Chapter Eleven
The smack of the bell echoed a ding from the order window. “Table fourteen up,” Holly shouted out. She went back to the grill and started on the next order.
Her parents had returned home the day before, so Holly wasn’t needed at the house anymore. Thus, she’d gotten up early and come into the diner. It felt good to be back. Also, it took her mind off what had happened on the street in front of the consignment store two days ago.
And the call she’d gotten from her cousin yesterday afternoon.
Someone in Chicago loved one of her mirrors.
Holly had let Megan pick one out as a gift for letting her stay there, and Saturday night Megan had thrown a party. One of her guests had fallen in love with Holly’s mirror. The guest said she knew someone who knew someone.
Supposedly those someones would be talking this week.
Six weeks Holly had spent up there, and she couldn’t even get in the door. No one would so much as look at her pieces because they couldn’t get past her. She was small town. A no one.
They wouldn’t give her a chance.
She’d been laughed at by more than one snotty bitch.
“Table two needs two stacks with bacon.”
Holly nodded at Janice’s request and grabbed the tub of batter as her mind returned to Saturday morning out on the sidewalk.
Two total strangers had bought her mirrors out of the back of her car. For a lot of money.
How had that happened?
She looked up through the order window and out the front of the restaurant as she replayed it in her mind. She’d been embarrassed when Zack had lifted the first mirror in his hands. She hadn’t wanted anyone to see those. They meant too much to her.
And then . . . without even trying, she’d sold two pieces.
It made her wonder about the others.
Had it been a fluke?
She could see the consignment store from here. It was closed up now, but would soon open for the day. Should she take some of her originals in there?
People didn’t normally go to the consignment store looking to pay hundreds for a single item, though. It could hurt business as much as help it.
Her gaze landed on the storefront sitting empty on the other side of the square. At one point she’d thought Nick might rent it as an office for his construction company. Joanie had mentioned a while back that he was trying to decide whether he needed a physical location or not. It would be a great spot for him.
But now she wondered if it might not also be a great spot for someone else.
Like her.
And her mirrors.
She’d never considered doing that before, but after what had happened Saturday, the thought had poked around in her head all weekend.
“Three full houses for number six,” another waitress chimed out. The cook who’d replaced Holly when she’d gone to Chicago went to work on the order, and Holly returned to finishing up the pancakes for number two.
If she opened a store, she wouldn’t get to work in here anymore.
Or maybe she could still work mornings here and open the store later in the day.
But she would need time to create her mirrors, as well. And how could she do that if she had a business to run?
Brian came in the back door, his blond hair ruffled from the wind, looking relaxed and happy. As if he’d already had a great morning. Probably it had to do with whatever woman he’d spent the night with. Rarely did he find himself sleeping alone.
She shook her head in amazement. Without Ms. Grayson running around town telling everyone she was hard up for a husband, she couldn’t get a man to notice her. Yet Brian got all the women looking his way.
She flipped the bacon and pulled the pancakes off the grill while Brian shot her a look.
“You back?” he asked.
“Not back,” she said. She wasn’t sure why she said it. Likely she’d be in the diner every morning from here on out. “Just wanted to make sure people don’t forget me.”
Brian popped her with his apron. “No chance of that, brat. Good to have you back.”
“Special request from the front,” Janice called out, and Holly ignored her brother to return to the job. They had a counter that ran across the front. Mostly it was used for people wanting milkshakes later in the day, but when the place was packed, diners sat there too.
She looked up from the grill and her gaze landed on Zack. She smiled. She was glad to see him.
His returning grin gave her heart palpitations.
He hadn’t been around yesterday except for his quick stop in the dining room to grab a scone on his way out the door. He’d left before seven and hadn’t returned until well after she’d gone to her bedroom for the night.
And yeah, she’d been listening.
He hadn’t said where he was going, but if she were to guess, she’d say to see a woman. He was a virile man, after all. There wasn’t much to offer someone like him in Sugar Springs.
Of course, he could have had Gina.
But then, as far as she knew, he had. Possibly Friday and Saturday night both. And hell, maybe that’s who he’d been with all day yesterday.
He’d said Gina had done nothing for him while they’d been dancing, but that didn’t mean she’d given up easily. Plus, Zack had come home well after midnight Friday night. Then he’d gone out again Saturday night.
Not that it mattered. He could do what he wanted.
She could have had her own date anyway. She thought about the two men who’d called her up Saturday afternoon. Yeah, she could have had a date. Or two. But both those men had been looking for only one thing.
