by Lacey Wolfe
“Coke, please. And I’m going to get the lasagna.” Lily pushed her menu to the side of the table.
“Same here.”
“All right. I’ll have that out to you in a jiffy.” Kaleigh grabbed the menus and strode off.
Lily stared at Cody. What did they talk about? She was good at talking about whatever since she was a waitress for a living, but with this man…well, she was pretty sure the cat had her tongue.
“How’s the car?” he asked, just as Kaleigh returned with their drinks.
Lily opened the straw wrapper and plopped the straw in her bubbly drink. “It’s fine. I’m really not worried about it.” She’d taken the car by the shop for an estimate, and while it would be covered by the other person’s insurance, she just wasn’t worried about it. It hadn’t been damaged enough to be without a car temporarily.
“You’re kind. Most people go after teens when they get hit.”
Lily shrugged, remembering when she’d been a teen and her first fender bender. It had terrified her to the point she drove ten under the speed limit for almost a month. “It was an accident, literally. There was ice and he couldn’t stop. He deserves a break.”
Cody lifted his glass to his lips. She couldn’t help but watch the Adam’s apple in his throat. Damn, it had been way too long since she’d been around a man she liked.
“So, uh. Are you close with your sisters?”
He grinned. “Closer than I want to be.”
Something in his tone caught her attention. “How so?”
“They are interesting, to say the least. Life is better now that they get along, but for a while, they despised each other.” He paused. “That’s a story for another time.”
“I’d love to hear it.”
“Yeah, it’s a drama filled story, but I don’t want to scare you away on our first date.”
First date! Total squee moment. Did that mean he liked her? “I guess we should keep our skeletons in the closet a little longer.”
Kaleigh approached the table with the two plates of lasagna. “This looks so yummy. I can’t wait for my lunch break.”
Lily agreed. The food in front of her smelled mouth-watering. And the portion size...wow.
“Can I get you anything?” Kaleigh asked.
“Maybe a bigger stomach.” Lily opened her napkin to remove her silverware.
Cody was silent, which seemed to be his usual response. A man of few words. Mysterious. She liked it.
“All right. Wave if you need me.” Kaleigh was off again.
They ate silently for the first few minutes. The lasagna was so good; all Lily could do was savor the flavors in her mouth. Next time she got a big tip, or something, she would bring Gunther here. Or better yet, take-out one night soon; her mom would love it, too.
“So, what brought you to Brookfield?” Cody asked.
She disliked that question. She hated the sympathetic look she got when people learned about her mother’s condition. “A fresh start.”
“We can all use one of those. Nasty divorce or something?”
“No, not at all. Heath and I are still close.” She waited to see his expression before she continued. Of course, he nodded like most people did. “We’re friends, that’s it. It’s all we ever really were. So when we split, it was easy.”
“Do you have family here or something?” he pressed.
She took a bite of the lasagna and tried to think about how to answer him. The town knew her mom. In fact, she was sort of surprised he didn’t know who she was. “I like small towns. I always wanted to raise Gunther somewhere where everyone would know us.”
“You’ve come to the right place.”
She had a feeling she did, too. So far, she really liked the town and people. Especially the sexy cop sitting in front of her.
* * * *
As they walked back up the main road in town, Cody couldn’t shake the feeling Lily was holding back on him. From the outside, she seemed to have her life together. She was strong and confident, but something told him there was a story she wasn’t sharing. He wouldn’t push. If, and when, she was ready, he’d listen. He didn’t plan on going anywhere.
God, was he already thinking about the long haul with her? He was in trouble, and he hadn’t even kissed her yet. He’d definitely thought about it, though.
“You’ve been such a gentleman showing me around.” She tugged at the hem of her dress. Her hot, sexy, want-to-rip-it-off-her dress.
“Who better than me?” he flirted.
“I can’t think of anyone.” She stared at him. Her long red curls begged him to touch them. Were they as soft as they looked?
“We should do this again.” His heart raced as he waited for her response.
“Yes.” She stepped back a little, increasing the space between them. “My evening schedule is kind of hectic. So daytime is best for me.”
“I understand. You have your son to care for.”
Her gaze darted away and she sucked in her bottom lip. “Yeah. Speaking of which, he’ll be home before long, and I should be there to get him off the bus.”
He hated that their time together was ending. “Okay. Let me walk you to your car.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
She gave him the cute little grin he found himself adoring already. Of course, she’d parked near Luigi’s, which had them to her car too quickly.
Lily leaned against the side and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Was she debating the kiss as much as he was? Oh yeah, he wanted to explore those sweet lips of hers, but not yet. Not until he could spend a good few minutes with her.
“I had a good time,” he said.
“Me, too. Come on by the diner one day for lunch. I promise not to spill coffee on you again.”
He chuckled. “Deal.”
She opened the door and as she climbed in, he held it open. “Thanks for lunch, Cody, and showing me around.”
“Anytime. We’ll talk soon.”
“I’d like that.”
