Perfectly Charming (A Morning Glory Novel Book 2) by Liz Talley Page A

having sweet tea,” Jess said, unwrapping her fork and knife and placing her napkin in her lap. Like her mama taught her.
    “You could stand a few extra calories, and besides, Miss Cindy automatically assumes you’re having it sweet ’cause you’re from Mississippi. She’s the only person who knows I’m from there. Couldn’t bullshit her.” Ryan picked up a menu and handed it to her. “Everything’s pretty good here, but I always have a cheeseburger.”
    Jess took the menu and glanced around. “I love this place.”
    “I knew you would. It’s like home, though I haven’t been to Morning Glory in so long, I wouldn’t know it.” His green eyes scanned the menu, and she wondered why he was looking at the offerings when he said he always got a cheeseburger.
    “You don’t go see your mama and daddy?”
    “Not since I moved here. When I lived in California, they’d come out on occasion. They knew my work didn’t afford much time to travel to Mississippi. Besides, why would I want to return to a place where I lived an inferior version of myself?” he said, sliding the menu back beside the napkin dispenser. “I’m sticking with the burger.”
    “You hated Morning Glory?”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “So why do you come here?” she asked, pointing down at the table. Her finger landed on the menu, specifically the all-America cheeseburger. She should go with that. But her little red bikini reminded her she probably needed the chef’s salad. Eh, she’d had a protein bar for lunch—she could splurge for dinner. Maybe.
    “I like it here. They make good sundaes.”
    “And that’s it? I assumed you liked it because it reminded you of home.”
    Ryan lifted a shoulder. She looked at the soft fabric covering that shoulder and wondered what it would be like to lay her head there. He’d feel different than Benton. Smell different. Because he was different. “I have some good memories of my hometown. And I have bad ones. It’s the bad ones that keep me here on the beach for Christmas.”
    Jess thought about Christmas in Pensacola. What did Ryan do to celebrate? Did he get a Christmas tree? Drink eggnog? Sit alone in front of the TV and watch A Christmas Story for twenty-four hours? Or maybe he got together with friends? She couldn’t imagine not making Christmas cookies with her mom and nephews or playing Dirty Santa with the whole Culpepper family. She’d never miss the Morning Glory Christmas spectacular at the civic center and the Christmas cantata at the Baptist church. No stockings, no breakfast casserole in the kitchen, no watching White Christmas with her daddy. Sounded horrible.
    Cindy came bopping back with their drinks. Taking a pen from behind her ear, she fished her order pad from her apron pocket. “Okay, so Ryan’s having the cheeseburger, medium, with a side of fries. What about you, honey?”
    “Um, I’m not sure.”
    “I’ll give you a few minutes more,” Cindy said, disappearing.
    Jess had been about to blurt out she’d have the burger, but the waitress was like Speedy Gonzales. Vamoose.
    Ryan smiled. He did that a lot for a guy who’d spent most of his high school days looking hunted. He should be damaged, skulking around wearing black. But instead he grinned, charmed, made her feel better than she had in almost a year. And it didn’t hurt that he looked like he’d stepped from the pages of Yachting World .
    “So, Jessica Anne, what’s the plan?” Ryan asked.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Do I have a shot?”
    Oh crap. She wasn’t ready for this conversation. Ryan wanted to know the score, the parameters, the chance he had at getting into her pants. Glancing down, she amended—under her skirt. Or maybe he didn’t. She hadn’t actually gone on a real date before. Unless frat parties in college counted. Maybe he meant something else.
    “At what?”
    His lips tipped up even more, and his eyes crinkled. Crikey, he had great eyes. They were perfectly green. Burst of gold in