Page 3 of Bennett (HC Heroes #15)

L aurel Sinclair glanced at the sheriff’s table where the newcomers her aunt had requested her to wait on now sat. They were in her section. Belinda, the other server, handled the booths and one half of the counter, while Laurel took care of the tables and the remainder of the counter.

This was day five for her in Harland County, and she’d already memorized the menu, the cook’s quirks, and most of the names of the regulars. She’d also worked with two other servers and found them to be easy-going and efficient, perfect qualities for this job.

Her first day in Harland had been a whirlwind of unpacking, adjusting, and remembering just how different small-town life was from the hustle of Austin. She also remembered how much she preferred it.

That morning had been spent settling into the cozy spare room at her aunt’s place, a quaint, lived-in space filled with mismatched furniture, floral quilts, and the comforting scent of fresh-baked bread that seemed permanently ingrained in the walls.

By mid-afternoon, she had driven Aunt Annie to her pre-op surgical consultation, where the doctor had gone over the procedure in detail, which Annie had promptly brushed off like it was nothing more than a routine check-up.

Laurel had asked a dozen questions, making sure she understood exactly how long her aunt needed to rest, what she could and couldn’t do, and how long before she’d be back to full function.

Aunt Annie had just patted her knee with her good hand and smiled. “You worry too much, sweetheart. It’s just a little carpal tunnel surgery, not a kidney transplant.”

Laurel, not convinced, had still insisted on getting a printed copy of all the post-op care instructions.

By the time they’d left the doctor’s office, Annie was already talking about what needed to be done at the diner before she took time off and had insisted that they swing by so she could show her the ropes.

That night after dinner, Laurel had flipped through the medical paperwork again, then stared at the ceiling, mentally preparing for the early mornings, the dinner rush, and the feeling of being in a town where she was the newcomer.

She told herself it was just for a little while.

She just hadn’t expected Harland to feel this easy to settle into, although she’d guessed that from her childhood visits. Never once had she ever felt unwelcome here.

This time was no different. Everyone greeted her with a smile and talked to her as if they were genuinely interested in what she had to say. It was refreshing.

Now it was four days after her aunt’s surgery, and Laurel had already adopted an efficient routine at the diner. Her toughest obstacle was keeping Aunt Annie from doing too much. Apparently, greeting people and taking care of the register weren’t enough.

Today, she had to concede and let the stubborn spitfire refill coffees with her good hand while chatting with her regulars at the counter. Like now, she was smiling at Duke, a local realtor, and laughing at something the ice cream shop owner, Arthur, had said.

Hopefully, that would appease her aunt until the follow-up visit with the doctor next Wednesday.

It was going to be a long six days.

Pushing that thought aside, Laurel weaved through the diner, expertly dodging a wayward elbow and a kid swinging his legs under a table as she made her way toward the sheriff and his ex-military buddies.

She’d waited on most of them before. They were loud, sure, but they were also the kind of customers who made the morning shift entertaining.

And considering they tipped well, she wasn’t about to complain.

As she approached the table, the sheriff’s order in hand, she happily readied herself for the usual chaos that came with serving his friends.

“Here you are, Sheriff Bryson,” she said, setting his order in front of him.

“Thanks, Laurel,” he replied before digging in with all the gusto of a man about to be called away, which, unfortunately had happened many times.

She turned her attention to the group and smiled. “Well, well, look who finally rolled in. Harland’s finest security team, in all your breakfast-eating glory.”

Cooper, one of the mischievous ones, grinned up at her. “And here we thought you’d be happy to see us.”

“I am,” she said smoothly, retrieving a pad and pencil from her apron. “The tips are usually decent, and you guys don’t make weird special requests like that one guy who asked for his eggs boiled exactly six and a half minutes.”

The cook was still complaining about it, and that was two days ago.

“Reason number one thousand why I hate civilians,” Matthew muttered.

Laurel smirked then shifted her gaze to the one unfamiliar face at the table. Broody. Strong. Quiet.

Too ridiculously good-looking.

Before she could ask, Mac gestured toward him. “Laurel Sinclair, meet Bennett Vaughn. He’s new at ESI.”

New guy’s eyes met hers—steady, unreadable, yet vaguely amused. They were also brown, but where hers were a light shade, his were dark, like rich chocolate.

Her favorite food group.

“Bennett Vaughn, huh?” She lifted her chin. “Two surnames. That’s different. Suits you, kind of like a mysterious action hero.”

