Page 4 of Peaks and Promises

But it wasn’t my business, so I didn’t push. I’d just take my time with my breakfast and make sure they didn’t hang around.

She hesitated another moment, as if reluctant to leave my table. I had the strangest urge to grab her hand and pull her into the booth next to me. Put an arm around her and cast a hard glare at the assholes at the counter.

That was probably a bad idea. A younger me would have done it. But unlike that younger Reese Haven, I wasn’t itching for a fight.

With a quick exhale, she went back to the kitchen. I kept an eye on the assholes while I started my breakfast. The air was thick with tension and a few customers got up and left. The counter waitress asked if they wanted to order anything, but they said no. Just coffee.

Summer emerged from the kitchen with two plates of food for one of her other tables. One of the assholes at the counter leaned into the aisle, watching her ass as she walked.

My jaw hitched.

Don’t do it, Reese. Do not start something.

They were probably armed. I wasn’t.

Bad idea.

She set the plates in front of her customers and walked back down the aisle toward the entrance to the kitchen, her eyes on the floor. One asshole hopped off the stool and adjusted his vest. As soon as she got close, he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

I surged to my feet, ready to put my fist through the guy’s face.

But the front door opened, and two uniformed cops walked in.

The guy dropped Summer’s wrist, and she tucked her arm against her chest, darting behind the counter.

With my heart racing, I sat and picked up my fork. Nothing to see here. Just a guy having breakfast.

The cops glanced around the restaurant and noted the guys at the counter, but didn’t make a move toward them. It seemed clear that wasn’t why they’d come in—they just wanted breakfast. Probably coming off a night shift.

The hostess seated them at a booth near the front. The assholes shared a look, then headed out the door. A moment later, the roar of their bikes filled the diner. The cops glanced out the window and watched until they disappeared into the distance.

They hadn’t paid for their coffee. I doubted the waitress cared.

Summer glanced at me and gave me a grateful smile. I didn’t know why she was looking at me like that. I hadn’t done anything. Those cops had walked in at the right moment, chasing them off.

Or the wrong moment. I kinda still wanted to break their jaws. Especially the one who’d touched Summer.

Asshole.

I ate slowly and, once I finished, lingered over another cup of shitty coffee. Summer wasn’t my responsibility, but I couldn’t quite make myself leave until I was sure they weren’t coming back.

Eventually, I got up and paid at the front. I didn’t see Summer. She must have been in the kitchen. It was just as well. I didn’t need to get myself wrapped up in her issues.

But I already knew I was going back the next day. Just to make sure she was all right.

CHAPTER 2

Summer

When I returned from the kitchen, Reese was gone.

I tried to ignore the dip of disappointment. What did I have to be sad about? He’d finished his breakfast. In fact, he’d stayed longer than usual. Of course he was going to leave.

It was good to see him, though. He’d been a regular for quite a while, and then just stopped coming in. I’d been wondering what had happened to him.

Okay, fine. I’d been worried about him.

I’d been so busy that morning, I hadn’t realized it was him seated at one of my tables until I was right next to him. Which was kind of hilarious because he was hard to miss. He was a tall guy, with a broad chest that stretched his T-shirt tight and thick, tattooed arms. Between that and the visible scar on his stubbly square jaw, he looked a little bit frightening. When I’d first noticed him in the diner—before I knew his name—I’d thought of him as the big, scary guy.