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“Good god, woman, don’t walk too fast!” Roxie said, catching her hand to slow her down.
“Okay, okay,” Alex said, biting back a smile.
Her friend eyed her as they reached the front counter. “Promise me you’ll just sit there and not overdo it?”
She laughed. “I promise.”
“Seriously. All teasing aside, youhaveto sit. You’re not working the register or anything. Just. Sitting.” Roxie positioned a padded, high-back stool at the end of the counter, then helped her get situated. “Quinn will kill me. Literally. Not to mention Doc.”
She hated to admit it, but if it hadn’t been for Roxie, she wasn’t sure she would have been able to climb up onto the stool. Every muscle in her body was protesting.
Roxie dropped her voice and leaned in. “Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. I promise.” Yes, she was in pain and her emotions were chaotic, but she needed to be around people. Not alone, lost in her thoughts, overthinking things and making herself crazy. “This is a good distraction. And I’ll stick to the feds’ version of what went down.”
“And the chair?”
She bit back a chuckle. “Yes, Roxie. I promise I won’t move from the chair. Just sitting. I’ll even ask your permission before I get up to use the bathroom.”
Roxie grinned, throwing her hands up in victory. “Perfect! I’ll be up here all day with you, anyway. You just let me know when you need to go.”
The next few hours flew past. By eleven thirty, it seemed as though everyone in town had walked through Comfort Food’s doors. Even though they closed at eleven on Sundays, the place was still packed. And no one looked like they were in any hurry to leave.
Alex had been intrigued by everyone’s curiosity and touched by the concern of the people she’d gotten to know. As she’d promised, she hadn’t moved from her chair. And Roxie had never left her side. Once again, she felt forever grateful to the woman for her support, strength, and friendship.
As she finished another telling of the burglar story, this time to Mrs. Abbot and Mrs. Yoshida, Quinn walked in. While the two women fussed over her, he shot her a wink and disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later, he emerged carrying a large paper to-go bag. Roxie was right behind him.
“Ladies,” Quinn said, interrupting her conversation with Mrs. Abbot and Mrs. Yoshida, much to their delight. “You’re looking lovelier than ever.” As per the ritual, he kissed their hands, and they giggled like teenagers. “Would either of you mind if I stole this one away from you?” He draped his arm over her shoulders and treated them to his aw-shucks grin.
Damn. The man was quite the charmer when he wanted to be.
“Of course not, dear,” Mrs. Abbot said.
“You take good care of her now,” Mrs. Yoshida added.
“You can count on that,” he said, helping her down from the stool. “Roxie, we’re off.”
Her friend turned from the espresso machine and rolled her eyes at Mrs. Abbot and Mrs. Yoshida in dramatic fashion. “Now, if the lug head were only half as nice to me as he is to the two of you...” She walked up to Quinn and gave him a fierce bear hug, whispering in his ear.
With a smile that had his gray eyes dancing, he kissed Roxie on her forehead and murmured, “Thank you.”
Before Alex could wonder what Roxie had said, the woman wrapped her in a big hug. To her relief, it was much less fierce than the one Quinn had received.
“Relax and enjoy the rest of your day, Alex.” She sniffed. “And thanks for letting me watch over you.” She pivoted back to the espresso machine. Then, addressing Mrs. Abbot and Mrs. Yoshida, she said, “Your drinks will be right up, ladies.”
Alex’s brows rose. Were those tears in Roxie’s eyes? She started to ask, but Quinn linked his hand with hers and guided her to the door.
Once they had both settled in the SUV, she turned to him. “Is Roxie all right?”
“What do you mean?”
Her friend’s parting expression flashed in her mind. “It looked like, I don’t know, she was going to cry or something.”
“She didn’t mention anything. She has allergies. Maybe they were acting up?” He shrugged. Parking a couple of blocks away in front of Ray’s Diner, he cut the engine. “Hang tight for a second.”
He hopped out of the car and strolled into Ray’s. Through the diner’s windows, she saw him speaking with Martha behind the counter. He gestured toward the SUV, and Martha waved, grinning ear to ear.
Returning the wave, Alex watched as they talked for a few minutes. Ray appeared, slapping Quinn on the shoulder as his wife shooed him away. Quinn and Martha continued their conversation until Ray returned carrying two bags, and this time, he slapped Quinn on the back of the head. Alex choked on a laugh. With a good-natured shake of her fist at Ray, Martha patted Quinn on the cheek, beaming at him as he walked out of the diner.
