“What? It’s true. You know what I think? I think your father would be disappointed to find out you’re still living here a year after he’d passed. He didn’t want this life for you. He wanted you to find your own dreams. He wanted you to live for yourself. He’d be disappointed at how sad you are—that’s why I agreed to go with you to the festival in the first place. I wanted to push you out of the nest. It’s no skin off my nose to miss it, but I don’t want you to stay and stagnate here. You need to go out to live, kiddo.”
I sighed. “The hashbrowns are burning.”
“Dang it.” Gwen whipped around and shoveled her spatula against the flattop.
I turned away from the passthrough and worked on the drinks for the two-top. Neither man had wanted coffee, oddly enough. One hot tea, two large ice waters, and a side of lemon slices. I loaded the drinks onto a tray and headed for the sole occupied table in my dead dad’s diner.
My smile felt unsteady as I rested the tray against the edge of the table. “One hot tea and two ice waters. I brought some honey if you’d like that for the tea. Your order should be up in a few.”
I turned to leave when he grabbed my hand.
Him.
The guy sitting with his back to the restaurant, wearing sunglasses despite the fact that it was six o’clock in the morning in Oregon. Sun wasn’t generally a concern so early in the morning here. And definitely not indoors.
Despite his sunglasses anddon’t screw with meattitude, I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off of him. His hat and sunglasses hadn’t been able to obscure how gorgeous he was. The dark stubble on his face, the corded muscles in his neck and arms, the swarthy glow of his skin. This was a man who spent a lot of time outdoors. Probably working with his hands. I’d bet he had callouses on his—
“Miss?”
I blinked back into the present and realized while I’d been cataloguing everything I found attractive about him, he’d been trying to ask me a question. “Uh, sorry. I didn’t catch that.”
His plump lips curved into a smug little smile. “Can we get some straws for the waters?”
“Oh. Yeah. Of course.” I pulled a few straws from my half apron and dropped them on the table. “Sorry about that.”
His lips quirked for a second, and I wished like hell that I could see what color his eyes were. Velvety brown? Hazel with a starburst of color? Deep blue?
A bell rang in the distance, signaling that their food was ready.
Their food!
I flinched and realized that my mystery man was still holding my hand. “Um, I’m gonna need that back if you want me to grab your breakfasts.”
He tilted his head. “In a minute. You going to The Oceanfront Music Festival?”
Oh god. He no doubt heard that whole exchange with Lydia. How mortifying. I pulled my hand away. “Not anymore. I’m just gonna go grab…”
I turned and all but ran away from the table.
Standing in front of the passthrough, I loaded up my tray again. Chicken-fried steak, eggs, and biscuits and gravy. Egg-white spinach omelet with avocado toast and oatmeal. So much food for two people.
“Everything okay, kiddo?” Gwen asked with a frown.
I loaded extra napkins on my tray and gave her what I hoped passed for a smile. “Yup.”
“’Kay. Just yell if they get out of hand”—she whipped her spatula through the air—“and I’ll come running.”
My cheeks heated with the knowledge that she’d seen that. And had probably seen me staring at the guy. No way was I explaining to my sixty-eight-year-old godmother that it was because the guy was that hot.
Nope. Not doing that.
I headed back to the table with my tray.
“Chicken-fried steak and eggs.” I laid the plate in front of the massive man facing the room with his back to the wall, his muscles bulging as he uncrossed his arms. “And biscuits and gravy. Egg-white omelet, avocado toast, and oatmeal. Are you sure you don’t want any fruit with that?” I asked the question out of habit, then winced. This was supposed to be a dump and run mission. I shouldn’t be lingering. I didn’t want to look like an even bigger goober than I already did.
“Are you really not going to the music festival?”
I shook my head. What was this guy’s obsession with me going? “Looks like I’m not. If you guys don’t need anything else…”
