Chapter 4

The next morning Allison went into work a little anxious.

She’d been exhausted the night before, after all the yard work she’d done, so she’d gone to sleep right away. But she’d woken up in the middle of the night, thinking about Rob, replaying the kiss they’d shared, imagining what would have happened if they’d taken it further, reminding herself of all the reasons it was a good thing she’d put a stop to it.

He’d said they could still be friends, and he hadn’t looked too unhappy or annoyed with her as he’d left her house—but she was still worried. Rob was the best thing about living in Fielding right now, and she didn’t want to lose him.

There were more early customers than usual, so she’d barely had time to show Chelle her new shoes—which she’d bought with Vicki on Saturday—when she was pulled away to take a large family with very loud kids. A steady stream of customers came in from six to seven, and she couldn’t help but wonder why a Monday morning was so busy at the restaurant.

Surely more people would want to sleep in as long as possible on Mondays.

She kept glancing at the clock, waiting for Rob to make an appearance. If he didn’t come in today, then she would know things had changed between them.

She really hoped he’d show up.

At five after seven she was getting jittery, trying to get the exuberant family refills—they’d finished eating a half hour ago but still hadn’t left their table—and take the order of a group of elderly women who had come in for what looked like a Bible study.

He always came in between six thirty and seven. Surely Rob wasn’t that awkward or disappointed in her. He was obviously attracted to her, but it wasn’t like he had anything else invested in her. He could have any woman he wanted in this town. She saw all the admiring looks whenever he walked into Dora’s. It wouldn’t hurt him to just be friends with her.

When she turned around after taking an order, she almost slumped in relief when she saw him come in, grinning at someone behind him.

It was Ernie, the old guy in overalls who came in by himself most mornings. Rob was saying something friendly to him. He was nice to everyone.

Allison had never met anyone like him before.

When he saw her looking in his direction, he gave her a warm smile, and Allison relaxed completely. It was fine. Everything was going to be fine between them. One random kiss wasn’t going to get in the way.

She was up to serve him, so she walked over to his place at the counter with the coffeepot and a mug.

“Your yard is looking good today,” he said with another smile.

“I know.” She couldn’t help the silly thrill of pride at the memory of how nice and neat her yard had looked when she’d left that morning. “I dread when all those weeds start coming back. You want your usual?” His usual was eggs, bacon, and wheat toast.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

She scrawled out his order and carried it back to hang on the rack in the kitchen, feeling pleased with the world again now that things were settled.

Her satisfaction only lasted a minute, since the huge family still wasn’t leaving their table, and the toddler had dumped his milk. Then one of the Bible study ladies changed her mind about her order, so Allison had to run back and make the adjustment. Then three tables came in at the same time, and two of them were hers, so she juggled taking orders and bringing beverages for a few minutes.

Then she realized that Rob’s plate had been ready for a few minutes, and she hadn’t brought it over to him.

“I’m sorry,” she said, hurrying it over. “Is it still hot?”

He took a bite of the bacon. “It’s just fine. Why is it so busy today?”

“I have no idea. What is it about Monday mornings that makes people want to eat breakfast out?”

“I can’t answer that question. I eat breakfast out every day.”

Before she could reply to this, he said, “If you want to keep the weeds down in your beds, you should mulch them.”

She blinked at the abrupt shift. “Oh. Yeah. I should, I guess.” She sighed. “That’s probably more than I can afford right now, though.”

“It’ll wait,” he said easily, chewing his toast thoughtfully.

“Yeah.” She gave a little laugh. “Who would believe the day would ever come when I lusted after mulch.”

Rob chuckled appreciatively, and she couldn’t help but shiver at the look in his eyes.

He certainly wasn’t looking at her like he remembered they were supposed to be friends. He was looking at her like he wanted to kiss her again.

A man across the room was making the scribbling sign at her, obviously asking for his check. Allison waved to acknowledge him and quickly ran back to get it.

