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“Better now.” He smiled, and I felt a warmth flutter in my stomach. I was so out of practice with flirting, but this felt like a nice way to dip my toes in the water. “How about you?” he followed up.
I shrugged, picking a menu from the holder on the table. “I’ve been a little distracted today. Came here to clear my head.”
He nodded, taking a sip from the sweating glass of iced tea in front of him. “You know what I do to clear my head?”
I motioned that I didn’t.
“It’s kind of strange, but...” He leaned closer, whispering. “I gargle ice water.”
Surprised, I giggled a bit. “What?”
He nodded, sitting up straight again. “It resets the vagus nerve. Learned that on a podcast driving to one of my jobs. You should try it.”
As if she was listening to our conversation, Agatha came by our table and asked me what I’d like to order. She looked busy with the lunch rush, so I quickly told her what I’d like and asked for a glass of ice water.
As she walked away, Bennett winked at me.
I smiled to myself, shaking my head. “Do you listen to podcasts a lot?”
“Just when I get tired of hearing the same song over and over,” he tossed back. “You?”
I nodded, then leaned forward. “It’s a little embarrassing though.”
Amused, he said, “Tell me.”
“I listen to people rehash reality TV.”
That had him chuckling warmly. “Real Housewives? That’s my mom’s favorite show.”
“Bake Off,” I replied.
He laughed again, and I could feel people watching our exchange, but it didn’t bother me one bit. This was exactly what I needed—a nice conversation to distract me from thoughts of Hayes Madigan. Maybe I had underestimated Bennett all this time.
Agatha passed by, easily sliding a cup of ice water in front of me. The cubes rattled against the plastic for a second after it came to a stop.
“Try it,” Bennett said.
My cheeks warmed. “There’s no attractive way to gargle. Maybe I should take it to the bathroom.”
“Oh please,” he said. “Gargling’s sexy as hell.”
A laugh easily fell past my lips. “Okay, let’s put this theory to the test.” I picked up a glass of water and tossed back a mouthful. Then I tilted my head back and started to... gargle.
If my mom knew I was doing this, she’d faint, and when she came to, she’d give me a lecture on how a lady behaves.
But Mom wasn’t here.
After a few seconds, I tipped my head back up and swallowed. Bennett eyed me expectantly. “How do you feel?”
I studied my body for a moment. “Better,” I finally said. Although I didn’t know if that was because of the water or the company.
And that’s when I heard the all too familiar roar of a motorcycle outside, and any sense of ease I had was instantly gone.
13
HAYES
I set my helmet down on the seat of my motorcycle and looked through the diner window to see if my dad, Knox, and Fletcher were already seated. The place was fuckin’ packed, which made me want to turn around and go home instead.