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Whitney’s heart about melted. He was missing his two front teeth, and the little lisp in his yes was most adorable thing she’d ever heard.
“Quite a gentleman,” she said. “Can I get you something to drink? A chocolate milk, maybe?”
When his eyes shot wide and he bounced in his chair, Whitney realized she might have made a mista
ke. She glanced at Lily.
“If it’s okay with your mom, that is.”
Lily just smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
“Yes!” Alex’s little fist shot in the air like he’d won the gold in the summer Olympics.
Whitney set to making the milk and squeezing the chocolate into the glass, and Alex’s eyes got even wider.
“You enjoying your break?” Whitney asked.
“Yes, I’m going to go with Uncle Colt and Aunt Jenna on the circuit soon!”
“Wow, that sounds fun.”
A small groan left Lily, and she stifled it with a sip of soda. She was obviously trying really hard to let Alex go, but two weeks to herself would be good.
“How are you?” Whitney asked quietly to Lily when Alex’s was distracted by the cartoons playing on the TV hanging in the opposite corner of the bar. “You getting excited for Alex’s trip?”
“Don’t remind me,” Lily said. “I still have time to get used to this idea. Not much. But some.”
Whitney nodded. Lily was an amazing mother. She was raising a young man and doing it while playing both parents. Whitney had never come out and asked about Alex’s dad, but from a few hints dropped here and there she’d learned that he’d been some city guy that left as soon as Lily found out she was pregnant.
“It’s pretty dead in here. You can take off early if you want,” Penny said, coming from the kitchen to stand by Whitney. She gave Lily a half hug across the counter.
“Hey, Aunt Penny!” Alex said, his eyes back on Whitney, now pouring milk and stirring his cup.
“Hey, kiddo. I see Whitney is fixing you up right.”
Alex took the glass of milk. Now that Whitney looked at it, it looked more black than light brown. Maybe she’d used too much chocolate. But Alex sighed, a milk mustache over his top lip, and said, “Best. Milk. Ever.”
She smiled, the compliment making her feel beyond wanted.
“You have to work here forever,” Alex said.
That made her eyebrows rise and her throat close. Between Alex’s toothless smile, and now Penny and Lily beaming at her, she didn’t have the heart to remind all of them that forever wasn’t in the cards for her.
“I’ll come see you every day,” Alex said, and took another drink.
“I’d like that,” Whitney said, leaving out the “for as long as I’m here” part.
“Looks like you have another man crushing on you,” Penny said with a nudge. Alex was just smiling at her and enjoying his drink.
Whitney was about to say that she could stay a little longer when the bell on the front door rang, and in walked Ryder Diamond in all his handsome glory. Only instead of sporting the usual dusty T-shirt and tool belt, he looked freshly showered. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a white button-down, and a Stetson that made him look like the sexiest cowboy she’d ever seen.
Excitement overtook her. She walked around the counter and straight for him, then stopped dead in her tracks. What the hell was she doing? She was acting like he’d come to see her. Like she had a right to just waltz on over and hug him—maybe kiss him—in front everyone, like he was her boyfriend or something.
Except he wasn’t.
And she wasn’t anything to him other than a cordial, platonic date. Right? That’s what he wanted. And she just wanted sex, not romance. So there could be no public displays of affection, because that didn’t fit into either of their end games. Just like working at the BBQ long-term, or making friends with anyone, wasn’t smart.
His eyes remained on her and turned hard when he registered her stiff stature. He took a step toward her, then was cut off by the melon-hating woman Whitney had met her second night on the job. What was her name? Clara. That was it. Clara.