Cody shut the door and stepped back as she started the car and drove off. Lily was a woman after his heart; she just didn’t know she already held the key. Never had a woman made his heart flitter flatter as much as Lily. He couldn’t even imagine how he’d feel after they kissed.
He was in trouble. Serious trouble. There was no turning back.
* * * *
Lily floated on cloud nine all morning and through the lunch rush. In an hour, she’d be off and headed home. The day had gone by quick; her thoughts easily clouded by images of a sexy officer. She’d really enjoyed her time with him. She’d expected to like him, but not the way she did. She couldn’t quite pin point what it was, but falling hard and fast for him would be easy.
“New table.” Kathy set her tray down and wiped her forehead with a napkin. “Menopause sucks.”
Lily smiled. “Go sit in the freezer since we’ve slowed down.”
The older lady chuckled and pointed her finger at Lily. “Careful, I just might.”
She enjoyed Kathy. She was a fun woman with loads of wisdom, and always available for Lily to talk to. As she walked toward her new table, her breath caught. Cody. Her eyes met his and she felt her stomach flutter. Next thing she saw was the checkered tile floor as she fell to it.
Oh God, she’d fallen—again! Oh man, it hurt. Her knee and wrists throbbed. What the hell? Why did she keep falling in front of this man?
“You okay?” Cody was by her side, lifting her up to her feet.
“Yeah.” She brushed her apron off, trying to ignore the throbbing in her knee. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Sit down.” He led her to his table.
But she didn’t sit. She was on the job. “I’m fine.” Glancing over her shoulder, nothing was on the floor to cause her to fall. “What can I get you?”
“For you to sit and let me see if you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. I just told you.” She really
wished he’d let it go, but she had a feeling her humiliation wasn’t over yet.
He glared at her. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Sighing, she sat. “You’re a bossy man.”
He winked as he squatted down. First he examined her wrists tenderly, sending a wave of pleasure though her before he let them drop back to her lap. “Which knee did you hit?”
“This one.” She pointed to her left.
Cody pushed her black slacks up, letting his fingers skim across her calf. Little tingles flurried through her. It wasn’t an intimate touch as he checked out her knee, but it was enough to get her engines roaring.
Suddenly aware of just how aroused she was, she jerked her leg back. “See, I’m fine.”
She stood at the same time as Cody. God, he’d turned her on by touching her knee. She really did need something more than her battery operated toy. She needed real touch.
“Now that you’ve inspected me, what can I get you to drink?”
Cody sat down. “Coffee and I want to get today’s special to eat.”
She nodded. “Coming right up.”
Turning on her sneakered heel, she limped toward the frontline. Her cheeks burned—not because she’d fallen. No, she was over that. She couldn’t believe she was still turned on.
Kathy came through the swinging door that led to the back of the restaurant. “Glad I took your advice. I feel so much better.” She paused. “You look flustered, do you need a trip to the freezer?”
Lily needed a romp in the sack. “No, I fell.”
Kathy’s usual fun loving expression changed to concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just sore.”
She entered Cody’s order then poured a cup of coffee for him. Hopefully this hot beverage would go better than the last one. She walked carefully across the diner to his table and gently set the mug down. Yes! She’d done it without scalding his crotch. She looked up to see a playful smirk on Cody’s face. Heat instantly flooded her cheeks; he’d obviously seen her inner triumph, despite her efforts to play it cool.
“I put your order in. It shouldn’t be long.” She started to turn for a quick escape, but he called her name, stopping her.
“Don’t run off. Unless you need to, of course.”
Nope, he was her only table since they’d died down from the rush. Her last hour of work was usually restocking and other boring work. “How are you?”
He sipped his coffee. “The town’s crime is slow today.”
“That’s a good thing. With a guy like you around, the criminals want to stay away.” And man, he was hot in uniform. She was surprised some woman hadn’t snatched him up yet.
He laughed. “You really know how to make a man feel good about himself.”
You know how to turn a woman on just by looking at her knee. She smiled, “I just tell it like it is.”
“When are you free again?” he asked, rolling the mug between his hands.
In an hour. Oh wait, she had to go home and care for her family. “Next weekend Gunther’s dad is coming to get him, so I will have some kid free time.”
“That’s a little over a week away.”
Warmth spread through her as her grin widened. She loved that he wanted to see her. “I’ll check my schedule and see if we can do lunch soon. You know, though, you could call me.”
A sexy smirk crossed his face as his dark hair fell over his eyes. “I could. I didn’t want to appear too desperate and call you last night after our date.”
She shook her head, bemused. “What are we, sixteen? Those rules don’t apply.”
“Are there any rules I need to know about?” He set the mug down, his expression serious.
“I’m sure I’ll think of some.” She stared at him for a moment, not able to believe he’d paid her any attention. “I’ll be right back.”
She needed a moment to breathe and check on his food. The special today was a club sandwich with fries, so it should be ready. Sure enough, it was. She picked up the plate and made sure everything looked good, then headed back toward his table.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He picked up the pickle and bit the end off. “Too bad you can’t join me.”
“In less than an hour I can.”
“I’ll be back at the station.”
“I could rob a bank.”
