pancakes again with the enthusiasm of a man who hadn’t eaten in days, much less twelve hours ago in this very restaurant. “I’ve always been interested.”
She could have argued the point but couldn’t imagine to what purpose. Interested or not in the management of the place, he was still one of the owners. “Did you get your homework done last night?” Over Bubba’s purloined pulled pork, he’d told her about the work he still needed to get through.
He nodded and shoveled more pancake into his mouth.
“You’re gonna choke,” she said drily and got up again to make another round with the coffee. Hayley and her new husband, Seth, came in before she was finished, and she gestured toward a booth that had just been cleared. “Be right with you two.”
The couple smiled and crossed toward the booth, stopping to say a few hellos on the way.
Tabby headed back toward Justin when the door jingled again, and she looked toward it, a greeting already on her lips.
She’d only ever seen Gillian Jennings in a photograph. A snapshot that Justin had pulled out of his wallet ages ago when he had started dating the woman in college.
But Tabby recognized her now. From the top of her gleaming light blond hair to the toes of her expensive, ridiculously high-heeled pumps.
Feeling something go cold inside her, she approached the newcomer, anyway. “Can I help you with something?”
The woman smiled, seeming friendly enough. “Directions, I’m hoping. All the cars on the street are parked in front of this place.”
“It’s a busy morning.” Tabby wondered how long it would be before Justin would look up from his pancakes to see his erstwhile lover standing fifteen feet away. “Directions where?”
Gillian pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of the light brown leather jacket that fit her svelte figure like a glove and read off the address of Tabby’s triplex. “I’m looking for my fiancé,” she added with a smile.
Tabby went a lot colder. “Oh,” she inquired with amazing mildness. “What’s his name?”
Gillian tucked away the paper again. “Justin. Justin Clay. He always said Weaver was a small town, but I never imagined just how small. Do you know him?”
Tabby smiled humorlessly and held out her hand toward the corner booth. “As a matter of fact, I do. Obviously not as well as I thought, though.” She raised her voice. “Justin? Somebody here to see you.”
He looked up, his expression instantly thunderstruck.
Tabby didn’t wait around to see any more.
While Gillian gave a little shriek of delighted surprise and clattered on her high heels toward him, Tabby turned on her heel and went through to the kitchen and straight on out the rear door.
* * *
Justin looked from the swinging kitchen door to Gillian’s face and didn’t manage to act fast enough to avoid the arms she threw around his neck as she sat down on the bench seat beside him.
He wanted to curse.
Instead, he looked into Gillian’s deceitful green eyes and pulled on her arms. “What are you doing here?”
She pouted a little but let go of the neck lock. “You’ve always wanted me to come with you to Weaver.” She looked at his nearly empty plate and gave a shudder of horror. “Pancakes? Honey, all those carbs—”
“We broke up,” he interrupted her. “Remember?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I know you didn’t really mean it.” She snuggled close to his side. “That’s what passionate couples like us do. We break up. We make up.”
He would have scooted farther away if he weren’t already wedged in the corner of the booth thanks to the way she’d launched herself at him. “Not this time.” Since he couldn’t move one direction, he moved the other, shoving her along to the edge of the booth. “Get up.”
She didn’t have any choice but to scramble somewhat inelegantly to her feet. It was either that or get pushed off onto the butt of her expensive suede pants. “Justin, honey, don’t be
She could have argued the point but couldn’t imagine to what purpose. Interested or not in the management of the place, he was still one of the owners. “Did you get your homework done last night?” Over Bubba’s purloined pulled pork, he’d told her about the work he still needed to get through.
He nodded and shoveled more pancake into his mouth.
“You’re gonna choke,” she said drily and got up again to make another round with the coffee. Hayley and her new husband, Seth, came in before she was finished, and she gestured toward a booth that had just been cleared. “Be right with you two.”
The couple smiled and crossed toward the booth, stopping to say a few hellos on the way.
Tabby headed back toward Justin when the door jingled again, and she looked toward it, a greeting already on her lips.
She’d only ever seen Gillian Jennings in a photograph. A snapshot that Justin had pulled out of his wallet ages ago when he had started dating the woman in college.
But Tabby recognized her now. From the top of her gleaming light blond hair to the toes of her expensive, ridiculously high-heeled pumps.
Feeling something go cold inside her, she approached the newcomer, anyway. “Can I help you with something?”
The woman smiled, seeming friendly enough. “Directions, I’m hoping. All the cars on the street are parked in front of this place.”
“It’s a busy morning.” Tabby wondered how long it would be before Justin would look up from his pancakes to see his erstwhile lover standing fifteen feet away. “Directions where?”
Gillian pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of the light brown leather jacket that fit her svelte figure like a glove and read off the address of Tabby’s triplex. “I’m looking for my fiancé,” she added with a smile.
Tabby went a lot colder. “Oh,” she inquired with amazing mildness. “What’s his name?”
Gillian tucked away the paper again. “Justin. Justin Clay. He always said Weaver was a small town, but I never imagined just how small. Do you know him?”
Tabby smiled humorlessly and held out her hand toward the corner booth. “As a matter of fact, I do. Obviously not as well as I thought, though.” She raised her voice. “Justin? Somebody here to see you.”
He looked up, his expression instantly thunderstruck.
Tabby didn’t wait around to see any more.
While Gillian gave a little shriek of delighted surprise and clattered on her high heels toward him, Tabby turned on her heel and went through to the kitchen and straight on out the rear door.
* * *
Justin looked from the swinging kitchen door to Gillian’s face and didn’t manage to act fast enough to avoid the arms she threw around his neck as she sat down on the bench seat beside him.
He wanted to curse.
Instead, he looked into Gillian’s deceitful green eyes and pulled on her arms. “What are you doing here?”
She pouted a little but let go of the neck lock. “You’ve always wanted me to come with you to Weaver.” She looked at his nearly empty plate and gave a shudder of horror. “Pancakes? Honey, all those carbs—”
“We broke up,” he interrupted her. “Remember?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I know you didn’t really mean it.” She snuggled close to his side. “That’s what passionate couples like us do. We break up. We make up.”
He would have scooted farther away if he weren’t already wedged in the corner of the booth thanks to the way she’d launched herself at him. “Not this time.” Since he couldn’t move one direction, he moved the other, shoving her along to the edge of the booth. “Get up.”
She didn’t have any choice but to scramble somewhat inelegantly to her feet. It was either that or get pushed off onto the butt of her expensive suede pants. “Justin, honey, don’t be
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