His expression turns serious, and my stomach nearly drops down into my shoes. “What is it?”Great. He’s married and a slime ball; it’s all an act. This is just my luck.“I’m a big man.”
I flinch slightly, not expecting those words. “Yeah?”
“And I like to eat. No, I love to eat. So, don’t be alarmed if I order nearly everything on the menu.”
I let out a little laugh, relieved thatthiswas his big confession. “Well, I hope you’re really hungry because the menu is seven pages long.” Xavier’s eyes light up and he claps his hands together.
“After you.” He holds his hand out, and I lead the way to our corner booth for two.
ChapterFour
Xavier
The next fewdays fly by. Being with Alayna is effortless and the conversation is constant. When I have to move to the kitchen staff it nearly kills me. I’ve gotten used to seeing her every day, having lunch at the diner, and then looking forward to doing it all over again. This scares me a little, though. I don’t want to come on too strong, but I can’t deny the feelings I have for her. They grow with every minute I spend with her. I love everything about her; the way she uses her hands when she talks, how she smiles at kids passing us on the way to the pool. Even her work ethic turns me on.
But what if this is all just work to her? What if she wants to keep me happy so that she’s certain to keep her job? The thought tears me apart, but I have to admit to myself that it’s a possibility.
I spend the day in the new kitchen and restaurant the Inn is setting up. Tyler, the head chef, is a solid guy. He seems like someone I could be good friends with, or at least, grab a beer and have a few laughs. Even so, he’s not Alayna.
At the end of the day, I’m heading back to my room. Exhausted, I’m ready for a shower and a lazy night in bed watching some shitty television. I’m not even sorry about it. I unbutton the top button of my shirt as I round the corner, and nearly run smack dab into Alayna.
“Oh!” She takes a step back, and presses her hand to her full chest. I almost don’t recognize her with her hair down and dressed down in a pair of loose jeans and a top that hugs her so perfectly it’s almost criminal. “This corner needs a rearview.”
“Good idea,” I say, without realizing how dorky that sounds.
“We’ll add it to the list.” She laughs, lowering her head as she brushes her silky hair behind her ear. God, she is effortlessly beautiful.
“You done for the day?”
“I am, yeah. Just heading home to relax a little bit.”
“Are you studying tonight?” My heart sloshes against my ribs. I’m not asking her out, but damn, I’m sure hinting at it.
“No, actually. Midterms were earlier this week, and now, I’m sort of resting before the work kicks in again.”
“I get it.” I can’t stop myself from staring at her as she taps the tip of her tongue against her top lip.
“Do you want a drink?” She asks before I even have the chance to get another word out.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Really?” She narrows her eyes at me.
I bite my lip and shake my head. “No, but I wanted to.”
“I kind of missed our lunch today, and now,” She glances at her phone. “It’s happy hour.”
“Do I have time to change?” I ask, feeling like a pair of jeans would be better than these dress pants. Alayna nods, biting back a smile. “I’ll only be a minute.” I try to keep my cool as I work the keycard into the lock. I throw the door open and yell over my shoulder, “Try not to barge in on me, okay?”
Alayna gasps, her mouth forming a perfect o-shape in the process. I don’t give her time to respond, I shut the door and hurriedly climb into my favorite jeans, pleased with myself as I do.
* * *
“No, Xavier, I don’t watch The Real Housewives of…anything.” Alayna scrunches her nose, a habit I find so adorable I can barely take it.
“You’re missing out.”
“No, I hate that shit. Women fighting over what? Nothing. They’re rich and stupid and—“