It wasn’t a good idea for her to focus on Rob too much. If she didn’t do a good job serving tables, Trey might be unhappy with her. Not to mention her tips would go down.

When she brought the ticket over, she had to listen to the man complain about the wait. Her first instinct was to point out that he’d waited less than two minutes, but she managed to bite back the response. No one had to tell her that talking back wasn’t a good idea for a waitress. She dropped her eyes and murmured an apology.

The man grumbled as he got up to pay, and Allison was glad to see him leave. She glanced to Rob automatically and saw he was watching her. He gave her a little wink, and she hid a smile as she hurried to the kitchen.

When Rob left his tip, the note on his napkin said, You look great in those jeans. R.

A week later, Rob was sitting at the counter in his normal position, waiting for his breakfast. Allison’s attention was occupied by an elderly couple he didn’t recognize in the corner, who appeared to have questions about every item on the menu.

He wondered how she could keep smiling when she must be getting impatient, but she was really good at the waitress face and her friendliness never wavered.

“Hey, man,” a voice came from behind him.

Rob turned to see Keith take the stool next to him. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

“Martha and the kids are visiting her mother, so it’s either this or a moldy piece of bread for breakfast.”

Rob chuckled. “How long is she gone for?”

“They left Friday, and they’ll be back on Wednesday.”

“That’s not too bad.”

“I guess I’ll survive.”

Allison finally finished up with the couple, and she grabbed a menu on her way toward them, offering it to Keith. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Definitely.” Then Keith turned to Rob. “You’ve got to help me build this shed. I told Martha it would be done by the time she got back, and it’s not progressing the way I thought.”

“How far have you gotten?”

Keith gave him a dubious look.

Rob shook his head with a huff of dry amusement. “I can come over after work, if you want. But you’re responsible for the beer.”

“Done. I dread what she’ll say if it’s still half finished when she gets back.” Keith accepted the coffee Allison brought him and took a large gulp. “Speaking of wives, they say that Dee’s been hanging out at Trevor’s every night this week.”

Trevor’s was the bar in the next town over, more rowdy than most of the establishments in the county. Rob had hung out there when he was young, but he hadn’t enjoyed it in years. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“I don’t know. That’s just what they’re saying.”

“She goes through spells. She’ll drink herself into a stupor and then sober up and try to be good. It’s mostly Cali I’m worried about.”

“Did you hear she’s been seeing that Nelson boy?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard stories that he’s not a good guy.”

“I’ve heard the stories too. Cali says he’s great to her.” Rob shrugged. “Maybe the stories are wrong.”

Keith scowled. “If he’s a Nelson, I doubt it.”

All of the men in the Nelson family were losers or criminals. So far, there hadn’t been any exceptions. Rob wished Cali hadn’t hooked up with that boy.

He was so distracted that he didn’t even see Allison coming over to him with a plate. She looked pretty and polished, as she always did, and his eyes did a quick once-over, taking in her body before he raised his gaze to her face. “Thanks.”

She gave him a smile, showing a little dimple to the side of her mouth. “Has anyone ever had a chat with you about cholesterol?”

Rob blinked, and Keith gave a snort of amusement.

“You eat eggs and bacon every day,” Allison added, as if she weren’t sure he’d followed her line of thinking.

“I hate cereal,” he explained.

“There are a few other breakfast options besides eggs and bacon and cereal, you know.” Her eyes were laughing, and Rob couldn’t help but be pleased that she’d thought about his health, even in a teasing way.

“Not very many. I’m not a smoothie kind of guy.”

Her eyes were still resting on his face. “Yeah. I wouldn’t have thought you were. Enjoy your eggs and bacon, and say a little prayer for your arteries.”

Rob was grinning like a dope as she walked away, and he had an uncomfortable sense that Keith could read his mind.

“Well, obviously you’re into her more than ever,” Keith said once she was out of earshot, “but you haven’t had much luck interesting her.”

“She likes me.”

“Sure—just like she likes Trey and Ernie over there. She hasn’t said yes to a date yet, has she?”

