Page 13 of Wild Mistake
“Right.” I bite back a smile.
“Take a seat wherever you’d like. I’ll grab a menu. Coffee?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I slide my jacket off and glance around to find several people staring. Scratch that, they’re downright gawking. I almost laugh out loud. This town and their gossip. Can’t say I miss that. Who knows what tall tales they’ll spin by the end of the day. I practically groan, realizing whatever it is, Maeve will be up my ass about it. Hell, probably Ryan and Jackson too.
At least Tim is off in California.
But that thought offers no relief when I think back to my conversation with Ryan. Our brother deserves to know about Pops’ dementia. I know I told Ryan he had a week, but after spending the last twenty-four hours with our father, I make an executive decision. Taking a seat in the corner booth, I pull out my cell.
Me: Hey, you never wished me a Merry Christmas.
Me: Call me soon. We need to catch up.
“Here you go,” Sarah says, drawing my attention away from my phone. She sets a cup of coffee down and hands me a menu. “I’ve got to cash out a few tables, so give me a sec and I’ll be back to take your order.”
“Thanks.”
I try not to stare at Sarah while she works, sneaking covert glances instead. Since Maeve told me Sarah was back in town, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the past and the woman who broke my young heart. I thought stopping by the diner would give those thoughts some relief. Instead, I find my mind totally consumed.
I want to ask her a thousand questions. I want to fill in the gaps of time we’ve missed. Though maybe I’m the only one.
Sarah is working so I try not to read into it, but she barely makes eye contact. She’s perfectly polite and cordial, stopping to take my order then returning with it several minutes later. But she doesn’t stop to chat with me like she does the other customers. It’s almost as if she takes every opportunity to not look in my direction or to find an excuse to rush away. I’d be offended if I didn’t find it so amusing. What the hell is she playing at?
Do I make her nervous? Does she think her curt professionalism will push me to leave? Or maybe she’s like me and not sure where we stand, or how to act?
There’s no protocol when it comes to ex-fiancées.
She’s clearing a table when I notice her wince, stop, and twist her back as if it hurts.
Maybe her not making small talk has nothing to do with me at all. When we were younger, her feet and back always hurt after working a shift. I can only imagine how physically taxing this is on her body now.
Fuck. I feel like an asshole.
When the only other table in the diner empties, I lift my hand to gain Sarah’s attention.
“More coffee?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I want you to sit with me.”
“Aiden. I’m working.”
“And it’s slow. Come on. Sit.”
She looks as if she wants to argue.
“I just want to catch up. There’s no one else here.”
She frowns. “Benny is working in the back. I shouldn’t. Marnie will be back soon.”
“I saw how great you took care of your customers; you deserve a break. Besides, I highly doubt Marnie will give you shit for sitting to chat with an old Army Ranger.”
Her face pinches with annoyance, but she slides into the padded bench seat across from me. I catch the sigh of relief that escapes her lips as she sits, but she quickly masks it with a pointed glare. “You, sir, are not old.”
“No?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Because I am only one year younger, and if you’re old then that makes me—”
“Old next year?” I tease.
