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I share a wall with him. One that has turned out to be paper thin. Let’s just say I either make good use of my noise-canceling earphones or I’m forced to listen to the porn star soundtrack going on in the room next to me.
“I really hope not.” There’s a pause before he adds, “I’d hate to get your manager involved.”
She bares her teeth like a rabid dog before snapping, “Fine. What do you want? And make it quick. I’ve got other customers to take care of.”
Even though Asher knows exactly what he wants, he takes his sweet damn time perusing the menu. We’ve been here enough over the last three years to have memorized the plastic sheet. After a handful of moments, he strokes his shadowed jaw before glancing at her. “I can’t remember if you mentioned any specials.”
A muscle tics in her jaw. Any second, she’s going to fly at him. “It’s Tuesday, dickhead. That means all the tacos you can eat.”
Everyone at the table stills, including Asher.
It’s only when someone clears their throat from behind the waitress that everyone comes alive again. “Lola, can I talk to you for a moment?”
The words might be arranged in the format of a question, but by the flush on the older man’s cheeks, it’s more of a directive.
She stiffens as a dull flush crawls up her neck. “Yeah, give me a minute to put this order in.” Her gaze stays laser focused on the blond football player who sparked her anger. “I assume you want the tacos.”
“Yup.”
When she swings away without another word, the older dude snaps, “Lola, don’t you have something to say to this customer?” When she gives him a blank stare, he prompts, “Perhaps an apology for your unfortunate choice of language?”
She presses her lips together until they turn bloodless. Her nostrils flare as she sucks in a deep breath. “I’m sorry you’re such a dickhead.” That being said, she stalks away.
The older man wrings his hands as he glares at his disgruntled employee. “I’m, ah, sorry about that. She’s...” His voice trails off as if he’s at a loss for words.
“Got some serious issues going on?” Asher supplies in the silence.
The older man clears his throat, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement. “Anyway...I’d like to apologize on behalf of our waitress for her unhospitable manner. That’s not the Taco Loco way of treating customers. For your inconvenience, your meal will be on the house.”
“Cool! Free tacos for everyone! Make sure to thank Lila for us!” Asher says, bouncing quickly back to his affable self.
I glance at Sasha as the table once again breaks out into conversation. She looks none too happy. Her lips are nothing more than a tight slash across her face. If I’d been looking to stomp out the flames of any budding romance that might ignite between these two, I’ve accomplished it with flying colors.
Even though I’m tempted to pat myself on the back for a job well done, I refrain.
For the time being, anyway.
Chapter Three
Sasha
Brows pinched together, I glance around the crowded table in confusion.
How the hell did this happen?
One minute, I’m on a date, and the next, six more people are crammed in and around the booth. Instead of having a quiet conversation so I can get to know Ryder McAdams on a deeper level, football players are raising their voices in order to be heard at the neighboring table.
Easton’s muscular arm is still draped over my shoulder, anchoring me to him. The woodsy scent of his aftershave continues to wrap slyly around me, teasing my—
No.
I refuse to go there. Tonight was supposed to be the first step in moving on from that unrequited situation. Instead, here I am, being inundated by his masculine presence. I pinch his thigh to get his attention. It doesn’t escape me that he’s been avoiding all eye contact for the last ten minutes.
When the first attempt goes unheeded, my fingers sink into his flesh and squeeze. When he glances at me, I whisper, “We need to talk.”
“Sure. No problem. How about after dinner? The waitress should be bringing out our tacos any moment, and I’m starving.” His gaze flickers to Asher. “And you know these guys won’t bother to save any for us.”
At the moment, I don’t give a damn about the tacos. And since I’m of the mind that they belong in their own food group, that’s saying a lot.
