on my worst enemy.”
“Well, maybe that’s why she doesn’t have much. Because she can’t figure out how to get more.”
Cole hadn’t thought of it that way before. “That makes sense, I guess. I don’t know if I feel sorry for her because she’s such a mess or if I just want to make it all better for her.”
Maggie paused, the door of the truck half open, and gave him one hell of a weird look. “Why don’t you invite her for dinner tomorrow. That’ll give me time to get to the grocery and plan a meal worthy of us hard-working people.”
After the way this week had treated him, an evening laughing with Lilah sounded fantastic. “Works for me,” he said, a grin brightening his face.
“Cole Bennett. Are you pining after the girl next door?” Maggie had hopped out of the truck and stood there with the door open, a knowing smile twisting her lips.
“Lilah Moore is not the girl next door.”
“She literally lives right next to you.”
“You know what I mean.”
“And you know what I mean.” Cole knew what that look on his mom’s face meant. It meant that she intended to stick her nose all up in his business. She was probably already dreaming about grandkids.
“Well, Lilah’s made it pretty clear she doesn’t do casual. And since I don’t do girlfriends…”
Maggie mouthed those last words with him and rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I’ve heard that before.”
“Well, Lilah’s already shot me down twice. So you can go right on and wipe all those thoughts of getting us together out of your mind.”
“Just the fact that that you tried again after the first time tells me all I need to know. Invite her for dinner tomorrow.” With that, his mom closed the door and sauntered away, looking over her shoulder with this silly little knowing look that should have irritated him to death.
It didn’t.
It made him smile.
14
“ L ilah ! Your boyfriend’s here!” Christy-Anne called out just a little too loudly from her spot near the serving station at the diner.
Lilah emerged from the break room, tying her apron back on and making sure she had her pen and paper in her pocket. “He’s not my boyfriend. I’ve only said that like a hundred times already.”
“You keep denying it and I’ll keep reminding you that this is the guy that rescued you from a major creeper. A guy who totally abandoned the girl he was with to do said rescuing. A guy who’s been here, by himself, at least once a week since. Oh, and did I mention he’s always in your section? Because he is. Always in your section.”
“Cole and I are just friends.”
“You keep right on saying that and I’ll keep right on knowing that Cole Bennett doesn’t do ‘just friends’.”
He doesn’t do girlfriends, either, she thought and pushed past the grinning Christy-Anne to make her way to Cole’s table. On the way, she stopped to check on two other customers, laughing and joking with them as if they were long time friends. She swooped up a tip on a recently vacated table and arrived with a sigh in front of Cole.
“Hey, you.” She pulled her pen and paper out of her apron. “What’re you eating tonight?”
Cole leaned back in the booth and drew his eyebrows together. “Why do you still ask that every single time I come in here? Are you telling me you haven’t memorized my order yet?”
“Of course I’ve memorized your order. You’re gonna ask for the Bubba Burger, no onion with a side of fries and a side salad with ranch. You’re also gonna want an iced tea that you slurp down as soon as I walk away so I have to be back here with a pitcher before I’ve even had time to check on my other tables.”
“If you know all these things, why do you ask?”
“Because I’m building habits around the things I do. Some really smart guy I know told me that. I think he’s a fisherman or something like that.”
“A shrimper.”
Lilah shrugged and gave Cole a sly look. “Maybe. Whatever he is, he’s really smart.” And
“Well, maybe that’s why she doesn’t have much. Because she can’t figure out how to get more.”
Cole hadn’t thought of it that way before. “That makes sense, I guess. I don’t know if I feel sorry for her because she’s such a mess or if I just want to make it all better for her.”
Maggie paused, the door of the truck half open, and gave him one hell of a weird look. “Why don’t you invite her for dinner tomorrow. That’ll give me time to get to the grocery and plan a meal worthy of us hard-working people.”
After the way this week had treated him, an evening laughing with Lilah sounded fantastic. “Works for me,” he said, a grin brightening his face.
“Cole Bennett. Are you pining after the girl next door?” Maggie had hopped out of the truck and stood there with the door open, a knowing smile twisting her lips.
“Lilah Moore is not the girl next door.”
“She literally lives right next to you.”
“You know what I mean.”
“And you know what I mean.” Cole knew what that look on his mom’s face meant. It meant that she intended to stick her nose all up in his business. She was probably already dreaming about grandkids.
“Well, Lilah’s made it pretty clear she doesn’t do casual. And since I don’t do girlfriends…”
Maggie mouthed those last words with him and rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I’ve heard that before.”
“Well, Lilah’s already shot me down twice. So you can go right on and wipe all those thoughts of getting us together out of your mind.”
“Just the fact that that you tried again after the first time tells me all I need to know. Invite her for dinner tomorrow.” With that, his mom closed the door and sauntered away, looking over her shoulder with this silly little knowing look that should have irritated him to death.
It didn’t.
It made him smile.
14
“ L ilah ! Your boyfriend’s here!” Christy-Anne called out just a little too loudly from her spot near the serving station at the diner.
Lilah emerged from the break room, tying her apron back on and making sure she had her pen and paper in her pocket. “He’s not my boyfriend. I’ve only said that like a hundred times already.”
“You keep denying it and I’ll keep reminding you that this is the guy that rescued you from a major creeper. A guy who totally abandoned the girl he was with to do said rescuing. A guy who’s been here, by himself, at least once a week since. Oh, and did I mention he’s always in your section? Because he is. Always in your section.”
“Cole and I are just friends.”
“You keep right on saying that and I’ll keep right on knowing that Cole Bennett doesn’t do ‘just friends’.”
He doesn’t do girlfriends, either, she thought and pushed past the grinning Christy-Anne to make her way to Cole’s table. On the way, she stopped to check on two other customers, laughing and joking with them as if they were long time friends. She swooped up a tip on a recently vacated table and arrived with a sigh in front of Cole.
“Hey, you.” She pulled her pen and paper out of her apron. “What’re you eating tonight?”
Cole leaned back in the booth and drew his eyebrows together. “Why do you still ask that every single time I come in here? Are you telling me you haven’t memorized my order yet?”
“Of course I’ve memorized your order. You’re gonna ask for the Bubba Burger, no onion with a side of fries and a side salad with ranch. You’re also gonna want an iced tea that you slurp down as soon as I walk away so I have to be back here with a pitcher before I’ve even had time to check on my other tables.”
“If you know all these things, why do you ask?”
“Because I’m building habits around the things I do. Some really smart guy I know told me that. I think he’s a fisherman or something like that.”
“A shrimper.”
Lilah shrugged and gave Cole a sly look. “Maybe. Whatever he is, he’s really smart.” And
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