“Not yet. But I haven’t asked.”

“You might as well give up. She’s never going to fall for someone like you.”

Rob knew his friend was joking, trying to rile him up, and he knew he shouldn’t fall for it. But he felt defensive anyway. “You don’t know that.”

“She’s used to dating rich guys who can buy her yachts and shit.”

“She doesn’t want a yacht. She wants mulch for her yard.”

“Right now, maybe. But a girl like that…” Keith nodded toward Allison, who was bringing two plates out from the kitchen for the indecisive couple against the wall. “She’s going to get tired of mulch and eventually want a yacht.”

Rob didn’t respond, but he didn’t think that was true. Allison was different. She enjoyed simple things. She wasn’t a snob like she might have seemed initially. She actually tried to get to know the people who came into the restaurant, and she was happy with her little house.

She might be beautiful and elegant and more sophisticated than the people around her, but she didn’t belong on a yacht.

She wasn’t a mistake—the way the women he’d hooked up with before had been. She wasn’t going to humiliate him or turn him into a fool in the eyes of the town. He wasn’t going to feel powerless with her, the way he had in his previous relationships.

Allison was different.

Rob wanted her more than ever, and he wasn’t going to give up after just a couple of weeks.

“I’m going to go ahead and take my break,” Allison told Trey, ducking her head into his micro-office and catching him scratching his crotch.

“Sure. Go ahead. Just be back by eleven.”

The lunch crowd—mostly the seniors—started coming in early closer to noon. She was hungry, and her feet were hurting, but it hadn’t been a particularly difficult day. Chelle and Gus always went behind the building for their break, so they could smoke in peace, but Allison headed for her car, where she’d left a pack of crackers this morning.

She liked to be alone during her breaks, so her car was pretty much her only option.

She waved at Ernie, who liked to sit in a chair on the sidewalk across the street while he did his clothes in the Laundromat. “Leaving early?” he called out.

“Just taking my break.”

“Nice day, isn’t it?”

It was a very hot day with humidity so thick she felt like she had to push through it, but she just smiled and waved again as she continued to her car at the back of the parking lot next to the building.

She couldn’t believe she’d worked at Dora’s for a whole month now. She knew all the regulars. She knew whether to ask them about their kids, grandkids, dogs, or horses. Every day, when she looked in the mirror, it was like looking at a stranger. She kept telling herself that this was what it looked like to be independent, but it was still a disorienting visual. She had a ponytail and comfortable (not very attractive) shoes, and even the cigarette smell that wafted in with about half the customers didn’t make her sick like it used to.

A year ago she never would have thought she could be content in this life, but she was happier now than in that last year married to Arthur. At least she could decide what she wanted to do for herself. At least she could eat a bowl of ice cream without feeling guilty about putting on a pound. At least she didn’t have to listen to his lectures.

Last night she’d been standing on a stepladder on her front stoop, trying to change a bulb above the front door. The fixture was old, though, and the bulb had broken with part of it still stuck in the fixture, so she hadn’t been able to get it out. After fifteen minutes of working on it, Rob had come over from across the street. He’d pulled out his little multitool and had the piece of lightbulb out in about two minutes.

He’d lingered, asking her about her day and telling her about a funny guy who had come into his store that day. He’d looked like he wouldn’t mind being invited in for a beer, but Allison didn’t have any beer, and she was worried about having Rob over in the evenings.

She might do something she’d made a decision not to do.

He’d never invited her over to his house. She had no idea why—unless he had a wife hidden away in the attic or he didn’t want to put away an embarrassing porn collection.

Thinking about Rob, she pulled this morning’s napkin out of her pocket. She’d had an annoyed customer who’d been giving her a hard time. Rob had written, Jake complains about everything. Don’t listen to him. You’re great. R.

She smiled like an idiot as she read it and then jumped in surprise when her phone rang, as if she’d been caught doing something naughty.

It was Vicki, so Allison grinned as she picked it up.

