“I don’t know. Does she?”
“No. Because she’s one of us. This is her home.”
“What about tourists?”
“I’m sure some ask her for an autograph from time to time. But if I saw Lucy with a crowd of people and she looked uncomfortable, what do you think I’d do? What do you think any of us would do?”
“Come to her rescue.”
“You’re smarter than you look.” Harry tapped her temple. “But I don’t know if I’d rescue you.”
“Fine.” I flipped my hood off and raised the brim of my hat. “Better?”
She answered with a smug grin, then waited for me to open the door to the White Oak.
The scent of bacon and cinnamon rolls made my stomach growl as we stepped inside. Harry didn’t stop at the hostess station. She plucked two menus from the stack and set off for a table. Did she pick the booth tucked into the corner? No, she chose the table that was directly in the middle of the restaurant.
I sat in the chair across from hers and buried my face in the menu.
“Morning, Harry.” The waitress appeared with a carafe of coffee and two ceramic mugs.
“Morning, Marcy.”
The name had me looking up.
“Two Marcys in Calamity. My daughter,” Harry explained. “And Marcy Davis.”
“Ah.”
Harry kicked me under the table.
“What?” I gritted, rubbing my shin.
She jerked her chin to Marcy.
“Oh.” I sighed and held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Marcy. I’m Cal.”
“You’ve been in a few times.” She shook my hand. “Welcome.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll give you guys a few minutes,” Marcy said, then disappeared.
Harry poured coffee for us both. “Was that so hard?”
“Yes,” I said, lifting my cup. It was nearly scalding, but I sipped it anyway.
The door opened and a woman breezed inside wearing charcoal slacks and a sleeveless black blouse. Her hair was twisted into a knot, showcasing the long line of her neck. A neck I’d kissed just days ago.
Nellie.
Christ, but she was beautiful. My body responded instantly, like it always did. A thump of my heart. A breath I had to force myself to take. A spike of heat.
Would I ever stop craving her?
Harry followed my gaze, twisting to peer over her shoulder. By the time she faced forward, my eyes were already locked on the menu again. She did me a favor by reading hers too.
I risked another glance toward the door and found Nellie’s green eyes waiting. They widened, just slightly. Then she squared her shoulders and walked toward a booth.
It wasn’t empty.
No, sitting across from her was another man.
He stood and kissed her cheek before she could sit.
That was my fucking cheek.
Except it wasn’t. Because Nellie was here on a date.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NELLIE
Normally after a hookup, Cal and I would go months without seeing each other. We’d stay a thousand miles apart. It had only been three days since he’d been at my house. And three days wasn’t nearly long enough.
I hadn’t had time to forgive myself for being weak. I hadn’t had time to compartmentalize the sex. I hadn’t had time to remind myself that the only feelings I had for Cal Stark were disdain and annoyance.
I needed more than three days. And I really needed him to be in another state, not sitting two tables over while I attempted to eat my breakfast.
“How are the pancakes?” Zach asked.
“Good.” I shoved another bite in my mouth. Whatever appetite I’d come to the White Oak with had vanished the moment I’d stepped through the café’s door and spotted Cal. It took all my effort to swallow a bite and force a smile. “Thanks again for helping me yesterday.”
“No problem.” He nodded, sipping his coffee.
My own mug was getting cold. I’d been gulping ice water instead, hoping it would help me chill. My armpits were sticky. My forehead felt dewy. It took effort not to fan my face. Every time Cal’s gaze swept to our table, it was like the desert sun had settled directly over my shoulder.
I risked a glance to the side.
Cal was glowering my direction from beneath the brim of his hat.
“How are you liking Calamity so far?” Zach asked.
I barely registered his words, too focused on a different man than my date.
Wait. Was this a date? It seemed like a date. But maybe I was just reading into it.
I’d bumped into Zach at the grocery store yesterday. I’d walked there with a few empty totes, planning to carry everything home. He’d been behind me in the checkout line and we’d gotten to catching up.
Zach was Kerrigan and Larke’s older brother, and we’d met a couple of times on my previous trips to Montana. When he’d offered to give me a lift home, I’d gladly accepted because more items than I’d planned to pick up had worked their way into my cart.
He’d driven me home and had helped haul my groceries inside. When I’d told him about my car woes, he’d volunteered to give me a ride to the office this morning. It had been my idea for breakfast. A thank you for his shuttle service.
Except it resembled a date. Did Zach think it was a date? He’d kissed my cheek when I’d come in. Maybe that had just been a friendly peck? Shit. I hadn’t intended this to be a date.
Date. Date. Date. That word sounded like an emergency alarm, blaring inside my head, screaming at me to exit the building right fucking now. Was it time to leave?
Not that Zach wasn’t a nice guy. He was exactly the man I should be dating. Clever. Sweet. Employed. But I couldn’t think about the merits of this being an actual date with Cal sitting in the same room. Why was he here so early?
Zach and I had planned to meet at six thirty. That would give us time to eat before he dropped me off at the office. This should have been a safe window. But that was the problem with Calamity. It was too damn small.
“Nellie?” Zach set his fork down.
Right. He’d asked me a question. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about my car,” I lied.
“I can always get you a loaner from the dealership.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a soft smile. “My mechanic offered me one too. If they don’t have my car fixed by this afternoon, I might take you up on that.”
“Just holler. Or I’m happy to give you a ride home.”
“Thanks. But to answer your question, yes, Calamity has been great. I really love it here.”
“I’m glad. It’s a good town.” He picked up his fork, diving into his scrambled eggs and hash browns.
I watched him eat, studying the flex of his jaw and curve of his lips as he chewed. Zach had a nice face. He had kind brown eyes and thick, chestnut hair. He worked at the Hale family car dealership and had lived in Calamity his entire life. I doubted anyone requested his autograph while he walked down First.
But there was no chemistry. Zero. Not even the tiniest of sparks.
What would it take for a nice guy to make my pulse race? Why was it always Cal?
I stole another look at his table, and this time, his attention was fixed on his breakfast date. The older woman smirked at him, like she’d just delivered an insult and was waiting to see how he’d respond. Who was she? How’d she know Cal?