Chapter Five
Greer climbed out of Xander’s Bronco when he parked. She’d suggested Moonlight Bay Restaurant and Bakery because after the day she’d had, she really wanted pie. Pie was her weakness. She couldn’t make it, but damn, she could win any pie eating contest in the county.
They walked through the door and one of the waitresses smiled as she rushed by. “Hey, Greer. Be right back.”
Xander quirked a brow at her and she shrugged. “That’s Kelsey. We went to high school together. Plus, I come here a lot. They have really good pie. The chocolate is to die for.”
He chuckled. “I’m sold.”
The décor of the restaurant was very nineteen fifties, down to the framed Doris Day movie posters. The one for the restaurant’s namesake was front and center on the wall behind the cash register, featuring a young Gordan MacRae and Doris Day smiling while they sang.
On Moonlight Bay was one of her favorites, because it had been her mom’s too. They’d watch it all the time when she was growing up.
Her mom had also been obsessed with pie, although she could actually bake one.
Her heart squeezed. Even though this place often brought up memories of her parents, she couldn’t stop coming here. She wanted those memories alive, no matter how painful they might be.
When the waitress, Kelsey Mackintosh, came back, and Greer accepted her hug with affection. Kelsey was a sweet woman with dark hair threaded with teal and magenta streaks, and bright green eyes. They had gone to movies and dinner sporadically, but they didn’t hang out a lot. Kelsey worked two jobs and was finishing up her degree online. Greer assumed that didn’t leave a lot of time for socializing.
“Let’s get you a table. Is this your new guy?” Kelsey asked.
Greer blushed. “No, this is my friend, Xander Thorson. I had a bit of an accident this morning and he was there to help.”
Kelsey smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, I just figured since you and Sam weren’t together, you’d moved up.”
Greer blinked at her, completely floored. “Huh? Sam and I didn’t break up.”
Kelsey looked as though she was about to fall over with shock. “You…you didn’t?”
“No, what gave you that idea?”
Greer was very much aware of Xander at her back, but her heart was racing too fast, her palms sweating buckets. She had a feeling that Kelsey was about to drop a huge bomb on her and she almost wished she could take back the question.
“He…he’s here with Patty Simcox.”
Greer almost burst out laughing with relief. “So? They work together. It makes sense they would have lunch together.”
“Greer, they’re having more than lunch. They’re making out in the back booth.”
Her stomach dropped out, and humiliation boiled through her bloodstream, burning her skin. Her emotions warred within her; confusion, anger, and surprisingly…acceptance? She was embarrassed that he’d made a fool of her, but the one good thing about this whole scenario was that after she confronted him, she would be free.
“Right or the left?” she asked.
“They’re on the right-hand side. Just don’t break anything.”
Greer appreciated Kelsey’s attempt to lighten the mood. If Greer had been any other woman, she might have just walked away and handled this quietly, but she deserved respect. Sam sneaking around on her, coming into her favorite restaurant and making an idiot out of her would not stand.
Greer turned to Xander with a tight smile, taking in his somber expression. “Do you mind if we take our meal to go?”
“No.”
“Good. I’ll be right back.”
Greer marched through the restaurant to the last booth on the right. She stopped at the edge of the table, waiting for Sam and Patty come up for air and notice her. His back was to her, but Patty’s blue eyes popped open wide as she jerked away from Sam.
“What’s the matter, baby?” he asked, before he turned around. The minute his gaze met Greer’s, all the color drained from his face. She’d always thought Sam was handsome, but now, all she saw was a black-haired worm in a nice suit.
“I guess you didn’t get my messages?” Greer said pleasantly.
“Greer, I—
She held up her hand to cut him off. “No need to explain. I mean, while I was getting checked out in the hospital for a possible brain bleed, my boyfriend was getting it on with his coworker. Nice to see you, Patty. Is that a new shade of lipstick? If it’s one of those long-lasting ones, I’d get my money back because it is all over Sam’s lips.”
Sam wiped at his mouth, but she’d just been messing with him. The only thing on his face was a dumbass expression.
“It’s not what you think,” he said.
“Oh, please, enlighten me, as to what kind of work emergency requires the two of you to swap spit?”
“There’s no need to be vulgar,” he said.
“Vulgar? Vulgar? I catch you cheating on me in my favorite restaurant, and I’m uncouth? No. You are a dirt bag, and I am out of here.” She was just about to turn and leave but paused to knock his glass over, satisfied when he jumped with a curse as ice landed in his lap.
“I hope you two are very happy together.”
She walked back down the aisle of tables and booths, ignoring the shocked and curious gazes following her. So, she might have gone too far making a scene but his betrayal had stung, especially because she’d been freaking out about hurting Sam. Only it turned out, Sam would have been just fine if she’d been honest with him about finding the ring and how she really felt about him. Maybe the ring had been for Patty all along.
Part of her wanted to turn around and ask who the ring had been for, but she didn’t care enough to find out. Whether it was for her while he was fooling around with Patty or Patty while he was still with Greer, all either answer would prove was that he was a dog, and she deserved better.
Maybe Patty did too, but she wasn’t feeling too charitable at the moment. She’d been into the bank just last week, and Patty had known he was taken.
The only good thing that had come out of her and Sam was meeting Xander, a virtual stranger.
Who happened to be holding a white pie box in his hand.
“Kelsey is getting our food. She told me she knew what you usually ordered, so I hope that’s fine.”
“It’s perfect, what’s in the box?”
“A Chocolate Death pie.”
Just what she needed. “That is perfect.”
“Don’t look now, but I think your ex just stood up and is looking our way.”
“Eff him with a pinecone,” she said.
Xander let loose with one of those great laughs she’d come to love in the few hours they spent together.
“He’s headed toward us.”
Kelsey came out from the pickup window and handed them their bag of food. Then she made a shooing motion. “Run. I’ll hold him off.”