Stupid mouth. It was going to get her in trouble one of these days.

“I’m no hero,” he replied, his voice low and even. And sexy.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Nope.

She ignored it.

Tilting her head, she pretended to size him up. “Doubt that. Not with the company you keep.”

His brow lifted slightly, but he didn’t ask what she meant. Instead, he handed over his menu. “Coffee, black. Pancakes. Bacon.”

She snorted. “Wow. Look at you, living life on the edge.”

He didn’t react, but she swore she caught the corner of his mouth twitching.

An unexpected thrill shot through her, so she squashed it down like a proverbial scampering spider.

She had no time for either.

Calling herself all sorts of stupid, Laurel turned to the others, taking down Matthew’s omelet, Mac’s eggs, bacon, and toast, and Cooper’s usual stack of pancakes big enough to make a nutritionist cry, and they all requested a side of biscuits and gravy. Except for Bennett.

Whatever. His loss.

Before she turned to leave, Cooper leaned forward with a grin. “So, Laurel, what’s the random fact of the day?”

She arched a brow. “Oh, we’re doing this now?”

Her mind was full of them, and gift or curse, she shared them with anyone who’d listen and even some who didn’t.

“Absolutely.” Mac smiled, and the sheriff nodded.

“Yeah.” Matthew smirked. “You’ve been spouting them off all week. We need our daily dose.”

Laurel tapped her pencil against the order pad, pretending to consider. “All right, let’s see…Do you know how much a jiffy is in an actual unit of time?”

Blank stares.

Mac exhaled through his nose and reached for his coffee. Cooper squinted at her like she was making it up. Matthew just frowned.

Bennett, however, spoke up without hesitation. “One-hundredth of a second.”

She arched a brow as surprise rippled through her. “Oh, look at you,” she teased, grinning. “Cute and smart.”

And she was dumb and stupid.

What was with her today?

Laurel sighed inwardly. She really needed to work on thinking before speaking.

Cooper snorted, nudging Bennett with his elbow. “Damn, Vaughn, you been studying trivia in your downtime?”

Bennett just held her gaze, calm and steady. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”

Instead of answering, Laurel smirked. “You up for another one?”

His lips twitched, barely there. “Go for it.”

Her pulse hiccupped without her permission.

Bugger.

“All right, big guy.” She leaned in slightly. “What’s a group of flamingos called?”

Matthew scoffed. “Oh, hell, that can’t be a real thing.”

Bennett didn’t even blink. “A flamboyance.”

Seriously?

Once again, surprise rippled through Laurel. Most people never answered one of her questions correctly, let alone two in a row.

Who was this guy?

Her frown was quick, exaggerated. “Get out of my head, Vaughn.”

Cooper burst out laughing. “Holy hell. Bennett, man, what is this? Have you been secretly training for a trivia championship?”

That might explain it.

Bennett lifted one shoulder in a slow shrug. “I like knowing things.”

So did she. It was a hunger, never satisfied, always yearning for more.

That’s why she constantly had her head in a book during downtime.

Even now, she had one in her apron to continue reading on break.

It was full of the history of great escape artists and how they pulled it off, the psychology behind why people hesitate to leave when they want to, and much more. It fed her love of quirky trivia.

But she didn’t want to escape now. No, she wanted more.

Laurel narrowed her eyes at the intriguing man, her lips twitching. “Okay, let’s test that.” She tapped the pencil against her chin. “What’s the only muscle in the body that never tires?”

Silence.

Her pulse picked up pace. Had she actually stumped him?

She watched Bennett tilt his head slightly as if considering. After a few seconds, he shook it once. “I’ve got no clue.”

Yes! I win.

Grinning, Laurel slapped the order pad against her palm and pointed at him. “Good. Cute and clueless looks better on you.”

With that, she spun on her heel and walked off to put in their order, barely making it three steps before she heard raucous laughter behind her.

“Damn, Vaughn,” Cooper choked out between chuckles. “You were on a roll, too.”

“She set you up, man,” Matthew added. “Brutal.”

Bennett’s response was too low for her to hear, but whatever he said just made them laugh harder, and her smile widen.

Shaking her head, Laurel slipped into the kitchen, silently praising herself for the way she’d handled the situation.

The unmistakable sound of male laughter and light-hearted razzing drifted into the kitchen. She didn’t need to peek through the order up window to know Bennett was on the receiving end of it.

Good.

She smirked and slid the order onto the kitchen’s spinning rack for Pete, the cook, to grab.