Mack headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. He caught himself on the door jamb. “Hey, I’m going to town. Need anything?”
His mother glanced in his direction. A smile touched her lips, and she shook her head. “Nothing I can think of.”
He nodded and was about to step away when she stopped him.
“Are you going to see that lovely girl?”
Mack froze and slowly turned around to face his mother. What had she heard?
Tana gave him a patronizing smile. “Don’t tell me that you two aren’t dating. I saw the way you looked at her during the barbeque, and Jennifer asked me about her—said she heard something about you spending time with her and her little boy.”
Where had Aunt Jennifer heard that?
He didn’t even need to ask. There was one major gossip mill in Rocky Ridge, and most of the women got their information from there.
Salon 406.
His jaw clenched. “No, I’mnotgoing to see her.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. He wanted to see Lacey, but he wasn’t ready to drag her into a conversation with his mother. She’d probably push and push until he lost the drive to win Lacey over himself. “I’m just heading to town so I can get a few things. That’s all.”
His mother shrugged, but that knowing smile said it all. At least she wasn’t looking at him like the disappointment she thought he was.
If Lacey was in town,there was only one place she’d be—the restaurant. Based on what he knew about her, she’d either be heading to work for a shift or leaving. He was counting on her coming or going. Seeing as she was still avoiding his calls and messages, he hoped they’d bump into each other.
His mother’s words weighed on him as he pulled into a spot at the restaurant and waited. If people in town had noticed his attention to her, that might influence her decision to either give him a chance or walk away.
Unfortunately, he was getting the sense that it would be the latter. Ever since that dinner with Angela, he got the distinct sense that she’d grown colder to him. They’d bumped into each other one other time. That was how lucky he’d been in the last couple of days.
She’d been colder, easier to irritate instead of being able to draw a smile to her lips.
Mack sighed. What if she’d already heard the rumors?
A familiar figure strode out of the entrance to the restaurant, and he straightened in his seat. She was leaving. That meant he had more time to get on her good side since she didn’t have to rush to her shift.
Without really considering what he was going to say or do, he pushed his door open and hurried in her direction. She caught sight of him, and he could practically hear the groan from her lips.
He hesitated, his steps faltering. Maybe it was time to get the hint. His heart stumbled even as he continued toward her. He fell into step beside her then pulled ahead and stopped in her path, causing her to nearly bump into him.
Her voice dripped with exasperation. “Mack, I really think?—”
“Why do you hate me?”
Lacey snapped her mouth shut and peered up at him with wide, confused eyes.
“Don’t bother denying it. Doesn’t matter how hard I’ve tried, you keep brushing me off.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered. “I already told you that I don’t date. I have a rule?—”
“Yeah, I get it. You have a rule so you don’t have to risk anything. You don’t have to put your heart on the line. But when there’s someone who might be worth that risk, what then? Are you still going to shut him out?”
She scoffed. “And you think you’re that person?”
“I could be,” he shot back, arms folding. “You won’t give me a chance to show you. I’ve met your kid. I think I’ve proven that he’s not going to scare me off. I even connected with the kid. So there’s only one variable as to why you won’t just let me date you.”
Lacey’s jaw tightened, but her eyes seemed to be filling with fear more than anything else. They darted to the side, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
“So I’ll ask again. Why do you hate me?”
She looked away, turning her head so he couldn’t see into her eyes.
