Page 11 of Recipe for Rivals
Dusty could probably have popped the lid off with a flick of the wrist. He had such jar-opening arms.
But those arms were none of my business.
He was seated beside a blonde woman with a couple across from them. It very much looked like a double date. Weird. “Breakfast date?” I asked.
“Planning meeting. That couple is getting married soon.”
Which couple? Dusty and the blonde or the people across from them? “Should I warn them it’s not all it’s cracked up to be?” I muttered.
Gigi turned a sharp eye on me. “Did he make you cynical?”
Hecould only be Carter. My cheeks burned. I wanted to complain about the phone call I’d made that morning, but it wasn’t a good idea. Gigi was going to regret inviting me if I stayed bitter. “No.”
She hovered, holding the full steaming pot of coffee. “Get me a hot chocolate, will you? Extra sugar.”
“What does that mean? Like extra whipped cream?”
“Yes, ma’am. Tucker only drinks sugar on top of sugar. The boy is going to need a set of root canals one day.”
I pulled down a mug and got to work. By the time I finished piling on a mountain of whipped cream, Gigi had disappeared. I glanced around the room, but she was nowhere to be seen, and the double-date wedding planners were deep in conversation.
So much for needing me in the kitchen with Dal. I put the mug on a small round tray and carried it to their table. “Hot chocolate?” I asked.
The brown-haired guy across from Dusty lifted his hand, sending me a polite smile. “Mine.”
I set it in front of him before turning away, avoiding Dusty’s eye.
“Excuse me?” a woman at another table asked, her helmet ofdark hair in a perfect, round fifties-grandmother style. “Would you mind refilling my coffee?”
“Not at all,” I said pleasantly and went for the pot. When I returned to her side, I glanced at Dusty’s table again and found him watching me. A weird flutter went through my stomach. Averting my eyes, I smiled at the woman and turned to hide behind the counter. Where was Gigi? Why had she left me alone? I was supposed to be learning something about chicken, not developing a schoolgirl crush on the hot firefighter.
That thought sent off a chain reaction of ick and disturbing feelings. Gigi or not, I did not need to remain out here any longer.
I moved toward the kitchen when a deep voice spoke behind me. “Nova?”
The hair stood up on my neck, proving I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Dusty.
CHAPTER FOUR
DUSTY
Nova faced me slowly,a tight smile on her mouth. She was the classical type of beautiful, one that didn’t need makeup and neat clothes to stand out. She was rumpled, in skinny jeans and a crew neck and not an ounce of makeup, but still wildly distracting, making me second-guess my objective in approaching her.
Why had I come to the counter again? I knew it had to do with the diner, and not the fact that I wanted to speak to Nova.
Especially with Gracie Mae watching. I wasn’t that much of a jerk.
“Where is Gigi?” I finally asked, remembering my goal.
“Do you need something? I can get it for you.”
“Just her.”
Nova narrowed her brown eyes slightly. “Food? More coffee? The check?”
“I want to discuss a fundraiser with her.”
“Oh.” She looked over her shoulder.