Part 3 (2/2)
”I was hoping you'd run interference so I could finally eat something without being hit on. Ever since she turned eighteen and graduated, she thinks she should be getting married and having a kid or two. What's worse, she thinks she should be doing it with me!” Miles said with disgust. Miles did not cook and depended on Daisy and Violet to feed him when Mom's frozen ca.s.seroles ran out.
”You're old enough to be her father!” Cade laughed. He enjoyed goading Miles. He really did.
”I'm not that old. d.a.m.n, Cade, you can make thirty-four seem positively ancient. However, it's too old for an innocent kid like her.”
”Fine, I'll go with you. I haven't eaten at the Cafe for a while. You can tell me what corporations you're taking apart for the better good of the little people like me.”
Annie couldn't decide if she hated or loved the fact that a diner was so close. Hated the fact they didn't deliver. Shoot, no one delivered. It was great when she wanted real food, but it was strange to have a ten minute conversation with the person taking your order when you just really wanted a chicken salad sandwich.
Over the past couple of days since her arrival in Keeneston she had been eating the most amazing home cooked meals. But tonight she thought she'd try the local cuisine. She grabbed some cash and took off down the street to the Cafe. It was a nice night. The stars were s.h.i.+ning overhead, a slight breeze brought the smell of oats to her, and the full moon bathed the small downtown in a soft glow.
Bright light poured out of the large old windows of the Cafe onto the sidewalk, highlighting the mums that were planted in large barrels under the windows. Small bistro tables were set up outside on the nice warm night and filled with people who all smiled and said h.e.l.lo to her as she walked past them and into the Cafe.
Annie froze with one foot over the threshold when the packed restaurant fell silent. A breeze from all the heads turning at once caused her hair to flutter. Movement drew her eyes to go to a back table. Her eyes narrowed as a waitress, who was maybe just out of high school, was leaning her perky b.r.e.a.s.t.s in Cade's face as she picked up his plate.
A man in a gorgeous pin striped suit who was slightly taller than Cade with dark brown hair and a handsome square jaw stood and walked over to her. She noticed Cade's unhappy expression at the same time the waitress placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a little rub.
”You must be Annie. Be easy on my brother, will you?” Tall, dark and handsome flashed a killer grin at her that almost had her forgetting about whoever this other brother was.
”Wait, who are you? Who's your brother and why should I go easy on him?” Tall, dark and handsome grinned again.”I'm Miles Davies. The brother to whom I am referring is Cade, and you should go easy on him because he's a good guy. Have a nice night, Annie.”
”How many brothers are there in that family?” she mumbled as she made her way to the cash register.
”Five brothers and one sister.” Annie looked down at the stranger who had clearly been eavesdropping.
”Um, thanks.” Wow. No wonder she kept tripping over them.
”Hey.”
Annie pulled up short and checked out the man who had stepped in front of her. He was tallish, almost black hair slicked back, and did his suit sparkle? No, it must just have s.h.i.+ne to it. ”What are you doing walking into a place like this?” he asked.
”Is that a trick question?” Well, the town did have a lot of handsome men. Too bad they weren't all that bright.
”You can sit with me if you'd like.” He gestured towards a small table in the back.
”I'm just here to pick up my to-go dinner.”
”Well, here I am. You can take a bite out of me anytime.” He raised a perfect eyebrow and gazed at her.
Annie couldn't decide whether to laugh or to kick him in the b.a.l.l.s. He reminded her of an old man who used to live near her apartment. He yelled obscenities at her that were in a way complimentary and made her day.
”Okay. Let's get out of here. I want you...now.” Annie deadpanned. She watched as his sleazy exterior cracked and he stared at her as if she had two heads. ”Just kidding, hot shot, put your tongue back in your mouth.” She smiled at him and when he broke out into laughter, she joined him.
”Henry Rooney at your service.”
”No servicing of me tonight. I thought we covered that, Henry.” Henry laughed again and she had a feeling she had made a friend. ”Annie Hill. It's nice to meet you, Henry. I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon.” Henry smiled and walked out the door.
Annie turned her attention to the table near the cash register where the waitress was still servicing Cade. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to them, ”I hope I'm not interrupting,” she tapped her foot impatiently.
”Oh! You must be Miss Hill. I'll be out here in a jiffy with your dinner ma'am.” If she needed another reason to dislike the waitress, there it was.
”Ma'am?”
”Anyone over the age of twenty is a ma'am to her. Would you care to join me while you wait?” Cade stood up and walked around the table. He pulled out a chair and waited for her to take a seat.
”Won't your girlfriend get mad?”
”Sorry to disappoint you, but I like women, not girls. You really don't like me, do you?” Cade asked, his smile faltering slightly.
Feeling a little guilty about her snap judgment, she sat down and looked up at him. His eyes seemed green tonight. Sometimes they were brown.
”I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, you're not the only one.”
”Military brat tired of all the macho men?” he joked.
”No, foster care brat.” Not wanting to get into it, she asked about Corey.
”He'll live, but they don't know how much damage has been done yet. We should know more tomorrow.”
”Here's your dinner, Miss Hill.” With a smile, the perky waitress handed her a plastic bag.
”Thanks.” She pushed back her chair and froze when Cade did the same. She raised her eyebrow at him in silent question.
”I thought I could walk you home and show you the sights,” Cade said in response to her silent query.
”Thanks, but Mrs. Lopez already did that.”
”Well, then just allow me to walk you home to fulfill my daily gentlemanly requirement.” Cade smiled at her then and her heart pounded in her chest like it did when she was going on a bust. If she thought Miles' smile was something, Cade's eclipsed it.
”Fine.” She turned to go, but Cade slipped his hand onto her elbow to guide her around the table. All conversation stopped until he guided her out of the Cafe. Before the door closed, the noise level escalated to near deafening, and people didn't even try to hide the fact that they were staring at them leaving together.
”Is it always like this?” she asked Cade.
”No. It's usually worse.” She laughed then and didn't even mind when he slipped his hand from her elbow to the small of her back. ”See over there. The store with the yellow and white awning? That's my sister's store.”
”That's Paige's store?”
”You know Paige?”
”I met her, along with most of the town already.”
”Ah, the welcoming committee.” His smile was so genuine and happy when talking about his sister and the town that Annie became lost in it.
A loud thumping started to vibrate her body and draw her out of her reverie. It drew louder and seemed so completely out of place in Keeneston. A week ago she wouldn't have even noticed it in Miami, but Keeneston wasn't a place people cruised around with their windows down and rap music pumping. It was more of a windows down and country music drifting on the breeze type place.
She looked down the street and saw a large black Escalade roaring towards them. Cade had already stopped to watch it. She wouldn't be completely surprised if some old man came running out shaking a cane at the Escalade and yelling at them to turn it down. The thought brought a smile to her face, a smile that quickly disappeared when the doors to the Escalade were thrown open as the SUV slid to a stop next to them, and three ma.s.sively muscled men leapt out of the car. They were all dressed in those tear-away athletic pants and white tank tops. One man had his head shaved, one had crazy curly hair with a receding hairline and the third had black hair with bangs.