it smelled wonderful—like a carnival midway. A sign by the door said Please seat yourself!, so she and Gage had taken a corner booth. And now she was looking at a menu with twelve different kinds of pie.
“They take their pies seriously here,” Gage said. “I don’t know about you, but I always have a hard time deciding.”
“Honestly? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pick one.”
“Well, just pick more than one,” he said, smiling. “You do have a bet to lose here. I’m going to feel bad about winning if you only have one piece.”
“Oh, that’s what you think. It’s on now.”
Before she could say anything more, a young waitress seemed to materialize beside their table. Her nametag said Frankie, and her eyes said she knew one of her customers very well—and it wasn’t Kyla. “Hi, Gage,” she said brightly, her gaze completely focused on him. “I haven’t seen you in a week. Where’ve you been?”
“Working.” He shrugged and cast a slanted smile. “How’s the grasshopper pie tonight?”
“Seriously, is that all you can think about?” The waitress leaned over and plucked at the menu in front of him, serving up a revealing view into her shirt. “I thought you might have something else in mind for dessert.”
Gage sighed sharply. “Frankie, this is Kyla,” he said. “She’s more or less new in town.”
“Oh…hi. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Frankie straightened slowly, looking not in the least apologetic. “You sure do work fast.”
“Frankie.”
“Okay, okay.” The waitress pouted a little, but her smile was warm and friendly. “Hi, Kyla,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”
“Um. You, too.” It wasn’t easy to ignore the obvious, but she was going to try. Besides, they’d already agreed this wasn’t a date. And that was what she wanted…wasn’t it?
Gage pushed his menu across the table, as though he didn’t want to get too close to the waitress. “So I’ll have a slice of the grasshopper, and one of the mud. You can put them on the same plate.” He turned to Kyla. “Make up your mind yet?”
“I think so,” she said. “I’d like turtle pie, and the peanut butter one.”
“Nice. And two coffees,” Gage said. “Er. I mean, do you even like coffee?”
She laughed. “Who doesn’t?”
“Yeah, so two coffees.”
“Gotcha,” Frankie said, collecting the menus. “All right, I’ll have this for you pretty quick. Back in a minute.” She smiled again, and sent a hopeful glance at Gage before heading back across the diner.
When the waitress was gone, Gage deflated a bit. “I am so sorry about that,” he said. “You must think I’m a real tool. Frankie’s a sweet kid, but…” He shook his head slowly. “If it helps any, she does the same thing to Mark and Jonah. She’s like some kind of weird groupie, and we don’t even have a band.”
“It’s fine. Really.” She caught his gaze for a moment. “I could tell you were uncomfortable. Besides, it’s not hard to see why any girl would…um…”
Oh, no. She definitely hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Before she could slump under the table and die of embarrassment, he grinned and said, “It’s my charming personality, right?”
“Yes, that must be it.” She managed to relax as some of the heat drained from her face. Time to change the subject. “So what’s a grasshopper pie?”
He gave her a strange look, but it vanished quickly. “It’s like meringue, only mint, with a chocolate crust and crushed Oreos.”
“Wow. Maybe I should’ve ordered that.”
“Nah, it probably wouldn’t go too well with peanut butter.”
She made a face. “You’re right.”
Just then, Frankie returned with a big plastic tray. She set the pies, coffee, and a bowl of creamers on the table, then winked at Gage. “You just let me know if you need anything else, all right?”
“Goodbye, Frankie,” he said.
“Okay. I can take a hint.”
“Can you?”
She laughed. “Just messing with your girlfriend. You guys enjoy.”
“Oh
, man,” Gage said when the waitress was out of earshot. “I hope you’re ready for this.”
Kyla arched an eyebrow. “Ready for what?”
“The rumors. But mostly, the pie.” He grinned and picked up a fork.
She did the same. She had to admit, this looked amazing. Just like the photos on the menu. And when she tried the turtle pie, it tasted even better—like heaven in her mouth.
“Well?”
She realized Gage hadn’t touched his yet. He was waiting for her reaction. With a straight face, she said, “This is not the best pie I’ve ever had.”
“It’s not?”
“No.” She broke into a smile. “It’s the best anything I’ve ever had.”
“Phew. I thought I was in trouble there for a minute.”
For a while they just enjoyed the desserts, not speaking. Kyla was finished with the first piece and halfway through the second before she put her fork down with a regretful sigh and picked up the coffee. “Think I need a break,” she said. “I haven’t had this much sugar since…never.”
Gage had finished about the same amount, and he pulled his mug closer to add more cream. “In that case, I think you could use more sugar in your life,” he said. “It’s the second best thing there is.”
“What’s the best?”
His gaze met hers. “Something a lot sweeter.”
She shivered all the way down to her toes. The look in his eyes was like nothing she’d ever seen, and it set her on fire from the inside. No one had ever looked at her like that.
“Kyla…” He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, he seemed more in control. “So,” he said. “I can’t help noticing that every time we start talking about you, the subject gets changed.”
She bit her lip. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to someone who really wants to know you better.”
“Oh.” She drew a deep breath. “Well, I…”
“Listen,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, okay? If we’re headed in a direction you’d rather not go, just tell me to shut up.” He smiled, and added, “I’ve got two older brothers. I’m used to it.”
