Four weeks later…

Betsy’s Place hopped with activity during the lunch hour rush. Waitresses swept by the booths carrying trays laden with delicious food—baskets of burgers and fries, bowls of dirty rice, selections of deep-fried delights, and even seafood. The smells were tangy, salty, and just fucking mouthwatering.

“What I tell you about this place, huh?” I grinned at Becca over my menu. “It’s the hottest restaurant in town for a reason.”

She smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Becca had been reserved the past few days, which was weird, after the weeks we’d spent falling into each other. I’d figured we’d passed the awkward phase of our relationship.

In fact, I’d banked on it. I’d pretty much made the decision to stay in Stoneport. All that was left to do now was unpack my half-packed boxes and find a new place to work. Slim pickings in this town, given that Crown’s practice was the only one around.

“Becca?”

“Huh?” She lifted her head and looked at me as if she’d only just realized we were out to lunch together. Yep, something definitely had her freaked.

“What’s up, angel?” I asked. “You’re acting weird.”

“Astute observation,” she replied and took a sip of her soda. No straw—save the environment, that kind of thing. “I’m feeling weird, so that’s probably why I’m acting weird.”

“And why are you feeling weird? Since we’re into sharing our feelings now.”

Becca pressed her lips together and scooched closer to the table. She leaned in and inhaled, searching my face. “OK,” she said. “OK, but you have to promise not to get pissed.”

“Oh boy, that’s always a good sign.”

“I’m serious, Mason.”

“All right, all right.” I lifted a hand. “I won’t get pissed. I swear. Now, spill. You’ve got me on the edge of my seat here. Literally.”

“I quit at the practice two days ago.”

“What?!” I sat back again, taking that in. “Why?”

“Well, you know how the medical board reviewed the case that Perry opened against you and let you keep your medical license?” she asked.

“Yeah?” It had been more than a huge relief. We’d celebrated it last week with a home-cooked meal. Rebecca had done most of the cooking, since it was in her wheelhouse, and I’d done most of the distracting with my fingers, mouth, and other appendages, since that was in mine.

“Turns out, they reviewed the case that I opened against Perry, and he’s not suspended either. He returned to work a couple days ago. So, I outright quit. No notice. Crown was understanding about it, though. I feel kinda bad for leaving him in the lurch without a replacement, but I just couldn’t be around that cheeseball a second longer. So now, I’m out of a job.”

And so was I. “Shit,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Well, shit. Why would I be mad about you quitting?”

“Not about quitting, just about not telling you that Perry was back.”

“He didn’t try anything, did he?” The anger I’d sworn I’d hold at bay flooded in. I made a fist on top of the table and Rebecca reached across and brushed it with her fingertips. Slowly, she peeled my hand open, one finger at a time. “Becca?”

“No, he didn’t. You know I won’t stand for that shit. I just couldn’t picture myself working there with him. He’d only wind up making some unpleasant comment, and I’d probably pop him one in the jaw and end up fired anyway.”

I grinned at the image of her whacking Perry. The fucker had it coming in life. Some form of wake-up call that’d set him straight. Then again, it was probably too late for him to be set straight.

“So, I’m acting weird because I’m basically back to square one. There’s nowhere for me to work, and though the house is pretty much fixed up, thanks to all your hard work, I’m up a creek without a paddle.”

“I can help you out,” I said, immediately. “I’ve got plenty of savings. How much do you need to get by?”

“That’s really generous of you, but I don’t think it would be advisable. Or appropriate.”

“Fuck appropriate. You need help. I’m here to help,” I replied. “Consider it a loan until you can get back on your feet.”

“No, Mason, it’s really fine. I’ll just find somewhere else to work. There are plenty of receptionist jobs around.” She shrugged and took another swig of soda.

Just then, the waitress arrived with our food. A delicious home-cooked plate of lasagna for Becca, and a hamburger and fries for me. We tucked in, and I watched her eat. She savored every bite, shutting her eyes from time to time, a smile flitting across her lips.

“You shouldn’t get another receptionist job,” I said. “That’s not what you’re passionate about. You should get a job here, at Betsy’s.”

“I tried, remember?”

“Yeah, four weeks ago. Maybe she’s got an opening now,” I replied. “There’s no harm in asking. C’mon, angelface, if you’re not going to take my money at least humor me here by asking her. She’s behind the bar.” I gestured with a fry toward her.

Betsy was one of those rare people in Stoneport who didn’t make judgments on your character but simply got to know you for who you were. Then, if she really didn’t like you, she’d simply tell you the truth.

“Yeah, maybe I should,” Becca said and put down her fork, still laden with cheesy lasagna. “What could it hurt?”

“It couldn’t,” I replied.

“All right, be right back then.” She rose and touched two fingers to my hand. “Thanks. I appreciate your support, handsome.”

“Anytime.”

She walked off, shoulders back and her gorgeous ass swaying in her cutoff jeans, and I took the opportunity to admire her curves. OK, so my insistence on her asking Betsy if she had a position open wasn’t entirely selfless. I licked my lips and envisioned what I’d do to Becca the minute we got back to her place.

