Cohen cleared his throat and shot out of his chair as if it were on fire. It was an odd reaction. Mason frowned at him. “Are you good? You’re being a little weirder than usual, and that’s really saying something.”
Cohen narrowed his eyes but shook his head as he looked out his office window. There was nothing there for him to look at, but that didn’t stop him from staring out like the trees held the keys to the universe.
“Cohen?”
“Yup. I’m all good. I’ve got a few things to check. Be good. Don’t embarrass me.”
Before Mason could reply to his brother, Cohen was out the door, placing his hat on his head. Mason watched him go, certain that his brother was hiding something. There was a secret weighing the Sheriff down. Mason shrugged and whistled as he made his way out of the police station, down the main street, and back to the diner.
If Cohen was hiding something, then it wasn’t any of Mason’s business. It was hardly going to affect him, and if he didn’t want Cohen asking too many questions, Mason knew he had to keep his mouth shut and his headmostlydown.
Mason was in Half Moon Key for one reason and one reason only. Getting his Sheriff brother involved was hardly a good idea.
After all, Mason was a wolf on the run.
FOUR
LILA
The breakfast rush was finally over, and Lila knew she had only about forty minutes before the lunch rush started. She barely had time to catch her breath and clean up a bit while also doing some prep work. She might live in a small town, but there was nothing slow about the pace of her life.
Bobbie stepped out for her break, and the only person in the diner was Mrs. Francis, the oldest woman in town. Mrs. Francis was the most easygoing patron despite being as close to a hundred years old as a person could be while still able to walk around Half Moon Key.
All Lila had to do to keep Mrs. Francis happy was refill her glass of lemon water and bowl of shredded carrots. Mrs. Francis loved carrots, but her teeth could only cope with the grated pieces anymore, and that’sifMrs. Francis remembered to put her teeth in.
“How is your grandmother?” Mrs. Francis asked. “Poor old dear.”
“She’s just fine,” Lila lied. “She’ll be just fine,” she repeated to convince herself that everything would be all right. Lila could hardly start crying in the middle of the diner. The whole town would know she had lost it, and somehow, it would get back to her grandmother. That would be terrible. It would only serve to make Nana sad, and that wouldn’t be good for her health.
Things got around in Half Moon Key. People didn’t gossip to be rude or unkind. It was just this very strange concept of caring for your neighbors and their extended family…because apparently, discussing private matters in large groups meant you cared.
Of course, most people would also find a way to help if there was anything amiss, so Lila couldn’t let her exhaustion color her hometown in too poor a light. Half Moon Key was home even when it drove her completely up the wall now that she was a mature and responsible adult.
She cleaned the tables, restocked some of the condiments, wrote the daily specials on the board, and then started frying up some fries before the lunch rush got started. She grabbed a stack of napkins from the stock room and carried them out to the dining room.
In her short absence, a handful of people had walked in. She twirled around like a little Tasmanian devil to take orders and bring drinks. When the bell rang over the door, she turned to greet her newest patron, but her smile died on her face.
There Mason fucking Pierce was for the second time in a few short hours. Good lord, how could the man be hungry already? He had nearly eaten his body weight in bacon, sausage, and ham. Where did he put it all? In his rippling arm muscles? In that widely delicious back?
She inhaled deeply and told herself that hers was one of the only two restaurants in town. If Mason didn’t have a place to stay yet with a working kitchen, he was sure to come in and take all his meals at Moony’s.
That wouldn’t do.
Lila could not cope with another night of dreaming of his gorgeous hazel eyes and cute smirk. Because, of course, her very short night was plagued with images of Half Moon Key’s newest visitor.
“Just grab any free table,” she called out, forcing a levity she didn’t feel in her voice. “I’ll be with you in a second.” She completely ignored the way he smiled at her, but, of course, her cheeks betrayed her by going hot and bright red.
Lila brought a fresh glass of cola to a few of the old fishermen and an extra lemon slice to Mrs. Francis. By the time she returned to the counter, Mason was waiting for her, reading the menu like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
“Do you always work all the shifts in the day?” Mason asked, leaning casually on the counter.
“Of course, I do,” she said with a bit more force than she wanted. “It’s not like everyone in town is beating down the door to work at the diner. Most of the time, it’s just Bobbie and me in here.”
“Bobbie?” Mason’s brows knit together with curiosity.
“The cook. I’m lucky to have her most days.”
Mason’s handsome face was illuminated entirely with a smile that made her heart throb wildly. “So you need help here,” he said, his voice as smooth as velvet. “That’s what you’re saying.”