After the normal comments and catching up, Vicki said, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were starting to like being a small-town waitress.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m getting used to it, but this is definitely not how I want to spend my life. I’m still dreaming of my little jewelry shop to get me through the days.”

“When are you going to start taking classes again?”

“I don’t know.” Allison sighed, a familiar heaviness overcoming her as she thought about her future. The jewelry-shop dream was easy and encouraging, but any active step toward it felt like a huge burden she didn’t have the energy to tackle yet.

“I thought you were going to start as soon as possible.”

“I am. I’m just still so tired when I get home from work. I’m not sure I’d have the energy to take a class on top of that yet. Plus, I’m still worried about spending money.”

“But you’re making money now.”

“Yeah, but not much. You’d be horrified by how little I make. I can’t tell you how depressing it is to work all day and have so little to show for it.”

“But you’re getting by, aren’t you?” Vicki usually sounded light and amused, but there was a note of concern in her voice now.

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m getting by just fine. Having the house and car helps. I’m not sure what I’d do if I had to add those payments on top of my other expenses.” She shook her head, feeling an intense surge of sympathy for some of the young women who came into the restaurant, trying to get by on so little money.

“Still, what you’re doing is hard enough. I’m in awe of you, you know.”

Allison snorted. “Thanks a lot.”

“Speaking of awe…” Vicki’s voice changed.

“Something about Arthur?”

“We saw him the other night at a gallery opening.”

“Oh yeah? Was he as pompous and patronizing as ever?”

“More so, I’d say. He asked about you.”

“I hope you told him I was having the time of my life.”

“Of course I did. He just gave that creepy smile of his and said, ‘She’ll be back.’ ” Vicki pitched her voice low to imitate Arthur.

“What?” Allison had been sitting in the backseat of her car with the door hanging open, but at this she stood up. “He thinks I’m coming back to him?”

“I guess so.”

“Bastard,” Allison breathed.

“So you’re never tempted at all?” Vicki asked, more softly now, as if worried about her friend’s response to the question.

“No. Never. Never, ever. Even in the slightest.”

“Good. I’m proud of you.”

Allison laughed and said she needed to get back to work, so they hung up with promises to get together on the weekend.

When the call had ended, Allison’s smile faded. She stared at the phone in her hand, feeling suddenly like a failure.

Nothing she’d done in the last month would impress Arthur in the slightest. He’d never see it as a victory. It didn’t matter—of course it didn’t—but she would never get that small moment of vindication in proving she could be happy without her ex. He would never believe it was true.

“Allison,” a voice called out from the sidewalk.

She lowered her phone and straightened up when she recognized Rob, crunching through the gravel parking lot toward her. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

“I was walking over to Dora’s. I have a meeting in a little while and promised I’d get lunch.” He was grinning as he approached her, and he looked golden in the light, the sun gleaming off his brown hair and tanned skin.

“Oh. The meeting must be why you’re all dressed up today.”

Rob’s dressed-up look involved a long-sleeve shirt and a tie. She wondered if he even owned a suit. He tugged at his tie and made a face. “I hate this thing.”

She chuckled and then glanced over toward Dora’s. “Well, promise me you’ll get a salad for lunch.”

“Why would I get a salad?”

“You can’t eat burgers every day on top of eggs and bacon.”

Rob glanced down at his very flat belly and gave it a little pat.

“I’m not suggesting you’re getting fat,” Allison said with a laugh, looking away from his abs, since she had the sudden urge to touch them, even through his shirt. “I’m worried about your arteries.”

“My arteries are fine.”

She frowned at him and made a humming sound to show her disbelief.

He stepped forward, one of his hands curving around her hip. His voice was lower and thicker as he asked, “Shall I tell you what’s fine about you?”

Her breath hitched, and she flushed hot, but she managed to remove his hand from her hip. “We’re not doing that. Remember?”

His eyes were hot and soft and incredibly appealing as he murmured, “Maybe I was hoping you would change your mind.”