Unspeakable things.

I grinned and tucked into my hamburger. My mood had improved two-million-fold since meeting this woman. All the tension and bitterness had seeped out of me. I still had the occasional doubts, but I could dismiss them easier now. Write them off as throwbacks to my previous relationship and the fuck-up it’d been.

The more time I spent with Becca, the easier it became to dismiss my shitty past and live in the present.

“Hey, Mace.” The voice froze all the happy feelings solid and replaced them with cool irritation. I looked up and met Tabitha’s gaze. She’d dyed her hair pale pink and wore even less clothing than the last time I’d run into her.

I focused on my burger again and chewed on. We’d moved past the point where we had anything to say to each other.

“Mind if I sit down?”

“What do you think, Tabitha?” I asked, finally placing my burger back in its basket. “As you can probably tell from the half-eaten fucking lasagna across from me, I’m not here alone. We’ve said everything we need to say to each other. Leave.”

“Mace, please. I know we’ve had a rocky past, but I need to talk to you. It’s urgent. I just—” Her bottom lip trembled. Tabitha slid into the seat opposite me with a beleaguered sigh. “I need someone to talk to, and I know you’ll understand.”

I stared at her blankly. Had she not heard me tell her I wasn’t interested in a discussion? This was typical Tabitha. Stubborn as shit and resistant to doing anything other than what she wanted to do.

“It’s about Perry,” Tabitha whined on, oblivious to my disdain for her. And my lack of interest. “He’s been acting strangely, Mace, and I’m just not sure what to make of it. I’m scared he’s losing interest in me.”

“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what he’s doing. Or what you’re doing for that matter. Fuck off, Tabitha.”

She jerked back and stared at me, as if I’d physically accosted her. “Mace—”

“Fuck off,” I repeated, calmly. My gaze moved past her to the fast-approaching figure—the ever-gorgeous Becca returning from the bar with a smile on her face. She spotted Tabitha, and it faltered. That only made me angrier. “Now.”

Tabitha snapped out of the chair, glaring hot daggers at me, which I casually ignored. She knew better than to throw that shit my way. It’d never worked while we’d been together, and it wouldn’t work now.

My ex huffed and spun around, spotted Becca, and stiffened. “Oh,” she said, loudly, “I see why you don’t want to talk, Mason. Still hung up on playing around with women way below your league. I guess some things never change.” She took two steps forward and met Becca head on. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you about him. You’ll regret ever having met him, mark my words.” She strode past Becca, bumping into her shoulder as she did, and made for the exit. The glass front door slapped shut behind her.

Becca slipped back into her seat across from me, a frown wrinkling that perfect forehead. “What was that about?”

“No idea. Some shit about Perry. I told her to get lost. Anyway, who gives one, right? What happened with you? What did Betsy say?”

She beamed back at me. “Turns out, she does have an opening. One of her fry cooks was in an accident yesterday, and she needs a replacement as soon as possible. Shoot, I probably shouldn’t be smiling given that the only reason there’s an opening is because someone got hurt.”

“Fuck that,” I replied. “That’s awesome. At least one of us has some prospects now.”

“Right?” Becca tucked into her lasagna happily. It was great to see her this way—smiling, kidding around, eating like a pig. Man, I loved how messy she was when she ate. “What about you?” she asked between bites. “Anything in the cards?”

“The cards say I’ll probably be living off my savings for a while longer,” I replied. “But that’s fine by me.”

“Maybe you should start your own practice?”

“I’ve thought about it,” I replied and left it at that, digging into my fries instead of expanding on the thought. The only problem with that was I’d signed a non-compete with Crown. I couldn’t set anything up for a good year. It was either go back and work with jackass Perry, which might be out of the question now, or figure something else out.

Either way, I’d made the damn decision to stay. Becca still didn’t know I’d planned on leaving, and I’d be more than fine with keeping it that way. Telling her now would only make her think I’d been using her at the start of our fling, which wasn’t true.

I’d been addicted to her. The moving had been pushed to the back of my mind.

Now that I was set on staying, all I had to do was unpack my boxes again. It’d take me an afternoon. An idea popped into my head.

“Hey,” I said and grabbed a napkin. I brushed off the corners of my mouth. “What do you say we celebrate tonight? You come over to my place around seven?”

“Your place, huh?” She raised an eyebrow.

I’d never invited her over, primarily because we’d been busy fixing up the Starr house, and partially because I’d been too busy to unpack my boxes.

“Yeah,” I replied. “My place. I’ve got something special planned. Candles, wine, a blanket, no clothes…”

“You sure know how to convince a girl,” Becca replied as she scraped a slice of bread through the meat sauce on her plate.

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Hell yes.” And there was no hesitation there, no fear. Fuck, this was insane. I’d planned on leaving Stoneport in my dust, and instead I’d found the one woman who made me want to stay.

“It’s a date,” I replied.