Page 130 of Trick or Tease

Carolina’s Diner looked exactly like it always. A small-town institution that had been serving the same comfort food for decades. The vinyl booths were patched with duct tape, the linoleum floors were worn smooth by thousands of work boots, and the jukebox in the corner still played songs from the eighties.

It was perfect.

I knew what it looked like. But the crappy furniture wasn’t the draw. It was the food. The burgers were the best in the state.

“Sabrina, honey!” Carolina exclaimed, pulling me into a hug that smelled like tomatoes and grease. “That festival was a hit. The whole town’s talking about how wonderful it was, and we sold a ton of food.”

“Thanks, Carolina. I want you to meet my—” I hesitated for just a second, not sure what to call him.

“Boyfriend,” Garrett supplied, extending his hand with a smile that could have charmed the paint off the walls. “Garrett Hogan. Billy’s brother.”

Carolina laughed. “Oh sweetie, I remember you. Don’t be silly.”

He chuckled. “Of course, you do.”

“Now you two sit wherever you like,” Carolina continued, gesturing around the nearly empty diner. “I’ll bring you some Cokes and you can tell me what sounds good.”

We slid into a booth by the window. I watched Garrett take in his surroundings. I could practically see him trying to adjust his expectations. It had been too long since he had eaten here.

“Relax,” I teased.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Garrett said diplomatically.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re doing that thing where you’re being polite but you’re really thinking this place is beneath you.”

“I’m not⁠—”

“You are. But that’s okay. You’ll learn.” I leaned across the table toward him. “Order the Carolina Special. Trust me.”

When Carolina came back to take our order, Garrett dutifully asked for the Carolina Special, though I could tell he was still skeptical. I ordered the same thing, plus onion rings because I was feeling indulgent.

“So, tell me about your plans for this law practice you mentioned. Are you really serious about staying here and helping people?”

His expression grew more serious. “I am. I’ve been thinking about it all day, actually. There are a lot of family farms and small businesses around here that could use legal help they can actually afford.”

I felt a warm flutter in my chest at the way he said it. Damn, he was good. “That sounds amazing. And you could help people with wills and contracts and all that boring stuff too.”

“Boring but necessary,” he agreed with a grin. “Though I have to admit, after years of corporate law, the idea of helping a farmer protect his land sounds a lot more meaningful than helping some corporation avoid paying taxes.”

Our food arrived, and I watched with barely contained glee as Garrett took his first bite of the Carolina Special. His eyes widened, and he made a little sound of surprise that was almost obscene.

“Holy shit,” he said, staring down at the burger like it had just revealed the secrets of the universe.

“Language,” I teased, though I was grinning. “We’re in a family establishment.”

He took another bite, chewing slowly and savoring it. “I forgot how good her cooking is. This is incredible. What’s in this?”

“That’s Carolina’s secret,” I said, biting into my own burger with satisfaction. “She’s been making them the same way for forty years, and she’s never told anyone the recipe. Not even her own daughter.”

“It’s better than any burger I’ve had in the city,” he admitted, looking slightly dazed. “I don’t remember this from when I lived here.”

“She’s perfected the recipe. That’s when she renamed it to Carolina’s Special.”

I found myself watching the way Garrett seemed to relax as the meal went on.

“You know,” he said, wiping his hands on his napkin, “I think I could get used to this.”

“To Carolina’s cooking?”