Cody laughed, the pleasant sound resonating from deep within him. “Please, don’t. I’d like my afternoon to be stress free. I wasn’t complaining about crime being slow.”
Her phone buzzed in her apron. “Excuse me.” She pulled it out, seeing it was the school. Her boss would kill her, but she answered anyway, right in the middle of the diner. “Hello.”
“Ms. Jenkins, this is the school’s principal Ivery Smith.” Lily’s gut dropped. “I’m calling because your son, Gunther, has been in a fight.”
“A fight?” No way, not her son.
“Yes. We need you to come down here as soon as possible to discuss this matter.”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, okay.” She couldn’t believe her son had been in a fight. What had come over him?
“We’ll see you soon.”
Lily dropped the phone back in her apron.
“What’s wrong?” Cody asked, reaching out a hand to her arm.
“My son’s been in a fight. I’m sorry; I’ve got to go. Kathy will take over.”
“Wait.” Cody’s deep voice stopped her. “Let me go with you and help.”
How could he help? “I don’t want to bring you into my drama. I don’t understand how Gunther got into a fight. He’s not made any friends yet.” She sighed. Had moving to Brookfield been a mistake? “I need to get to my son and make sure he’s okay and find out what happened.”
“I understand, how about I come along for support.”
She bit her bottom lip to suppress the smile she felt at his kindness. “No.” She steeled herself then said something that tore at her gut, “This isn’t a good time for me to start dating. I thought it was, but I was wrong.”
Not giving him a moment to respond, she fled to the frontline to get her things and go to the school. This made no sense. Gunther was a good kid. How had he gotten into a fight?
Chapter Four
The next few days seemed to pass by in slow motion. Cody thought about Lily more than he wanted. He hadn’t attempted to call her yet, but wondered if he should. She’d said she didn’t have time to date. Maybe she didn’t, but it didn’t make him want to change her mind any less.
He pushed back from his desk and walked across the station to refill his coffee. He’d finally found a woman he wanted to date and she wasn’t available. Go figure. That was the story of his life. Why even bother trying anymore? He’d spend the rest of his life alone.
The familiar echo of heels sounded from behind him, announcing the arrival of Ava Hampton, the sheriff’s wife. Seth and Ava were quite the couple. She was decked out from head to toe in designer clothes, all while sporting a small basketball for a belly. It had taken them some time for them to get pregnant. Seth had spoke to Cody about his frustrations when they’d tried to conceive and it wasn’t working. Then fate stepped in and there she was, pregnant. The two glowed and made life look perfect.
Damn it, he wanted that. He was jealous. His sisters were blissfully married—most of the time. Everyone had someone to go home to at night, except for him.
As he sipped the mug of hot coffee, he reminded himself it wasn’t fair to be upset at Lily for not wanting to date. She wasn’t at fault, even though he’d really wanted it to work with her. There was no telling if the relationship ever would’ve progressed to her with a round belly and a ring on her finger. It’s not like a sign was above her head that read I’m the one, Cody.
Maybe it was better things ended when they did, before it got serious and he had his heart broken. Lily was talkative, and to outsiders, she appeared to be an open book. But in fact, she was very closed off. He’d hoped to peel her layers back, one by
one, but Lily had them locked up tight.
“Duncan, come here,” Seth called, his arm wrapped around Ava.
Cody strolled over, trying not to let his emotions show.
“Go home,” Seth said. “You look like your dog died.”
He felt that way—over a woman! “I don’t have a dog.”
Seth grinned. “Lady troubles?”
He and Seth were close, but talking about his problems in front of Ava wasn’t something he wanted to do. If he needed female advice, he had two sisters for that. “Nope.”
“Still. Go home and relax. Nothing is going on here.”
Ava poked her husband. “Have some heart.” She glanced at Cody. “Are you sick? I can bring you some soup.”
She was always a sweet one. “I’m fine, Ava.”
She shrugged. “I still might bring you some anyway. Your mood has been so glum. Seth said you haven’t been yourself in days.”
It was good to know he was their usual dinner conversation—not.
“Ava.” Seth pulled her tight. “Let the man be. If he says he’s fine, he’s fine. Men don’t need to talk about everything.”
She glared at her husband, and Cody swore he saw fire behind her eyes. “Fine.”
Cody stepped back, not wanting to be there when she finally released her fury on Seth. Ava was not a woman to be messed with. She was feisty, and had no trouble speaking what was on her mind to anyone who wanted to listen.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Cody gave a slight nod then headed back to his desk to gather his things.
*
Leaving work early seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Cody was home alone. His mind screamed at him with images of Lily. It couldn’t hurt to call her. Her son getting in a fight was the perfect excuse. However, if a woman says it’s not a good time to date, did that mean she really didn’t have time? Maybe he was the only one who thought the date had gone well.
He hated to do it, but there was only one person to ask for advice. Diane. He knew he didn’t want to get into a phone conversation with her. If luck was with him, she’d be busy and a text would work.
Cody fished his phone from his pocket and sent her a message. If a woman says this is not a good time in her life to date, does she mean it?
