I take the plate from her while giving her a dirty look and walk around the counter to stand next to Lucas, handing him the plate. "I'm serious. What are you doing here?"
He has the plate in one hand and his hat in the other. "I wanted to come and see you."
I swallow roughly. It's one thing to talk to him on the phone, but having him right here in front of me is a whole other matter. I can't help but take in his wide shoulders, muscular arms, and handsome face. He looks really good in a cowboy hat, but just as good without one too. He holds the pie out. "What do you think? Do you have a few minutes you could sit down with me?"
I should tell him no, but the guilt of knowing that he drove an hour to get here, I don't have it in me to do that.
I nod. I look at Emery and Tara to let them know I'm going to sit with him and then follow him over to the table. He sets the pie down and then holds the seat out for me. It's weird having a man hold my chair out for me. But when I sit down, he puts his hand on my shoulder and then moves around to sit across from me. He unfolds the silverware and takes one bite of the pie.
I can't take my eyes off his lips as they wrap around the fork. Then he moans, "Wow, that is good pie." I watch him take a few bites and then he holds one out to me. "Do you want some?"
I shake my head. "No, I think I've had enough sugar today." He shrugs his shoulders and takes another bite of the pie before setting it down. "So what is she talking about, a rebound guy?"
I roll my eyes. Of course he heard that. I mean, how could he not? Tara practically screamed it in the shop. Without going into detail, I answer him. "I had a bad breakup. They"—I point toward Emery and Tara, who are trying to act like they're not paying attention to us but obviously are—"seem to think I need to get back on the horse, so to speak."
He nods. "What do you think?"
"About a rebound guy?" I ask him.
"Yeah. What do you think? Do you need a rebound guy?"
Instead of answering his question, I make the comment, "I don't imagine that I'm good company."
He seems surprised by that. "You've obviously been hurt. Can I ask what happened?"
It seems like we've just met, and already, he's wanting to know all of my deepest, darkest secrets. How do you tell somebody that you were a fool that believed in fairy tales and all of that stupid stuff? Gave your virginity to some guy that had been cheating on you and using you? Yeah, I definitely don't want to get into all of that. Not only is it embarrassing, it’s just too much. "Yeah, I was hurt, but I really don't want to get into it. Trust me. It's not worth repeating."
Chapter 5
Lucas
I can tell by the look on her face that it's bad. She obviously doesn't want to talk about it, but it pisses me off knowing that some man hurt her. She's trying to act like it wasn't a big deal, but obviously it was. I see right through her.
I take the last bite of pie and push the empty plate aside. "I think you should let me be your rebound guy."
She leans back in her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. "I won't be good company. I wasn't joking about that." I put my elbows on the table and lean toward her. "I hang out with cowboys and horses all day long. I'm sure you're definitely going to be better than that."
She wants to give in. I can tell by the way that she's looking at me that she's thinking about it. "I don't know," she answers.
"Come on. We can have some fun and you can get your mind off things."
She uncrosses her arms, and I can see the fierce expression on her face. "I don't need a pity date."
I almost choke on the drink of water that her friend had set in front of me. "Pity date? Honey, have you looked at you? People are going to see us together and they're going to wonder what you're doing with me. If anything, you're giving me the pity date."
She seems to laugh at that. "If nothing else, you're good for my ego."
"So go out with me then."
She tilts her head to the side and looks at me. "When?"
I try not to let myself look too excited, but I can already feel my heart racing triple time in my chest. "Now, tonight, tomorrow, whenever." She seems to think about it. "I'm not going to have you come all the way back over to Whiskey Run tonight, and I have to work now."