She’d danced with each of them at the Bungalow the night before, and had quickly determined that their interest had nothing at all to do with long-term. Unless long-term meant staying until morning.
And she wasn’t even sure either would do that.
No, she wasn’t looking to get laid. That wasn’t what she was about. But it would be nice to have a good man.
She’d also like to give Ms. Grayson a piece of her mind. The old busybody had scurried away the other night before Holly had managed to catch up with her. She still owed her a good talking-to.
Pushing thoughts of old ladies and horny men aside, Holly held up the tub of pancake batter to Zack. He was there to see her. And he’d lost their bet. “You here to pay up?”
God, he’d missed her.
He’d gone only one day without seeing her, yet it had seemed like the longest day of his life. Which was silly and overdramatic. And he didn’t get silly and overdramatic.
But the fact was, being around Holly made Zack’s day better.
Now he needed to get her out from behind the grill so he could see what kind of shoes she had on.
“Only if you join me,” he taunted.
Today her hair was twisted into some sort of braid on the top of her head with a ponytail coming out the middle of it. It reminded him of Barbara Eden in the old reruns of I Dream of Jeannie. Holly didn’t have on the little hat or scarf the character had worn, and there was glittery silver on her eyelids that he didn’t remember Jeannie having, but there was what appeared to be a strand of pearls twined through the braid. From her ears hung tiny pink tassels.
And dipped low in the front was some sort of pink shirt he could only halfway make out.
He wanted to see more.
“You got it.” She nodded and blinked her eyes at the same time and he burst out laughing.
“I knew you were going for an I Dream of Jeannie look.”
She just grinned. The dimple that he loved appeared. “I was in the mood for something different today,” she told him. “I thought about wearing my Jeannie costume that I wore for Halloween a few years back, but decided I didn’t want to have my stomach exposed back here at the grill. That might be more painful than fun.”
Good call, he thought, but bad for him. He wanted to see her stomach exposed.
Just like he wanted to touch her. And kiss her.
And spend the whole day with her.
Saturday had been fun, but it had ended way too soon. She’d refused to talk about her mirrors on the way back to the house, and the minute they’d returned she’d pulled the quad out of the shed and taken off.
He’d been surprised to find himself upset that she hadn’t offered to take him with her.
He’d spent his free time catching up on work and checking in with his boss, then he’d taken Nick up on the offer of dinner. They’d driven into Pigeon Forge and had steaks, watched a baseball game, and drank a couple beers. It had been a good evening.
Things were going well with Nick. Now he had to make the same happen with Cody.
Which was where he was headed next.
He watched as Holly worked in the kitchen. She didn’t appear quite as cheerful and happy as normal. She laughed and smiled with the other cook and with the waitresses as they placed orders at the window, and then elbowed her brother in the stomach when he walked up and said something behind her.
Brian bent down, holding his gut, and peered through the window at Zack. The look wasn’t any more pleasant than it had been Friday night.
Zack stared back at the other man, daring him to say something.
Yeah, Zack wanted Holly. Didn’t mean he was going to act on it.
Couldn’t stop a man from wanting, either.
The stare-off continued until Holly looked up from the grill and caught them. She punched her brother in the arm.
Then she grabbed two plates, and disappeared from sight.
Energy flowed through Zack’s veins. She was coming out to have breakfast with him. He could hardly wait to see what she’d done with his pancakes.
Or what shoes she had on.
“Sprinkles,” she said with a flourish as she set the plate down in front of him.
His pancakes had different-colored dots in them with whipped topping piled high on top. More sprinkles covered all that. It looked disgusting.
“Sprinkles?” he asked in horror.
Her stack was the same. She settled on the stool next to him, then immediately stood on the rungs to reach over the counter and grab a small pitcher of syrup. As she leaned, he took in her head-to-ankle pink attire. The shirt was tight and cut low and her arms were left bare. The jeans hugged her tight. There was another tassel hanging from the belt around her waist, and he fought the urge to tug on it.
She plopped back down on her seat, and he blinked as cleavage bounced in front of him. Dang, but that was a good way to start the day.
“You need sprinkles in your life,” she pronounced. She poured syrup over his breakfast before doing the same to hers. “I figured if anyone was going to give them to you, it would have to be me.”
He stared down at the mess in front of him, trying to get her breasts out of his mind. “You ruined my pancakes.”
“No I didn’t, sugar. I made them happy.”
