“Grilled cheese sandwich for Felicity.”
“She’s got mushrooms on toast,” Doris told him.
“She doesn’t like mushrooms on toast.”
Doris slammed her hands down on her hips. “Well, if she doesn’t like it then why she been ordering for the last two months?”
“Fuck if I know,” he snapped back. “Just get the damn grilled cheese, will you?”
Doris let out a huff and turned away, but he knew Felicity would get her grilled cheese. He turned to Felicity and saw his mistake. He should have just gone with his first instinct and ignored her. Should definitely not have bothered himself about what she ate for lunch. He was supposed to be working on ridding her of this ridiculous notion she seemed to have that she liked him. Because, right now, she was staring at him with a look of hero worship in her eyes.
Idiot, West.
He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, chucked some bills down and then climbed off the stool.
“Thanks for doing that, West,” Felicity said to him.
He grunted, glancing over as the door opened and Mia strode in.
“You were supposed to call me when you were finished,” he barked at her.
She paused, slamming her hands down on her hips. Oh, he knew that stance. He was about to be slammed with sarcasm.
“Hi, Mia. How you doing? You ready to go now or do you want some lunch first?” Mia said to him in a fake gruff voice that was obviously meant to be an impression of him.
He just grunted at her. “You better not have put those bags in the truck yourself.”
She sighed. “West Malone, your manners are atrocious.”
Felicity giggled next to him. Damn it. Laugh like sunshine. His gut knotted, and he knew he needed to get out of there quickly.
“Well?” he asked Mia.
Mia narrowed her gaze at him. “I didn’t lift the bags myself; they’re waiting at the grocery store for you. I think I’ll just stay here and get some lunch.”
“I need to get back to the ranch,” he snapped.
“I’ll get a ride back.”
“You will not. You’re coming home with me.”
She gave him a sweet smile. “That’s fine, if you want to stop every five minutes while I vomit.”
Fuck. She knew damn well he’d never do anything to put her at risk. This is what a woman did to you. Tied you up in knots. Made you worry about them. Made you care.
“You’re feeling nauseous?” He placed his hand on her hip. “You need to sit down for a while, have a drink of water. And something to eat.”
Now that he looked more closely, he could see she was the slightest bit pale. Fuck. Alec was not going to be pleased.
As if she could read his mind. Mia smiled at him brightly. “I feel fine. Just want some lunch.”
“What you want to eat?”
Before she could say anything, Doris slammed a plate down on the counter in front of Felicity. “One grilled cheese, no mushrooms in sight.”
“Thanks, Doris,” Felicity said in a surprisingly subdued voice.