Totally Worth Christmas (The Worth Series, Book 4.5: A Copper Country Novella) by Mara Jacobs Page A
Authors: Mara Jacobs
Ads: Link
right, Jeff, I'm in a pissy mood tonight. I'd just be a drag at the club. I'm going to finish my coffee and head home.” He took a quick look at his coffee cup, praying there was some left. Not that he wasn't going to totally ask the waitress for more the second his buddies were out the door.
He let his coat stay on the hook and slid back into the booth, like he'd only gotten up to let Jeff out. Like he'd intended to stay.
And not as though the bolt from seeing the waitress' face, coupled with that body, wasn't what made him sit his ass down. No need to draw anybody else's attention to her.
Luckily, she now followed the older waitress through the doors to the kitchen, and Charlie inwardly sighed with relief that none of his buddies had seen what a looker had been just yards away from them. No way would they be heading off to a sleazy strip club when they could watch this woman walk away from them for a couple more hours.
Ricky and John seemed undecided, hovering between Jeff, who was already zipping up his coat while shooting Charlie a dirty look, and Charlie sitting back in the booth.
“Seriously,” Charlie said to them. “Go ahead. Have fun. Place your dollar bills strategically. Give me a full report tomorrow.”
That seemed to be all Ricky and John needed, following Jeff out of the diner, with only a “Later, dude,” trailing behind them.
The people at the table next to him cleared out, and there was only one other booth on Charlie's side of the diner with customers. He couldn’t see around the corner of the L-shaped counter to know if there were other people still left or not. He sipped from his coffee cup, taking only the smallest amount, willing the cute waitress to come out from behind the swinging kitchen doors and notice him.
As if the gods had heard him, the door swung in Charlie's direction. He held his breath, praying it was the young waitress. It was. And she was heading in his direction. But then she stopped when she saw him sitting in the booth. She turned around and headed away from him and Charlie almost screamed in frustration. But no, she was only going to the coffee maker and grabbing a pot of the blessed brew and bringing it…yes, she was…bringing it to him.
“Care for a refill?” she asked as she reached him.
“Hmm-mmm,” he mumbled, holding his cup out to her. God, had the words “care for a refill” ever sounded so sexy? Her voice was light, airy and had a familiarity to it that went right to his gut. Up close she was even more angelic looking. Her face was heart-shaped, and her eyes were a deep brown that seemed a stark contrast to her light blonde hair.
“There you go,” she said, filling his cup. She turned to walk away, to leave him, and he blurted out, “I didn't go with them.”
She turned back to face him. “Excuse me?”
He put his cup on the table and motioned to the empty seats in his booth. “My friends. I didn't go with them.”
“Oh-kaaay,” she said in a be-nice-to-the-mental-patient kind of way.
“I know you heard them talking about going to a strip club.”
She shrugged noncommittally, and he wondered if maybe she hadn't caught as much of their conversation as he thought. And, more importantly, why did he care one way or another?
But he did. Suddenly it seemed so…
“Important,” he said. “It's important to me that you know I didn't go with them.”
“Listen, it's none of my business if you—”
“But I didn't. Not that I haven't ever gone to one. And I might have even gone tonight, just…because… But then I saw you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I saw you, and it was much more important that I stay right here and hope you walked by than to go out with my buddies.”
The coffee pot in her hand dipped a couple of inches, but she didn't drop it. She did, however, take a much closer look at Charlie. Her scrutiny should have made him squirm, but he held her gaze, didn't look away.
“You would have had better luck at the strip
He let his coat stay on the hook and slid back into the booth, like he'd only gotten up to let Jeff out. Like he'd intended to stay.
And not as though the bolt from seeing the waitress' face, coupled with that body, wasn't what made him sit his ass down. No need to draw anybody else's attention to her.
Luckily, she now followed the older waitress through the doors to the kitchen, and Charlie inwardly sighed with relief that none of his buddies had seen what a looker had been just yards away from them. No way would they be heading off to a sleazy strip club when they could watch this woman walk away from them for a couple more hours.
Ricky and John seemed undecided, hovering between Jeff, who was already zipping up his coat while shooting Charlie a dirty look, and Charlie sitting back in the booth.
“Seriously,” Charlie said to them. “Go ahead. Have fun. Place your dollar bills strategically. Give me a full report tomorrow.”
That seemed to be all Ricky and John needed, following Jeff out of the diner, with only a “Later, dude,” trailing behind them.
The people at the table next to him cleared out, and there was only one other booth on Charlie's side of the diner with customers. He couldn’t see around the corner of the L-shaped counter to know if there were other people still left or not. He sipped from his coffee cup, taking only the smallest amount, willing the cute waitress to come out from behind the swinging kitchen doors and notice him.
As if the gods had heard him, the door swung in Charlie's direction. He held his breath, praying it was the young waitress. It was. And she was heading in his direction. But then she stopped when she saw him sitting in the booth. She turned around and headed away from him and Charlie almost screamed in frustration. But no, she was only going to the coffee maker and grabbing a pot of the blessed brew and bringing it…yes, she was…bringing it to him.
“Care for a refill?” she asked as she reached him.
“Hmm-mmm,” he mumbled, holding his cup out to her. God, had the words “care for a refill” ever sounded so sexy? Her voice was light, airy and had a familiarity to it that went right to his gut. Up close she was even more angelic looking. Her face was heart-shaped, and her eyes were a deep brown that seemed a stark contrast to her light blonde hair.
“There you go,” she said, filling his cup. She turned to walk away, to leave him, and he blurted out, “I didn't go with them.”
She turned back to face him. “Excuse me?”
He put his cup on the table and motioned to the empty seats in his booth. “My friends. I didn't go with them.”
“Oh-kaaay,” she said in a be-nice-to-the-mental-patient kind of way.
“I know you heard them talking about going to a strip club.”
She shrugged noncommittally, and he wondered if maybe she hadn't caught as much of their conversation as he thought. And, more importantly, why did he care one way or another?
But he did. Suddenly it seemed so…
“Important,” he said. “It's important to me that you know I didn't go with them.”
“Listen, it's none of my business if you—”
“But I didn't. Not that I haven't ever gone to one. And I might have even gone tonight, just…because… But then I saw you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I saw you, and it was much more important that I stay right here and hope you walked by than to go out with my buddies.”
The coffee pot in her hand dipped a couple of inches, but she didn't drop it. She did, however, take a much closer look at Charlie. Her scrutiny should have made him squirm, but he held her gaze, didn't look away.
“You would have had better luck at the strip
Similar Books
