Lakelyn
He didn’t stick around. Filming starts tomorrow, but the photoshoot was today. It was supposed to be a couple hours – three tops – but it ended up going for almost four. It doesn’t matter, though. I kept looking for him, but he was gone before we even finished the first shots.
I’m only here for a few more days, and I should just let it be. But I can’t. He’s all I’ve thought about all afternoon, and nothing is going to stop me until I can at least talk to him again.
I walk straight from the town square toward Red’s Diner. I’m hopeful when I walk in that I’ll see the beautiful, pregnant woman that I met a few days ago, but she’s not in the front of the restaurant. With fingers crossed, I walk up to the counter. A woman is snapping her gum, and she looks bored when she asks, “What can I get ya?”
“Uh, actually, is Violet here?”
The woman pockets the pad of paper in the front of her apron and rolls her eyes. “No, she left hours ago.”
I nod but keep smiling. I know I’m not going to get any information if I get testy with her. “That’s okay, actually, I’m looking for Tate... her brother.”
She finally stops snapping her gum. “What do you want with him?”
Now I am frustrated... and maybe a little territorial. “To talk to him.”
A slow smile burns as she looks me up and down. “Don’t waste your time, honey... he’s not the settling down type.”
It’s like a kick to my gut. I didn’t get the feeling he was a player, but I’ve sure been wrong before. But there’s no way I’m going to let this mouthy waitress see she’s got the best of me. I give her my biggest smile, showing her my perfect white teeth. “Oh shucks, that’s okay... I was just hoping for a one-night stand.”
She stops, slackjawed. Opens her mouth and closes it again. Speechless, she turns on her heel and walks away.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at it. I don’t know why. It’s not like I know his number or anything.
“Uh, excuse me, sorry to interrupt, but did I hear you’re looking for Tate?”
I take a deep breath. Great, another woman, probably another one of his conquests. I lift my head, about to give this woman a piece of my mind if she even looks at me wrong, but when I do look at her, she’s smiling ear to ear, her hand on the table holding the hand of the cowboy across from her.
I take the few steps to the end of the counter to stand next to their table. “Uh, yeah, do you know how I can find him?”
She nods. “You have to ignore Kelly. She’s just mad that Tate won’t go out with her. I can tell you how to find Tate, but first, do you care to tell me how you know him?”
I let my guard down. Obviously these are friends of Tate, and she’s just looking out for him. “Well, I was in the photoshoot at the town square today and Violet catered the food. She had Tate bring it to us.”
The woman’s eyes get real big. “Oh, she did, did she?”
“Now, honey...” the man starts across from her.
The man is looking at her, and the woman is looking me up and down. “Wait, did I miss something?”
The woman laughs and claps her hands together excitedly. The man rolls his eyes but laughs too.
“You see, Violet is actually a little bit of a matchmaker. If she sent Tate to the square, she sent him there for a reason. I’m assuming it was because of you.”
“Me?” I ask, pointing at myself.
She nods big, up and down. “Yes, you. Did you meet Violet?”
I fall into the seat next to the woman. “I did... a few days ago.”
She bounces in the seat next to me. “Yep, she’s setting you two up... so what did you think of Tate?”
“Uh, uh, well....” I stammer. What do I say? We barely talked, we mostly stared and made eyes at each other, but damn the heat I felt coming off him is still stoking a flame inside me. Yeah, I can’t say that. She’ll think I’m crazy.
“Honey, obviously she liked him... she’s looking for him. I’m sorry, you’ll have to excuse my wife... she’s a bit of a romantic.”
The wife is laughing and squeezes her husband’s hand before looking at me. “That’s right, I am. Violet actually set us up. I’m Millie Yates, and this is my husband, Austin.”