Page 17 of Peaks and Promises

That stopped me in my tracks, and I looked up at him. “Are you asking me out?”

“No.”

“I think you are.”

“I didn’t ask you out. I asked if you’re hungry.”

“Aren’t those the same thing?”

“No.” His tone was matter-of-fact. “I don’t date.”

We’ll pretend that declaration didn’t send a rush of disappointment all the way to my toes.

I pulled my sunglasses down and looked at him over the rim. “I don’t date, either.”

“Good. I’m hungry. If you are, too, I’ll buy you lunch. Otherwise I’ll follow you back to work.”

“I could eat.”

“There’s a taco truck down the road.”

I smiled. “I like tacos.”

“Follow me.”

We drove back toward the diner, and Reese turned in to the parking lot of a small strip mall. I’d seen the taco truck dozens of times, but never stopped to eat. I didn’t have the money to go out to eat, even cheap tacos.

There were only two people in line, so the wait wasn’t long. We ordered taco plates—he ordered himself two, but he was a big guy, so it wasn’t surprising—and grabbed drinks.

“Should we sit in your car?” I asked. “It’s probably more comfortable than mine.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

“At this point, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to abduct me. Although if you are, the tacos are a good ruse.”

We got into his SUV, and I sank into the dark leather seat. So that was what a nice car felt like. What a difference. It made me glad I hadn’t insisted on sitting in my car. The passenger seat had a big tear in the upholstery.

Reese turned on the AC and I held my plate near my chin so I wouldn’t drop food all over his car. He combined his two plates to make three overstuffed tacos.

“You know, as many times as you’ve been in the diner, I don’t think I’ve ever asked what you do for work,” I said.

“Private security.”

“What does that mean? You’re a bodyguard?”

“Sometimes.”

I nodded slowly. “Your offer to accompany me to the bank suddenly makes more sense.”

“I guess I can’t help it. It’s what I do.”

“What kind of clients? I’m guessing you don’t usually provide security for broke waitresses.”

“Depends. I was just in Peru doing security for an archaeological dig.”

“Why did archaeologists need security?”

“In some parts of the world, looters can be a problem. They’ll come in armed and take what they think they can sell. We didn’t have any issues, though.”