He liked when she went all Southern and called him sugar. He felt a grin take hold, even though he didn’t mean to. “Happy pancakes?” he asked.
She nodded. “Everyone needs happy pancakes once in a while.”
What the hell was wrong with this woman? And why was he so turned on by the thought that she’d made him happy pancakes?
“Did you realize you’re wearing rainbow-colored shoes with a pink outfit?” he asked.
Her face glowed. “You noticed my shoes?”
She swiveled on the stool and held her legs out in front of her. Wrapped around her feet were sandals that had a stripe for each color of the rainbow. They were atrocious with her outfit.
But they were so Holly.
“How could I help it?” he said. “They make as much sense with your outfit as this crap does on my pancakes.”
He liked teasing her, and when she glared at him, he just laughed.
“You have no imagination at all,” she accused.
She was wrong. He was imagining all sorts of things right now. Ignoring his thoughts, he grabbed his fork and dug in. But he did not let himself moan at the pleasure that erupted in his mouth. Damn, the woman could cook.
“You like them, don’t you?” she teased.
He refused to answer. When he gave her an irritated look and shoved another bite in his mouth, she cackled with laughter. It made his day.
“Hey, Holly.”
They both turned at the words. Keith—from the Bungalow—stood behind Holly, his hands clasped together in front of him. He wasn’t much taller than Holly, but was a decent-enough-looking guy, Zack supposed. He had sandy-colored hair and was dressed in jeans, a pullover, and sneakers. Nothing special. Pretty much standard fare for Sugar Springs.
Just what Holly was looking for.
“Hey, Keith.” Her eyes lit up. “Great to see you. I was just taking a break. Want to join us?”
The man looked hesitant for a second, eyeing Zack as if sizing him up, but then Holly patted the stool beside her and her breasts jiggled in her shirt. Keith sat.
Zack’s good mood vanished.
“What was so funny?” Keith asked.
“Zack just got his first happy pancakes.”
Jealousy flared when Keith looked around her to see what Zack was eating. Zack didn’t want Keith in on happy pancakes.
When the other man’s eyes lingered on the creamy skin of Holly’s breasts for the second time, Zack almost came up off the stool. He wanted to toss the man out the door.
But what Keith looked at wasn’t his business. Especially not if Holly liked him.
“Looks good,” Keith replied. The look in his eyes implied he wasn’t merely talking about the breakfast. “What’s a guy have to do to get him a plate of those?”
Holly turned her grin on Keith. “I can cook you some.”
“Let your brother do it.” The words came out brusque, but Zack didn’t care. He didn’t want her to leave. And he certainly didn’t want her cooking happy pancakes for someone else. When she looked at him in confusion, he added, “Yours will get cold if you don’t eat them.”
My God, he was fighting over pancakes.
And cleavage.
He should have let her go to the back. Then Keith wouldn’t still be eyeing her breasts.
“It’s okay,” she said. She gave an awkward laugh. “I can have happy pancakes anytime. In fact . . .” She pushed her plate over to Keith, and Zack’s mood scraped the ground. “You can have mine,” she practically cooed. “I haven’t taken a bite of them yet.”
“You don’t mind?” the other man asked.
“Not at all.” She looked at him as if he had something she wanted.
Zack’s fingers tightened around his fork, and he lost his appetite. Catching Brian’s smirk from the grill did nothing to help. The brother approved of Keith, then? Or did he simply approve of him more than Zack?
Didn’t matter, he supposed. Keith was better for her.
Zack pulled out his wallet. “What do I owe?” His tone was rude, but he couldn’t make himself care.
“You’re leaving?” She turned her head back to him, and he felt like he was a paddle in a Ping-Pong game. On the losing side.
“I’m meeting Cody at the clinic.”
“Oh. Good.” Her brightness dimmed as she glanced at his plate. “But I’m sorry you didn’t like the pancakes.”
Now he just felt bad. “I loved them.” He softened his tone. “I just need to go.”
Keith eyed him from the other side of Holly. Zack ignored the man.
“How much?” he asked again.
“Nothing,” she said. She put a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”
He flicked another look at Keith. “Fine.”
“Will you let me know how it goes?”
The concern on her face made him stop as he straightened from the stool. He peered down at her, wishing he could have finished his happy pancakes with only her by his side. Wishing he were a different kind of guy and could go for it with her. “You bet.”
Holly watched Zack walk away. He’d worn a pair of his new jeans today and he looked really good in them. So good, she noticed she wasn’t the only one watching him leave. The man had a nice butt.