She was hit with a wave of attraction the likes of which she’d never experienced before. Her vision actually blurred and her knees were close to buckling. It would be so easy to lose herself for a while in this strong, sexy, good-hearted man. He would make her feel better about herself. He would make her feel better about everything.

He would make her feel good.

It just didn’t seem right, though, when she couldn’t imagine it ever turning into a long-term thing.

She gave him a little smile and pulled herself together. “I better get back inside. My break is over.”

He let out a hoarse sigh and stepped back. “Of course it is.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, so she didn’t say anything as they walked inside together.

A week later Rob decided he was making some progress with Allison.

He was sure she was attracted to him. He’d seen it in her eyes more and more lately. She liked him too. She visibly brightened up whenever she saw him. Sure, he wasn’t her kind of guy at all, but people didn’t always go for the people they expected.

He wasn’t a bad catch. He had a good business, a house, and no debt, and he wasn’t the worst-looking person in the world. He wouldn’t be a bad choice for her.

Maybe when she was ready to start a relationship again after her divorce, she’d look to him.

He was eating his toast and watching her chat with Chelle in a lull between orders. It wasn’t a very busy morning. There were only three other tables occupied right now.

Chelle was telling Allison about spending the summers in her camper by the river. Allison’s expression was bemused—as if she couldn’t believe someone would want to do that—but she was listening for real, sincerely interested in understanding the appeal.

Rob could see it on her face. She liked Chelle, no matter how different they were. Allison had only lived in Fielding for five weeks and was still getting used to a very different culture, but she didn’t look down on the people around her.

He thought maybe she would really like it, once she got used to it.

He’d lived here all his life, and he never wanted to leave. It was a really good town to live in.

He was distracted from his thoughts by raised voices entering the restaurant. He recognized them even before he turned around to see Dee and Cali coming in.

He had to stifle a groan. He’d been doing really well with Allison lately. He didn’t want to scare her off with the messiness that still lingered from his past mistakes.

He frowned as they both came over to sit on the stools next to him. Dee was screeching about how Cali never listened to her.

“Would you quiet down?” he rasped, leaning over and giving her a stern look. “What are you doing here so early?” They never came in for breakfast. The only reason either one of them would be here was to talk to him.

Dee turned toward him, as if about to unleash her anger on him. “Would you tell her she can’t see that jackass anymore?”

“Rob’s not my father,” Cali snapped. “He can’t tell me anything.”

The whole restaurant was hearing them. Rob couldn’t imagine what Allison would be thinking. He’d done a good job giving her the impression that he had it all together. This wasn’t going to help at all.

“But I’m your mom, and you never listen to me!”

Rob sighed. “Maybe we should talk about this later.”

“When later?” Dee snapped, turning back to him.

Allison came over then with her pad in her hand. “Can I get you anything?” she asked with her pleasant waitress smile. She wasn’t meeting Rob’s eyes, and that couldn’t be a good thing.

“Can’t you see we’re having a private conversation here?” Dee demanded harshly.

Allison actually stepped back in the face of this unprovoked rudeness.

“Dee,” Rob said, wishing he could restart this morning. “You don’t have to—”

“I’ll come back when you’re ready,” Allison murmured, dropping her eyes. “Just let me know.”

She was gone before Rob could say anything to make the situation better.

“You don’t have to be rude,” Rob said, trying not to express his anger, since that would only rile Dee up even more.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Dee cooed bitterly. “Did I upset your little girlfriend?”

Rob cringed. Allison was just at the other end of the counter. She had to be hearing every word.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” He started scrambling for ways to get them out of here quickly, even if it meant not finishing his breakfast.

“Well, you sure as hell make goo-goo eyes at her like she is.”

“Would you just stop it and tell me what you want?” Everyone was looking over at them. Allison was even looking over, although she was pretending not to.

He’d grown up in this town and was used to everyone knowing his business. The whole town knew when he got drunk after football games in high school. The whole town knew when Maria was cheating on him with every loser she could find. The whole town knew when he and Dee had loud, angry fights all the time when they were married.

