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I hear my mother’s voice in my head. “Girls should be bright as sunshine and sweeter than honey.”
I let out a silent sigh, straightening. When I sit up, my gaze clashes with the handsome stranger sitting next to me. Had he just caught me internally raging about someone being nice to me?
Busted.
I can feel my face heat as embarrassment stains my cheeks red. I put my menu up in front of my face, but peek at him over the top.
He is incredibly tall, with a swimmer’s physique. His short, dark hair is parted on the left side, and his finely chiseled features are to die for. His white button-up shirt and black dress pants tell me that he just left some kind of fancy party.
What parties call for black-tie attire during the day? A yachting regatta? Sabering a bottle of champagne to christen the opening of a vineyard?
Because this handsome stranger just radiates an aura of wealth, the way that Charlie Brown’s Linus gives off stink lines.
For some reason, he is still staring at me. And by God, his eyes are such a deep, sapphire blue that I want to strip down and take a swim in their depths.
Pearl surprises me by setting down a tall glass of unsweetened tea and a plate of lemon wedges before me. I jump, putting a hand to my heart.
“Oh my god.” I set the menu to the side. “I’m so jumpy today!”
“Today? Try always.” Pearl smirks at me. “Am I disturbing your thoughts?”
My gaze strays over to the hot stranger, who is now pretending to be engrossed in his phone.
“No,” I waver.
She catches the direction of my curious gaze and smirks. She leans her head close to me and drops her voice to a whisper. “I’d steer clear of him if I were you. He makes Oscar the Grouch look like a ray of sunshine.”
I quirk a brow at my friend. “I don’t believe in grumpy people. Just people that have not been cheered up yet.”
“You’re crazy.” Pearl shakes her head.
“I’m right. I’ll prove it!”
“Don’t do it on my account. And let me save you the trouble of fretting over this menu. You’ll have the waffle of the day, which is blackberry, with a ton of whipped cream and powdered sugar on top. And you’ll have a side of hash browns.”
My lips lift. “You do know me well. Can you make those hash browns scattered, smothered, and covered?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Pearl.”
As Pearl flits off to another table, I sneak another sidelong glance at the handsome stranger. He is toying with his knife but after a second, he raises his eyes. Our gazes connect.
Something electric crackles between us. I shiver, and realize that goosebumps have risen on my arms.
What is it about this man that makes me stare at him so boldly?
He looks at me as though I’ve suddenly started juggling pineapples. He opens his mouth, perhaps to ask me what I’m doing. I offer him my hand with a little grin.
“I’m Savannah,” I say. “I don’t recognize you, so I thought I would introduce myself.”
His eyes narrow and he glances at my hand. There is a palpable air of uncertainty for a second before he takes it, shaking it very hard for the briefest time possible.
“Cole.” His eyes bore into mine. I expect him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. He looks over his shoulder, though I’m not sure what he’s checking for.
“Are you in from out of town?”
“No.” He crosses his arms and tilts his head.
