dishes while she closed the last of the
garbage bags then washed her hands.
“How about that pie?” he asked.
“How about it? Take a seat at the counter. I’ll join you in a
minute.”
“Deal.”
She watched as he did as suggested, trying hard not to stare at
his tight rear end and failing.
All right, she could be forgiven this once, right? For being
selfish? For being needy?
For being a woman?
She went about wrapping up and putting away a few other items.
It had been a long day. Still, strangely she didn’t feel tired.
She peeked around the window that opened up into the dining
area, catching Mace’s gaze.
“Be right there,” she said.
“Take your time.”
She ducked back away and caught her breath.
Okay, she could do this. All she had to do was serve him pie
and coffee and tell him she was pregnant. That was sure to douse whatever spark
had ignited between them but quick.
Only she was hoping it wouldn’t…
3
M ACE CLEANED UP after the last of the customers, then fed change into the vintage jukebox that had remained pretty much silent all night, selecting a few ’50s classics before sitting back down at the counter. He glanced at his watch. Twenty minutes had passed since Geneva had said she’d be right there. He’d noticed an employees’ locker room off the kitchen and guessed she’d taken advantage of it. He realized he was still wearing the borrowed apron and took it off, laying it on the stool next to him.
The past few hours had passed in a welcome flurry of activity. The best decision he’d made was to trade his night of motel sitting for lending a hand at the busy diner. He’d never done very well left with too much time on his hands. And even he could jog only so long before his muscles protested.
Bussing tables and doing dishes and occasionally filling coffee cups had given him something productive to do. And feeling like a part of a team hadn’t hurt.
If Geneva’s gratefully surprised and sinfully sexy smile every now and again had anything to do with his sense of satisfaction, he wasn’t copping to it.
“Sorry,” she said, finally coming out of the kitchen. “I just wanted to finish a few things up.”
He blinked. She still wore the same gray uniform and ruffled white apron, but she looked…different somehow. Refreshed. And hotter than hell.
She put down something in a bag and then moved to the pie case while he rounded the other side of the counter.
“Coffee?” he asked, holding up a pot.
“I’d love a cup of decaf.”
“One decaf coming up.”
He poured two cups and placed them on the counter while she took not one, but four different pie plates out of the display case. Each held at least two pieces. She reached into the fridge and pulled out a can of whipped cream, placing it next to them.
He sat down and she took the stool beside him.
He was abnormally taken with the can of whipped cream; the thought of licking a line of it off her skin from collarbone to toes, stopping for longer stays along the way that seemed particularly tempting.
He wondered what she’d say if he suggested it…
“I figured since you wouldn’t let Trudy pay you, you’re entitled to as much pie as you want.” She handed him a fork.
“Part of the deal was that you join me.”
She held up her own fork.
He chuckled, watching as she dug into what he guessed was the chocolate marshmallow one. Damn, but she had a sexy mouth. What made it even sexier still was that she didn’t appear the least bit aware of the effect she was having on him.
“So, tell me,” she said around a bite, “are you from around these parts, soldier?”
He chose the blueberry. “In a manner of speaking, yes.”
“Dubious answer to a yes or no question.”
To his surprise, he found himself explaining his being a military brat and staying with his grandfather as a teen. Even more surprising was the casual way in which he did so. He wasn’t usually given to sharing information with anyone. But she