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“Yeah, tell your baby daddy to stop sharing my business with my brother.” While I gaped at Mav, he flashed Bee a smile. “Otherwise, we’ll take the check. Thanks so much.”
Bee cocked her hip as she pulled the check off her pad. “Since he’s your boss, why don’t you tell him yourself? I’m not your messenger girl.”
I couldn’t help snorting.Go, Bee.
“Also I know for a fact Jared isn’t one for gossip, and he has a younger brother himself to boot. So if he told him something personal about you, he probably had good reason.”
“Yeah, to start trouble for me.”
“He wouldn’t do that. This town can be a pain in the ass sometimes with everyone in each other’s business, but mostly we all are just looking out for each other. I know you haven’t lived in the town proper all that long, but you’ll learn.” She patted Mav’s shoulder and snatched my card when I slapped it down on the bill before Mav could. He was too busy stewing.
“Thanks, Van. I’ll bring this right back.” She headed up the aisle, her soft-soled shoes squeaking on the scuffed black and white floor tiles. Many pairs of feet came in and out of here in a day’s time.
I could only imagine the gossip already circulating about us. By dinnertime, we’d be the hot topic in town—unless we already were. We’d probably been spotted up at the Lookout by more than just Mr. Tightass. It was quite the active spot for residents. I’d just never gotten to partake.
Nice view too. And I wasn’t talking about Mav under his clothes, although that was true as well.
“You never told me exactly why Tightass spared you a ticket. Was it just because he figured humiliation with the Chief was better?”
“No. The Chief’s been up there too.” His voice was distant as if his mind was somewhere else entirely. “Why did you pay the bill?”
“Because you’re going to be jobless soon due to you being a known Lookout fornicator.” I made atsking sound. “Very unprofessional, sir.”
His quick grin lit me up inside. “I don’t mind you calling me sir.”
“Yeah, and I wouldn’t mind being called Beyoncé, but reality is a tough pill to swallow. Thanks, Bee,” I said quickly, raising my voice in the hope she had not heard thatsirbit.
Playacting for the crowd was one thing, but sexual innuendos were an invitation to my private life I had no intention of handing out.
“No problem. Don’t be too hard on the Chief. He cares.”
Mav grunted and thanked Bee and she wisely went to the next table. He might be a wholly decent dude overall, but he was the poster child for stubborn. I knew that already and I barely knew him at all.
Even if it felt as if I did in a way I didn’t fully understand.
“I’m paying for dinner.” He waggled his brows. “And breakfast tomorrow.”
“Cocky bastard.”
Those sharp eyeteeth made a quick appearance in his grin. “Confident, not cocky.”
“You really planning on running away with me?”
“Let’s see how the day goes.” He tugged me with him out of the booth, which gave me the ideal view of his perfect behind.
His chances of that breakfast were good tomorrow, even if full sex would probably not be on the table. But I enjoyed avoiding reality as much as the next woman.
Especially when my co-star in this little bit of insanity was as irresistible as Maverick McNeill.
Our first stop was to get ice cream across the street at Rolling Cones, Ivy Ferguson’s ice cream truck stationed behind Macy’s coffee shop, Brewed Awakening. Which I swiftly realized was a bad idea without one of my headbands. Ivy tried to help me out with one of the scrunchies on her wrist, but my wild curls could not be contained attractively in a scrunchie. My topknot was akin to a small bush.
A comparison that made Mav laugh uproariously at my expense. But I got him back by making him take me back to my bus before we picked up Francie.
The bus was still a work-in-progress in many ways. The exterior had its share of missing paint and cosmetic defects, but I had faith that with some hard work and dedication, its true beauty would emerge.
From Mav’s narrow-eyed stare, I wasn’t sure he could see my hazy vision as he studied it from behind.
“You can’t see the potential?”
