AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The sound of a male voice hollering, “Order up!” jolted her back into action.
“Did you want to order something? I assume you came in here for food.”
“I did. Just got off shift. I thought I’d pick up something to go. But under the circumstances, I’ll just eat here while you lock up.”
“Sure. Kitchen technically closes in twenty minutes.”
“Then have Jasper surprise me. Whatever’s easy.”
“You’ve got it. Grab a seat wherever.”
I picked a table where I could watch the entrance, in case Troy decided to come back. The position also allowed me to watch Caroline as she finished closing out the remaining tables. I inhaled the blackened redfish and fries she brought me, then put myself to work, helping flip chairs on top of tables after she ushered out the last of the evening’s patrons.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I’m here. Might as well.”
She didn’t argue, and between the two of us, I hoped we managed to shut down a little quicker than she would’ve on her own. Jasper headed out as she was locking the main doors of the place.
Finally alone, I asked the question that had been circling around my brain. “So, just for purposes of the gossip mill, are we or are we not dating? Again, it is completely fine if this is just an illusion for a while.” My pride would get over it. Eventually. “I just want to be clear on our story.”
No longer the focus of prying eyes, her guard dropped enough that I could see how tired she was. How much of that was the work and how much the burden of everything she carried?
“If you truly don’t mind, it might alleviate a few problems. But I don’t want to use you like that.”
I’d love for you to use me in any way, shape, form, or fashion you like. “It’s not using me since it was my idea. If I had a sister, I’d want someone to protect her, too.”
“You’re a good guy, Hoyt. I always knew that.”
Score. But she hadn’t actually answered my question yet about whether this was real or fake. Maybe she hadn’t decided.
She locked the back door, and I walked her over to her car, a beat-up Chevy Malibu that had seen better days. Was that thing even roadworthy? I considered asking, then thought better of it.
“Just throwing it out there for consideration. In order to sell this, we’re going to have to actually go out and be seen together. On dates. Why don’t you let me take you to dinner, and you can decide after that whether you want this to be a relationship in name only for cover or if you’d be willing to date me for real?”
One hand on the car door, she stared at me again. I hoped that was surprise instead of horror.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah.” Because I definitely couldn’t tell which end of the spectrum she fell on, I backpedaled. “Unless that makes you uncomfortable, in which case, we can just call it the name only and leave it at that.”
Even in the poor light of the parking lot, I could see the blush rising in her cheeks. Both corners of her full lips curled up this time. “I’d like that. The dinner, I mean. And the chance to think about it. My next night off is day after tomorrow.”
“It happens that’s one of my nights off, too. So that’s a plan.”
“Is it?” That smile flickered again. “Don’t we need a time and place?”
“We’ll sort it out.” It had been ages since I’d been on a first date, and the last ones hadn’t mattered. I wasn’t sure how I knew this one did, but I wasn’t going to question it. “Get on home. Drive safe. I’ll see you on Wednesday.”
After one more brief hesitation, she slid into her car, which cranked without issue. Her brother had probably seen to that. Another plus in Rios’s favor.
I watched her taillights disappear, resisting the urge to follow her. There’d been no further sign of Troy, and I had no reason to believe she wouldn’t be fine. But as I stood in the empty parking lot, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling of being watched.
4
Caroline
“A little bird told me you have a secret.”
