Charlotte
It was nice to be able to take my time the next morning without being in a rush. I let the hot water wake me up as I washed my hair and let it dry. And the best part about waking up early? I had time to put on socks and sneakers. The blood blisters on my feet weren’t going to get any worse.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Unknown: Don’t be late this time
It must have been Mindy. I frowned at the screen before composing a response.
Charlotte: I’m literally walking out the door right now. You won’t be docking me an hour today!
Unknown: Ain’t up to me, Peaches
I felt a tingle of excitement when I realized it was Jayce. The dream from the previous night was still fresh in my head, when he went down on me in my motel room. Getting a text from him made it seem just a little bit more real.
It was just a dream, I thought as I hurried out the door.
The walk into town was refreshing at this time of morning. Everything was calm, and mist hung in the air above the fields I passed. Only a few birds were awake, and the cicada-like sound of the Georgia insects was a dim background noise. The walk got my blood flowing while I appreciated the sunrise spreading orange and red above the trees.
I never got a chance to relax like this in Savannah. Every hour of the day went into the business. I woke up early to buy the freshest supplies the moment the market opened, then packed and prepared them for the day. I had to research the best route for the food truck, planning out all the stops we wanted to hit. The areas with the most foot traffic that we wanted to get to early to stake our spot. Then came the actual work on the truck when we opened for lunch.
Late hours were the busiest for us. We made the most money sitting outside bars deep into the night, feeding burgers to drunk people. Then, whenever the stream of customers slowed, we had to pack up the remains and give the truck a thorough cleaning. I was usually back in bed by midnight, and then up again before the sun rose to do it all over again.
That made for a long day. Fulfilling, but still long. And without much time to stop andbreathe.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the cool morning air. Momma would have been proud of me for finding the silver lining in all this. Even if it only lasted until I got to town.
The walk also gave me ample time to think about the dream. It could be explained away by the six-pack of beer. I couldn’t exactly control what I dreamed about. It didn’t work that way. But the dream was soreal. It had left me feeling differently about Jayce the next morning. Like it had actually happened.
Just thinking of his name stirred something inside me.Jayce. He wasn’t the type of guy I normally went for. Scott was prissy and preppy, with a clean-shaven face and thick glasses. Heck, he even wore a button-down underneath his apron while working on the food truck. The thought of him growing a beard or riding a motorcycle was too ridiculous to entertain. Like imagining a golden retriever cooking burgers.
But even though Jayce wasn’t who I normally found myself attracted to, hewassexy. Undeniably so. And the way he smiled at me, like he was covering up the thoughts he didn’t want to say out loud…
I shivered.Get a hold of yourself, Charlotte. Today would hopefully be my last day in Eastland. The last thing I needed was to develop a big old crush for one of the local guys.
I walked into town with enough time to stop by the diner and grab coffee. When Jayce pulled up in his truck at two minutes to eight, I was sitting on the bench outside the community center sipping on my drink and feeling good about myself.
He leaned out the open window. “Mornin’, Peaches,” he said in his easy drawl.
I had always thought guys with man-buns looked stupid. I preferred my men to be clean-cut with short hair. But maybe that was because I had never met someone like Jayce. His dark hair was pulled back in a tight knot, except for a few sun-bleached strands that had fallen across his face. His crystal blue eyes were piercing in the early-morning sun.
He looks even sexier than he did in my dream.
“Good morning!” I said cheerfully as I handed him a paper cup through the window. “Not only am I not late, I wasearly. I don’t know how you take your coffee, so I stirred in a little bit of cream and sugar.”
“Awfully nice of you.” He took a sip and winced. “Alittle bitof cream and sugar?”
“Yeah, sorry. I like mine so sugary it’s practically chocolate milk.” I climbed in the passenger seat. “How’d you get my number?”
“Mindy.”
It felt like a silly question once it had been asked and answered. Where else would he have gotten it? “Speaking of Mindy, where is she?”
“Busy at the diner. Said to clock ourselves in and out from now on, so long as she can trust us.” He shifted the truck into drive and then nodded down at the floor. “Nice shoes.”
I wiggled my feet. “Nicer than heels, that’s for sure.”
He smiled, which wrinkled the corners of his piercing-blue eyes.