“Is this guy always so…” She arched an eyebrow as she trailed off.
“Nosy? You’re talking to the Thickwood sheriff, let’s just say it’s my job to be nosy.”
She rolled her eyes then. She rolled her pretty fucking storm-cloud eyes, and I almost cracked and laughed. “I wasn’t going to say nosy.” She tipped her head. “I was going to say crabby.”
Rita covered her mouth and giggled. “Oh, crabby is sugar-coating it, sister. Elliot Shephard is a downright bear on the best days.”
My amused grin slipped then, “Hey, I’m sitting right here.”
“In my seat, I might add.” The stranger across from me teased, a grin on her lips and a twinkle in her annoyingly pretty eyes.
“This is my spot.” I defended lamely, sounding like a petulant child even to my own ears.
“Not tonight it’s not.” She dug into her first bite of pancake, stabbing a half a dozen banana slices and dragging it through piles of sugary chocolate sauce before taking a bite.
“So, what’s with the kid food?” I finally ventured.
She shrugged as she chewed, barely bothering to look me in the eye. Why the hell did I want her to look me in the eye anyway? Prolonged eye contact usually gave me hives, but I found myself craving it with Little Miss Hearts and Rainbows.
“What’s wrong with being a big kid? Life’s hard enough, why make it worse by acting like an adult all the time?”
She swiped another bite of pancake through the chocolate sauce and slipped it past her full lips, leaving dots of dark chocolate in the corner that really made me want to lean across the table and swipe at it with my thumb.
Or my tongue.
I gulped, every nerve in my body humming to life when she wrapped her lips around the fork and hummed as she swallowed. For someone who was basically a big kid at heart, her eating habits were incredibly sensual.
Rita approached just as the stranger was cleaning her plate. She pushed it aside as Rita set my meatloaf down. “Here you are, Sheriff Shephard. If you want to take home leftovers, just let me know and I’ll get them wrapped up for you.”
I nodded, already eating.
“The pancakes are amazing, thank you.” The stranger said to Rita. “If I could get the check–I have to get home and work out my lesson plan for the morning. It’s been fun,” she turned to me with a brilliant smile that made me wonder if she was being sarcastic, “getting to know you, if you could call it that.” She paused, a grin growing as her eyes fully settled on mine. I felt the energy between us change before she laughed, “You’re a real peach, Sheriff.”
I shook my head, so taken aback by her bright and sunshiny disposition I had no words. I finally mumbled, “I-I’ve got the check, don’t worry about it.”
“No way–”
“Consider it your welcome gift to Thickwood.”
She paused, eyes catching mine mid-bite before a soft smile pulled at her lips, and she rested a warm palm on top of my left hand. “Thank you.”
I didn’t reply, only shot my eyes away from her and back to my meatloaf. I felt her leave, missed her positive life force instantly, and only wanted to watch her walk out. But I didn’t, mostly because I knew I’d like what I saw too damn much. Hell if those toddler clothes weren’t ridiculous, suited her perfectly, and made me want to know more.
“It’s so good to see you opening up and making new friends, Elliot. You know I worry about you up there all alone on the mountain.” Rita interrupted my thoughts.
“I’m fine.” I grunted, suddenly not liking the tone of this conversation, so I stabbed at my meatloaf and brought the largest forkful I could into my mouth. “Perfect.”
“You’re here every evening, eating greasy meatloaf and hamburgers alone. It’s just nice to see you talkin’ to someone.”
I couldn’t help wanting to know her name. I wanted to know more. I’d never been drawn to anyone before. I didn’t even know what to do with these kinds of feelings.
“Rita, I talk to people all the time. I share my dinner every day with you, for starters.” I pointed out, shoveling another bite in between words.
“And then you pay me and go on your way!” She laughed and patted my shoulder like everyone’s favorite grandma. “That’s not a relationship, Elliot, that’s a business arrangement.”
I rolled my eyes, uneasy with taking anyone’s life advice, especially from a woman that’d known me since I was in diapers. I finally answered her, “No, it’s not.”
She shook her head before backing away. “Just be kind to Ms. Winters. Being new in town is bad enough. She doesn’t need you breathing down her neck.”
I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip to control my reply, two things running through my head: I finally knew her name, and what did it mean that breathing down Little Miss Hearts and Rainbow’s neck sounded so damn appealing?