“Hey, there, big bro!” Mason replied with a grin.
“What the fuck are you doing all the way out here?”
“Language, Sheriff,” Danielle warned before taking a sip of her coffee. “You know how the locals feel about your dirty city mouth.”
“If you only knew how dirty my mouth could be, Miss Wixx,” Cohen replied, shooting her a look so intense both Mason and Lila looked away.
Danielle rolled her eyes and flipped open her book, effectively cutting off any further comment Cohen could have made. Just like Lila, Mason was watching the tense exchange between Danielle and Cohen. Those two fought like kids on the playground. Some days it was hilarious to watch, and other days, Lila seriously worried about their mutual mental health.
“Join me for breakfast, Cohen.” Mason nudged his chin toward another table.
“Can’t. I gotta get to work,” Cohen replied. “Stop by the station when you’re done here, though. Maybe you can figure out the right excuse to explain your presence here during that time.”
Mason shrugged. “Sure thing.”
Cohen placed his hat back on his head and tipped it to Lila before turning to Danielle. “Pleasure, as always, Miss Wixx.”
Danielle pursed her lips as her eyes slid off the page of her book to glare at him. “Try to find yourself in another seat tomorrow, won’t you?”
Cohen tipped his hat again before leaving. Lila stood there for a few seconds, her body frozen by the strange display between the Sheriff and his brother. Mason, for his part, was unfazed. He took a seat right in the middle of the diner. He curiously looked around, taking in all of the details of her restaurant. The color scheme … blue and white … hadn’t been Lila’s choice, but she could hardly change it now. People in town liked the familiar, and you didn’t mess with Half Moon Key’s traditions.
Moony’s Cafe was as much a part of the tradition around here as was the lake blessing every spring and the harvest festival in the fall. Lila wasn’t about to change a thing and risk her family’s businessandher livelihood.
“Are you okay?” Lila asked Danielle.
Danielle sighed. “Oh, yes. I’m just fine. I try not to let that annoying Sheriff get the better of me.”
Lila arched a brow at her friend. “Well, sure. That much is obvious.”
“I still don’t know why you won’t put up a reserved sign for me onmybooth. You know this is my place, and you know I come here every morning at seven sharp.”
“But so does he,” Lila explained. “I can hardly refuse the Sheriff a seat in my restaurant.”
Danielle rolled her eyes. “He does it to piss me off.”
“Then sit somewhere else.”
“No,” Danielle insisted. “This is my town. It was my town before it was his, and it’ll still be mine long after he’s gone.”
“I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” Lila said. “Not if he has his brother visiting.” She pointed discreetly toward Mason, but of course, the man in question was staring at her intently. “I better go see what he needs before he loses his cool.”
Danielle stuffed her face in her book once again, and Lila made her way over to Mason’s table. She plastered on her best fake smile, not wanting to appear too flirty or too cold. It was always a game to play with outsiders. She wanted their business, but they could keep their tendencies to propose to themselves.
“Coffee?” she asked, holding out the carafe.
“Oh, yes, please. You could also give me your name.”
She sighed. “Lila.”
“My, my. That is a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”
She ignored the overly compensative compliment. “What can I get you?”
“What do you recommend?” Mason asked, reading over the menu.
“The breakfast special is always a good choice.”
“Breakfast special it is, but if you could bring me a side of extra sausage, bacon, and ham, I’d love you forever.”