“Newlyweds,” Paula cried. “Congratulations!”
“Dinner’s on us,” Steve said. “We insist. What can we get for you?”
“I can’t decide. Pick something for me, Paula.”
“What about you, Noah?” Steve asked.
“Plain for me, please.”
An identical knowing look settled on Steve’s and Paula’s faces.
“Of course. You’re the ten-piece plain.” Paula pinched her husband. “I told you Mia wasn’t eating all those wings. You never believed me.”
Mia laughed. “This entire time you thought they were all for me?”
Steve shrugged. “I’m here to sell chicken, not pass judgment.”
“Well. Even if the marriage is new, you two have been together a long time, then.” Paula’s smile was wide as she waggled her eyebrows up and down. “And he sure is handsome. Well done, my girl. How come you never brought him in before?”
“She probably didn’t want you flirting with him,” Steve muttered good-naturedly.
“Oh, stop.” Paula made her way back to the kitchen. “I’m a happily married woman. Just like Mia.”
Noah pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “Are you sure I can’t...?”
Steve shook his head. “No, sir, put that away. Congratulations from us to you.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll bring it out when it’s ready.”
Noah squeezed her hand and as they headed to the small dining area, a man who looked to be in his fifties walked in.
“Hi, Mia!”
“Hi, Tom,” she said with a smile.
The man kept moving to the counter and Noah leaned down. “Another regular?”
“Sort of. I was behind him in line at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago,” she said as they found a table. “We bonded over our mutual love of oat milk. He said he’d just moved to town and wanted to know good places to get takeout. I’ve seen him here a few times since.”
They sat across from one another and he met her gaze, his blue eyes even more striking next to the bright window. “You charm everyone you meet, don’t you?”
“Pretty much.”
He grinned. “Humility looks good on you.”
“Oh wait,” she said, holding up a finger. “One person doesn’t like me.”
“Who?”
“David.”
His expression hardened. “I really wish you’d said something to me about that sooner.”
“I don’t need you to protect me, Noah.”
His jaw went taut and he fixed his eyes on something through the window.