Page 6 of Rowan: His Exception

My feet move before my brain catches up. Next thing I know, I'm pushing through the door. The silence hits first. That awkward moment when a room full of people all stop talking at once. Every head turns, every pair of eyes on me, assessing.

Outsider. Female alone. City clothes. Too fucking clean.

I pause, half in the doorway, letting the cold air hit my skin. Fuck the stares. I've had worse.

"You must be new in town, or lost?"

The voice comes from a woman behind the counter, fanning herself with a laminated menu like it's the only thing keeping her alive.

"I'm just passing through," I say, already moving toward her.

Lou... her name tag reads... grins, knowing she can see right through me. "Honey, if that's the case, you picked a hell of a place to stop. Most people only end up in Cedar Ridge if they're running from something, or hoping nobody finds them."

I slide onto a stool. "Lucky me. I'm doing both."

Lou slides a menu in front of me. "Do you want food, or are you going to sit there looking hungry?"

I don't even open the thing. "Bacon, eggs, whatever's fast. My stomach's about to start digesting itself."

The place is half full, but everyone here looks like they came out of the womb wearing Carhartt and flannel. I'm the only one in the building not drowning in flannel and Carhartt. Wearing denim shorts with holes I paid extra for, a white tank top, and sneakers that have never seen actual dirt. I look like I got lost on the way to a girls' day at the mall. Or better yet, a "divorced woman finds herself" Pinterest board threw up on me.

It's pathetic.

I'm pathetic.

She puts the order in, then comes back and pours a cup of coffee. "Let me guess...man problems, and you're trying to prove you're not broken."

"Something like that." I don't bother correcting her or elaborating. "Actually, I signed up for some wilderness skills thing."

She sets the mug in front of me. "Oh, you poor, sweet thing."

I shoot her a look. "What?"

Lou leans in, dropping her voice like she's about to offer me something illegal. "You signed up for Cross' course, didn't you?"

I blink. "I... what?"

"Rowan," she says. "He’s the only one who runs those up here. Ex-military. Scares the shit out of half the county, and the other half wants to fuck him. You'll know him when you see him. He’ll be the only guy glaring at the world like it personally offended him."

"Great. Is he really that bad?"

"No, girl. He's that good. But he'll chew you up if you don't keep up. And trust me, I've thought about letting him. I may be fifty-two years old, but I'd still climb that man like a fucking tree. Don't tell my husband. Actually, tell him. Maybe it'll finally get him to fix the garbage disposal."

At the same time, I take a sip of the burnt, bitter coffee, almost choking on the fucking thing. I cough into my fist, eyes watering, and she just grins at me. Like she planned it.

Jesus Christ. This town is insane.

"Thanks for the warning."

Lou shrugs. "You're welcome.”

“Order up!” someone yells from the kitchen.

“Oh. And one more thing.”

I brace myself.

"If he tells you to shut up and listen, do it. And if you need a safe word, mine's 'blueberry pancake.'" She winks and walks away, leaving me to wonder if she's fucking with me or not.