And he was heading to meet Cody. Nerves filled her at the thought of him meeting with his brother alone. She wanted to go with him. She’d like to hold his hand and help him through it. Though he would probably scoff at the suggestion. He still thought he didn’t need any help.
She wondered why he’d run off so fast, and then remembered Keith sitting on the other side of her. She supposed that was it. He was giving her privacy.
Which was nice.
Though she wasn’t really in the mood to charm Keith. She was in the mood to be with Zack. She’d wanted to have breakfast with him. To ask about his weekend. Even to tell him about the call from her cousin.
Good grief.
Her breath stuck in the back of her throat as she realized what was going on. No, no, no. She barely kept from shaking her head back and forth in a panic. She could not be falling for Zack Winston. He was leaving. This weekend.
She would not let herself care about him.
Plus, there was Keith. He obviously had interest, or he wouldn’t have sought her out. And she did like him.
He was cute and nice, and he had a great butt too. She’d checked it out Friday night.
Might as well take advantage of the situation presented to her and see where it went.
She swiveled back around and flashed him her most winning smile. It occurred to her as she did that he may not appreciate her all-over-pink I-love-Jeannie look. But then, if he didn’t, it was best to find that out now. Because she didn’t want a man who didn’t appreciate all she brought to the table.
And sometimes, she brought Jeannie.
Especially after a weekend of sitting around wondering if Zack was off with another woman.
She’d wanted to be happy that morning, and her outfit had brightened her day.
Keith had eaten only a few bites of his pancakes; mostly he was watching her. His eyes were soft and blue, and they seemed to be smiling gently. It put her at ease.
“I had a good time dancing with you Friday night,” he said. He sounded nervous.
“Me too.” She nibbled at the corner of her lip. God, she hated the dance of dating. She should have never let her mother’s words get to her. She was fine without a man.
Only, yeah, she did want one. In the grand scheme of things, she wanted a husband by her side and babies running around the yard. She wanted a normal, traditional little life. So why not go for it now? Especially since Ms. Grayson had already helped her out.
She held in a sigh. It would be easier to go along at this point than it would be to stop, anyway.
“I looked for you Saturday night,” Keith said. “Was hoping to see you again.”
“I didn’t feel like going out.” She’d still been in a bit of a funk over what had happened with her mirrors out on the street. Plus, she hadn’t been in the mood to fight off the grabby hands of men who thought she was just looking for some action.
“I heard Travis asked you out.”
The words shocked her. “He did.” She nodded. Since she’d turned him down, she wouldn’t have expected Travis to mention asking her out.
“I also heard you didn’t go. I was hoping that means I’m not too late.” He stopped talking and gave a slight shrug. “Listen, I hate this. Dating, I mean.” He shook his head, then started again. “I hate the uncertainty of it. The fear.”
“Dating scares you?”
He laughed lightly. “Believe it or not, asking a girl out terrifies me.”
“But you’ve been married before.”
“Yeah, and I thought that meant I’d never have to ask anyone out again.”
She understood thinking your life would go in one direction, only to find out you had no real clue what you were doing.
He put his fork down and leaned in, his eyes earnest. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the dating part. I love spending time with a woman, getting to know her. I just hate the dance of it all. You know?”
Exactly what she’d been thinking. Maybe there was potential here. She could feel a flicker of hope flame to life.
“Ask me out,” she said in a rush. She wouldn’t find a husband by sitting at home every night. “There’s nothing to fear here.”
His bottom lip was fuller than the top, and when he smiled, she felt a little something stir inside her. It wasn’t exactly a roaring flame. Not like what had stirred when she’d been in Zack’s arms Friday night. But it was definitely a stir.
And she loved stirs.
He nodded, and reached for her hand. “I’d love to ask you out for tonight. Or tomorrow. But I just found out Nick has me heading out of town most of the week for a job. I leave as soon as I finish here. I can run back over Wednesday night, though. I won’t be too far away. How about we drive over to Pigeon Forge for dinner and a show?”
As if he’d overheard the offer, her brother was now shooting dirty looks at Keith. She ignored him. Basically, if a man spoke to her, he got the look. But Keith was sweet. And she thought it was cute that he got nervous asking her out.
If her family had to pick someone for her, she had a feeling Keith would sail through with flying colors.
“I’d love to,” she assured him. She squeezed his hand under hers.
And she almost convinced herself she’d like to go out with him as much as she wanted to spend time with Zack.