Page 14

Change the subject!

“So, how does it feel to be back in Marietta? Did you miss it?”

“In a way, I did,” he admitted. “The place has changed some, but . . . some things never change.”

Flo, the older, long-time waitress with the big hair and sweet smile wiped tables nearby and nodded to Shay. “Hi, darlin’! How you doin’ today?”

“Great. Just great.” She forced a smile at the woman who was surreptitiously checking out Cooper.

“That’s not—” Flo began. “Well, I’ll be. Cooper Lane. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

Nervously, Cooper turned to her. “Hey, Flo.”

Everyone knew Flo. Everyone who grew up here spent copious amounts of time with friends here, sharing sodas and french fries after school. And Flo had always been a big part of that experience. She never judged anyone, not even Shay when she’d gotten pregnant with Ryan. Maybe that’s why she’d been here for so long.

“Welcome back to Marietta. So good to see you again,” Flo told Cooper.

“Thanks, Flo.”

“Here for a while or just passing through?”

He glanced at Shay. “A while. Maybe. We’ll see.”

“That’s good to hear. Enjoy your lunch now you two, you hear?” Not wanting to interrupt, Flo moved on to other tables, leaving them to stare awkwardly at each other for a long moment.

“She’s nice,” Shay murmured.

“Always was.”

“So,” Shay said, searching for something safe to talk about. “Where are you staying? Liam said you didn’t want to bunk at the ranch.”

“Our old place. I kept it going all these years. Had a caretaker on it until recently. It’s a little worse for the wear, but it’s still there.”

“Really?” She studied him for a long minute, gauging how curious she was allowed to be. “I thought—”

“What?”

“I guess I assumed you’d sold it. It has been a long time. Somehow, I didn’t imagine you’d ever come back.”

“Wishful thinking?”

She blushed. “No.” She probably deserved that after their first meeting yesterday. “I just didn’t think you had many good reasons to come back here. But it is, after all, your home.” She nearly winced. That didn’t come out at all how she’d meant to say it.

He narrowed a look at her. “Mine and my father’s.”

She toyed with her salad. His father who had been gone longer than Cooper had. “I know how it feels to want to protect what’s yours. Obviously. I’d do anything to protect my family. And . . . I’m a single mother. I’ve had a fair share of gossip and innuendo coming my way. I don’t hold what your father did against you personally.”

He set down his fork, his expression bereft of the ease she’d seen only moments earlier. “Kinda feels like you do. Just so you know, he was innocent. I’m innocent. And someday you’ll know that’s all true. But if you don’t want me on the Hard Eight, Shay, just come out and say it. I’ll go right now.”

She blinked at him. “No. I—” Searching for the words to explain herself, she came up short. “That’s not what I meant. At least, I didn’t mean to—You don’t have to worry. Your job is safe. I’m sorry. Just ignore me, Cooper.”

Slowly, he got to his feet and settled his black Stetson on his head. “That won’t be easy. But I thank you for the cupcake and the company. But I’m about to be late for a meeting.”

“Cooper, I—”

He cut her off. “See you on Monday.”

Deflated, she leaned back in her chair. Now she’d done it. She watched him pay his tab with that cute little waitress at the cash register and leave the café. She’d hurt him. And even her attempts to backtrack had backfired.