“You’re right. I don’t know you personally. I said you looked familiar.” The other corner of the man’s mouth now curled up until he wore a friendly, but slightly roguish, smile. “What’s your name?”
Hell no. I wasn’t doing this.
As hot as the man was… As much as the guy could be my type….
I gritted my teeth together. I no longer had a type.
I had no interest in the man before me. None.
I wasn’t looking for a “buddy.” I wasn’t looking for a lover. I just wanted to be left the hell alone. “You don’t know me. I’m new to the area.”
“I only asked for your name. This town is small. If you’re here to stay, everyone will eventually learn it anyway.”
I slowly inhaled, filling my lungs completely as I tried to keep myself wrapped tightly.
“Why is it some big secret?”
A muscle in my jaw popped. I unclenched it. “It’s not.”
Mr. Nosy cocked an eyebrow. “Then?”
Jesus Christ. He was right. Eventually everyone would know my name whether I wanted them to or not. At least they’d know my real name which was different from my pen name.
If I told him, maybe the guy would leave. “Chase.”
“Is that your first or last name?”
“It’s my name.”
The formerly friendly smile fell flat as he studied me for a few seconds. Finally, he said, “Got it,” and sharply rapped his knuckles on the table, making the utensils jump. “Have a great day, Chase.” When he turned, he added under his breath, “Asshole.”
Since I’d been choking my fork with white knuckles, I loosened my grip, stabbed a piece of cold sausage link and shoved it into my mouth as the man walked toward the exit.
The fucker bugged me for my name but managed not to give me his.
Didn’t matter. I didn’t need or want it.
I observed the long strides the nosy man with no name took to the cash register by the front entrance, where he stopped and waited until my waitress, wearing a huge smile, hurried over to help him.
I found myself scanning the man again, this time from the rear, taking in the broad expanse of his back, his tight hips and that ass snuggled perfectly in well-fitted Levi’s. I told myself I was only checking out the guy’s ass because my eyes had been automatically drawn to it when Mr. Nosy slipped his wallet from his back pocket.
When I took a bite of toast, it tasted like sawdust since I’d lost my appetite. As I chewed, I watched my waitress and Mr. Nosy exchange words as they finished the transaction. I sighed softly in relief when the man finally walked out the door without another glance back at me.
Thankfully, he must have gotten the message.
I forced more of the breakfast down since I’d need the fuel to do all the work I planned to do on the cabin today. Once I finished draining my cup of coffee, the waitress magically appeared with a full pot. “Refill?”
“No. Thank you. I’ll just take my check.”
The waitress’ warm smile only grew larger. “It’s already paid for.”
My eyebrows stitched together. “How? That has to be a mistake.”
“Nope,” she answered in her chipper voice. “Rett covered it.”
Rett?
She must have recognized the confusion on my face. “The gentleman who stopped over to welcome you to Eagle’s Landing.”
Jesus. That hadn’t been a welcome. The word “welcome” never even came out of that Rett guy’s mouth. Not once. He only wanted info to feed his damn nosiness.
I glanced out the booth’s window to the parking lot.
“If you need anything else, just holler.”
I half-nodded, distracted…
By the man standing next to a dark blue Chevy truck with the driver’s door hanging open. But he wasn’t climbing in. Instead, he faced the diner and stared back at me through the window, a crooked smile once again on his face.
Smug bastard.
With an upward jerk of his chin, the lopsided smile turned into a grin large enough to be seen from the next state and Mr. Nosy hauled his ass up and into the cab of the Chevy.
My heart pounded against my chest as the truck pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared from sight.
With my ass settled in one of the cushioned wood rockers that had been delivered yesterday along with the rest of the furniture, I stared out over the still lake. A mist rose off the water, giving it an eerie look.
Being early spring, the morning air still had a slight bite to it. I sipped at the steaming mug of black coffee, simply breathing in the fresh air and taking in my peaceful surroundings.
Breathe in the good, breathe out the bad…
A variety of birds singing, a distant high-pitched bark of what might be a fox and some chipmunks scurrying among the dead leaves in the nearby tree line filled my ears.
I even heard the call of what sounded like a loon out on the water. I’d have to do some research about what kind of wildlife lived in the area so I could identify all the sounds. I might even have to buy a pair of binoculars to spot some eagles, the whole reason for the nearby town’s name.