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“I know,” she says as she preens. “It’s a gift.”
“He’s just… Lane is unlike anybody I’ve ever met before—”
“Let’s be honest, babe, you haven’t met many people before.”
“True. But of the ones I have met, he’s not like any of them,” I say. “He’s just so kind and generous. He takes care of me. It’s hard to explain, but he just shows me that he cares and isn’t doing any of that just because he wants to fuck me. It’s genuine. Real.”
“Are you sure it’s not just part of some manipulation? Some kind of game?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m sure it’s real. I can feel it whenever he looks at me.”
“So? Is this going anywhere?”
“I don’t know yet,” I admit. “I mean, I’ve been avoiding catching feelings like the plague for most of my life—”
“Things change though. And it certainly sounds like they have for you,” Gwen says.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I mean… I really like him—”
“Then what’s the problem?”
"Because I don't know how he feels," I finally confess. "I mean, I think he cares about me like that. But I'm afraid that I'm maybe just seeing things I want to see."
“It doesn’t sound like it to me, babe,” Gwen says. “We only go around once in this life, Lanie. When you find somebody who makes you happy, you would be a fool if you didn’t reach out and grab them. If he treats you well—”
“He treats me like a queen.”
“If he treats you like a queen then, you would be a fool to let him go,” she adds. “But, if you’re too scared to go after him, then maybe I’ll give him a call.”
“Oh my God, shut up,” I say with a laugh.
The automatic chime sounds as the front door to the diner opens and I watch as a tall, burly man with long brown hair and a thick brown beard walks in. I glance at my watch and frown. It’s literally twenty minutes before we close. I hate it when people come in so late.
“Go ahead and sit where you’d like,” Gwen calls out to him.
“Please, please, please, don’t sit in my section,” I mutter.
“There’s only two of us, you’ve got a fifty percent chance,” Gwen says quietly.
“Dammit,” I whisper as the man takes a seat at a table in my section.
With a sigh, I grab a menu and head over to the table, plastering a smile I hope doesn’t look as fake as it feels on my face.
"Hi, I'm Lanie. I'll be taking care of you tonight," I say. "But a quick word of warning, the kitchen closes in twenty minutes."
His eyes fixed on me, the man takes the menu. His gaze is intense and although I know I’ve never seen him before in my life, there’s something about him that strikes a chord of familiarity inside of me.
“Lanie,” he says. “Pretty name for a pretty girl.”
It’s meant to be flattering and I’ve certainly gotten a lot worse from the guys who come into the diner. But something about the way he’s staring at me sends cold chills racing up my spine. There’s an intensity in his gaze that just hits me the wrong way. Not knowing what else to do, I keep that stupid, phony smile on my face.
“I’ll… I’ll give you a couple of minutes to decide,” I say.
Turning away from the table, I hustle back to where Gwen is standing in the side station, rolling silverware. She sets her roll down and cocks her head.
“You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Gwen says.
I turn and look back at the table to find the man holding his menu but staring straight at me. His gaze is flat and his expression is entirely blank. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end and a sick, oily feeling churns in my belly. Swallowing hard, I turn back to Gwen.
