Page 32

Mara
Confession: I don’t have many—any guy friends.
“Are you hungry?”Jonas asked me before we got to my house.
I nodded. “Starving, actually.” I’d been planning on ordering pizza and pouring myself a triple martini the second we got home.
“Let’s grab something.”
The way he said that was almost as sexy as the way he drove my truck. He was more relaxed now, with one hand on the steering wheel, the other elbow rested where the door met the window. His suit jacket was curled up in between us. And even though it had been several hours since he first arrived, I could still smell the faint hint of whatever intoxicating cologne he’d put on earlier in the day.
Maybe I was so turned on because of the way he’d been there for me at the press conference. Or maybe it was because he was offering me food, and that was definitely the way to my heart.
I tried to breathe through this strange desire I was feeling, reminding myself that he was doing all of this to help his mom. But that only made me like him more, so I sat quietly, texting Birdie and Henrietta to let them know it had gone okay. That the second movie was back on. They were probably already asleep at this point, so I’d talk to them in the morning about my dad’s surprise appearance and what that could mean.
I was already going to call a lawyer to see how I could get my name off the house altogether so he would have no way of surprising me when there weren’t security guards and dozens of reporters there to protect me.
Jonas steered Bertha into the parking lot of Waldo’s Diner, and no place had ever seemed so close to home. I’d spent hours here with Birdie and now Henrietta. Whether it was Wednesday morning pancake breakfasts or Saturday night milkshakes, this place was a home away from home.
We got out of the truck, and he held the door open for me. I half expected to see Chester sitting in one of the booths, giving Jonas the nod of approval, but it was late. He was probably already at home with his sweetheart, Karen. They were another one of those rare couples who won the love lottery.
“Where do you want to sit?” Jonas asked.
Still feeling a little jumpy, I picked an empty booth toward the back where I could see everyone coming in and no one would be able to see us through the windows.
A waitress I didn’t recognize came and asked us what we wanted to eat, and I ordered without even looking at the menu. “Can I have a chicken bacon ranch sandwich with fries and a chocolate shake?”
She nodded. “Absolutely, sweetheart. How about you?” she asked Jonas.
“That sounds great,” he said, “but can you make the shake strawberry for me?”
I scrunched up my nose, and after the waitress walked away, he said, “What?”
“Strawberry? It has to be the worst flavor of milkshake.”
He laughed. “You’re judging my ice cream choices?”
“Of course. I happen to be an expert in this area.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Is that so?”
I nodded. “I’ve tried every flavor here with Birdie, and I can say, hands down, that chocolate is the best.”
He chuckled. “I have been here way more often since she and Cohen got together.”
“Lucky you,” I said.
He looked me straight in the eyes. “I am lucky.”
My stomach did a swoop without consulting my brain. I hastily changed the subject. “I’m curious about something... How does one decide they want to be an accountant?”
He laughed. “This again?”
“I just don’t understand. It seems so...” I cut myself off, realizing I was being rude.
“Boring,” he finished anyway.
“Well...”