But Allison was different. He didn’t want her to know all that.

“I want you to talk some sense into this girl,” Dee said, finally getting back to the point again.

“It’s not his business, Mom,” Cali whined. She’d been fiddling with her phone during the previous part of the conversation. She hardly seemed aware of what was going on.

“Maybe we should have this conversation somewhere else,” Rob suggested, doing his best to sound calm.

“Where, exactly?” Dee demanded. “You never come over anymore, even when I need you!”

“I’ve been busy,” he gritted out. He’d mostly been trying to wean himself away from helping her out every time she asked. “Okay, fine. What’s going on with this guy, then?”

He couldn’t help but notice that Allison was looking a little flustered as she loaded plates onto a tray for the family at the far end of the restaurant. She was probably very uncomfortable about the scene Dee was making. Who wouldn’t be?

“Nothing is—” Cali began.

“He takes her money!” Dee broke in.

This distracted Rob enough for him to turn back, his spine stiffening. “What?”

“He doesn’t take my money. I lent him a little bit once.” Cali looked bored and annoyed. She rolled her eyes in a characteristic way.

Rob scanned her face, hoping she was telling the truth and that Dee was blowing things out of proportion for attention, as she often did. “How much did you give him? Has he paid you back?”

“It’s none of your business!” Cali wailed, as if the world was out to get her.

Rob was going to ask around about that Nelson boy and, if the stories were true, he would think of something to do. He didn’t want some loser mooching off of Cali, who had little enough money as it was. She might not be his stepdaughter anymore, but he still felt responsible for her.

He was thinking about this, absently watching Allison carry the large tray over to the table.

Dee evidently saw where his eyes were focused. She made an outraged hissing sound. “If you could get your eyes off your stuck-up girlfriend for even a minute, you might be able to help!”

Rob couldn’t stifle the groan this time. “For God’s sake, Dee—”

“Don’t you ‘For God’s sake’ me!” Dee gave an indignant huff and pushed her stool out without warning, abruptly and with unnecessary force.

Allison was walking behind her just then, and the stool slammed right into her.

The tray she was holding crashed down in a loud and shocking fall, and Allison herself stumbled, barely catching herself on the stool.

Rob jumped up and moved toward her, helping her to her feet. “Are you all right?”

“Is she all right?” Dee screamed. She had a few grits on her shoes, but otherwise she was unscathed. “I’m the one who could have been killed by her clumsiness!”

Allison was staring at the mess of food and broken plates on the floor, and it looked like she was close to tears.

Acting on instinct, Rob reached out to put a supportive hand on her back. He murmured again, “Are you all right?”

“I’m okay,” she told him, sounding a little choked.

“She’s the one who dropped it! I’m the one who got scared out of her wits!” Dee screeched.

“I’m sorry,” Allison said immediately, kneeling down to start picking up the broken pieces of plates. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay!”

“Yes, you are,” Rob snapped, absolutely fed up with her nonsense. “You didn’t even get touched.” He knelt down next to Allison, helping her pick it up. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Allison looked too shaky, and her eyes were still lowered so he couldn’t see her expression. But he saw a little tear slip out of her eye that she quickly brushed away.

He swallowed a surge of anger. Dee had made her cry, and there was nothing he’d been able to do to stop it from happening.

“Everyone saw what really happened,” he told her, so low that Dee couldn’t hear. “Please don’t be upset.”

Allison’s eyes darted up to his face, and she gave him a grateful little smile.

“Excuse me,” Dee broke in. “I’m the injured party here.”

Allison took a breath and stood up with the tray. “I’m very sorry. If you’d like to order anything, I’ll be happy to cover it.”

She shouldn’t have to do that. It hadn’t been her fault.

“No, thank you.” Dee glared at Allison and then took Cali by the arm and started flouncing out of the restaurant.

But she threw Rob a look of icy anger that let him know he was in for it. Maybe not now, but at some point.

Rob had never been so glad to see anyone leave in his life.