“Oh, hey, Nanna.”
“Don’t hey, Nanna me,” she grumbled. “What’s going on with those animal men of yours?”
“Ahh…”
“Can’t tell your old nan?” She cackled. “So you’re having fun then. Good. I want to meet them. Bring them all around tomorrow for dinner. I’m making my famous lamb roast and apple pie.”
“Hang on, they…” My mind blanked as I realised what she’d said. “Apple pie and lamb roast?”
“You better believe it. If these fellas, men, males are to become part of the family, I need to ensure they’re right for my favourite granddaughter.”
“I’m your only granddaughter,” I said, shaking my head. “Everyone else had boys.”
“Doesn’t matter. Tomorrow, Harper, no excuses. The girls won't stop pestering me for information, so they’re coming too…”
She told me more about her plans, but I didn’t register them, because a big rumbly black car came crawling into the car park. Seeing a car like this would have me torn between admiration for a beautiful car and rolling my eyes, because the owners were usually dicks, but this… Something told me it wasn’t the usual goon behind the wheel. Familiar faces leaned out the open passenger side windows. I swallowed and then quickly walked towards the back door, the crash and bangs of Geoff in the kitchen a welcome thing for once.
“Right, so Nanna, I’ve gotta go. I’m at work.”
“You should’ve said that!” she said, then rattled off the time and what I needed to bring.
“Just text me,” I said as the car rolled closer. My eyes flicked from side to side, trying to see past the dark tinted windows to the occupants. “I’ll get what you need, but I’ve gotta go.”
As I ended the call, the car’s wheels spun and then it turned left abruptly, the tyres squealing as they exited the car park.
So why was my heart beating as hard as it would if they’d roared straight towards me? I followed the track of the car all the way up the road until it disappeared.
“C’mon, Smiley!” Sharon snapped, not unkindly. “Get your butt inside. The fellas behind the counter might not be ones you wanna kiss, but we need to get them their lunch before there’s a riot.”
Finish my shift, talk to the guys about Nanna’s requests, and oh yeah, survive, those were my priorities, so I kept things moving, walking up to the counter and taking the next order.
“Hey.”I’d finally got to the end of my shift and was wheeling the mop bucket out, when the guys came striding in. It was Mack who moved forward first, hands going to my face. Those cool eyes took all of me in, studying me closely, looking for signs of harm I realised. “You OK? Anything happen to you, Harper? You can tell me if it has.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him about the car, but Mr. Grumpy getting all concerned? I didn’t want to ruin this moment. What had actually happened, anyway? My hands covered his.
“I’m fine.” I winced when I realised how greasy my skin must feel. “Kinda grimy from a full day of working with fried food, but I’m fine.”
“She’d be a lot happier if she could get out of here earlier,” Sharon said as she walked past. “Especially if you lot helped her with the floor.”
I was about to protest, but Tor swept in, pressing a kiss to my forehead before grabbing the mop.
“You got it, then we can head to the beach.”
“We are not going to the beach,” Mack growled.
“What’s happening at the beach?” I peered outside. “Bit cloudy for sun baking, though I might be persuaded by the sight of you three shirtless.”
“What about us with shirts on down at the sideshows?” Tor asked, his mop sweeping across the floor.
Sideshow Alley was a bit like the royal show, filled with rides and games, but rather than roll into town every Easter, it was a permanent thing. During the school holidays, it was filled with kids and their parents, but at night it was a date night favourite.
“You want to jump on a rollercoaster with me?” I said, moving closer. “Didn’t think cats liked things like that.”
“My cat likes you.” As Tor shot me an impish smile, his eyes shone a whole lot greener, making me think the tiger within was pushing his way forward.
“So do I get to meet him like I did Kieran’s bear?” I looked over at my lover of last night, and Bear Boy looked pretty chuffed at the mention. “Maybe I could ride your tiger through the alley like Jasmine does her tiger in Aladdin!”
“You can ride me anyway you like.” That sly grin made clear that yes, that was what he meant by that. “Kieran tells me we need to… have a repeat performance of last night to keep the wolves from your door.”
