Page 9 of Fear of Love (Falling #3)

“That came out wrong. I’m not good at this apology thing, okay?” Landon blew out an exasperated breath. “I was going to say sorry that night but you already left.”

I stood there, searching his face to see if he was being honest.

“What I said was hurtful and untrue. I know you aren’t money hungry.” Landon stared me right in the eyes as he spoke. “I really am sorry, Lydia.”

Part of me didn’t want to accept his apology, not with how I felt the last few days, but I could see the sincerity in his eyes. His apology didn’t make things better, but at least he knew he was in the wrong.

“Thank you.” I learned a long time ago to never say something was fine when it wasn’t, especially after someone was rude to me or yelled. That only told them it was okay to keep doing it. I could accept his apology while still setting boundaries.

“Let me make it up to you.” The word seemed to slip from his mouth but he didn’t retract them.

“Make it up to me?” I questioned, unsure of where he was going with this.

“Have you eaten yet?” Once again, my eyebrows raised in surprise. Was Landon seriously asking to grab food with me?

“Are you feeling okay? Did you fall and hit your head?” I genuinely asked. Who was this Landon, and what did he do with the other one?

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t do a nice thing?”

“You? No.” I sent him a look. I could count on one hand the amount of items he’d been nice to me over the years.

“We can go to Rick’s,” he suggested.

Damn it. He knew one of my weaknesses. From the first time Josie took me there, to one of the best food trucks in Toronto, I was hooked. I didn’t know what the guy did, but he had the most incredible hamburgers and fries.

“I promise I’ll behave myself.” The corner of his lips twitched like he knew he got me.

Shifting on my feet, I mentally went through the pros and cons of going to eat with Landon. Aside from the fact we were never alone together, what would we even talk about? My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since early this morning.

Landon let out a huff as if holding back a laugh. I glared down at my body— traitor. I wasn’t about to say no to food, though.

“Fine,” I relented.

“Yes?”

“Yes.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “But you’re paying.”

“Deal.” His lips widened into a grin. My breath hitched at the sight. It wasn’t often Landon smiled, but when he did… Damn, it was out of this world.

“Um, I’ll meet you there?” I forced my eyes away from his mouth and tried to ignore the way it made my stomach flip.

“Yeah. Let me tell Emily and I’ll be there,” he promised.

With an awkward half smile, I turned on my heel and headed for the door. I glanced over my shoulder briefly and found Landon staring after me, wiping his hand across his mouth. Ignoring the tingling in my lower belly, I left the ice rink, wondering what the hell I was doing.

“Boss Lady!” Rick’s loud voice boomed from inside the food truck parked outside a Kmart. I grinned up at him through the little window, his hulking frame taking up the entire space.

“Hey, Rick.” Rick came across as intimidating with his wide shoulders and serious face, but the guy was such a sweetheart.

“Haven’t seen ya in a little while.”

“Been busy with work,” I said, which earned me a disapproving look.

“You work too much, little lady.”

“I know, I know.” I waved him off.

“What can I get ya?” he asked.

“I’m actually waiting for someone.” I glanced around the parking lot, silently wondering where Landon was. Rick’s wasn’t too busy since it was only a little bit after four thirty. The place would be packed in another hour.

After our article about the food truck came out about a year ago, the crowds that flocked to eat Rick’s food tripled in size. So much so that Rick was considering opening a second truck.

“Oh.” Rick raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.

“It’s not a date.” I quickly added. It wasn’t . It was a… I don’t even know what it was, but it certainly wasn’t that.

“Mmhmm.” He didn’t seem convinced.

His eyes flicked behind me a second later before another voice entered the conversation.

“Sorry I’m late,” Landon said. “Had a parent who stayed and wanted to talk.”

“It’s fine. I haven’t ordered yet.”

“Hey, Rick,” Landon greeted. I didn’t miss the way Rick looked back and forth between the two of us, a slow grin taking over his face.

“Always a good day when a Boone comes to eat,” Rick teased. “What can I get ya two?”

“I’ll take my usual. And onion rings,” I said with a smile.

“Same with me,” Landon added, handing his card to Rick. I almost reached out to stop him but halted. He wanted to pay, so who was I to say no?

“Sounds good. I’ll bring it out in a minute,” Rick said with an amused tilt of his head.

The silence between us was awkward as we moved to sit across from each other on one of the benches outside the food truck. Neither one of us knew how to act without the others around.

“So, the rink is doing well?” I asked after a moment, unable to take the uncomfortable silence any longer. I had no clue what to say but figured talking about work was a safe topic.

“Yeah, things are good. The magazine article last year has really helped.”

“Did Landon Boone just admit my magazine has helped his business?” I put a hand to my chest and made my eyes big. I knew it took a lot of convincing by Josie to get Landon to agree to do any sort of interview or article.

Landon’s eyes narrowed in my direction, making me smirk.

“Saying sorry and admitting my business is helpful, all in one day. Maybe the world is ending,” I said, bringing my hand to my throat to check my pulse to see if I had suddenly died.

“Ha ha.”

“But seriously, I’m glad it’s helped.” And I meant it.

That was the main reason I started the magazine.

I wanted something that everyone could read and see what was going on in the city; beyond the scope of events the paper wrote about.

I wanted mom-and-pop shops to get more recognition along with other businesses.

“The magazine seems to be thriving,” Landon commented.

“Yeah, we’ve been really busy lately. We always are when getting things ready for the next issue,” I responded just as Rick came over with our food.

“Here ya kiddos go.”

My mouth instantly watered at the sight of my burger. This right here was my kryptonite, and I wasn’t even ashamed to admit it. I didn’t waste a second before reaching for an onion ring.

“Marry me, Rick,” I plead in a joking voice.

“Get me a ring,” he teased. We both knew he was happily taken, but I would have gladly married him just for his cooking skills.

“Oh, I will,” I mumbled around a bite of my food.

“You guys enjoy.” I didn’t miss the wink he gave Landon and me before he walked off.

Grabbing my burger, I took a big bite, not caring that Landon was sitting across from me. Nothing would stand in the way of my food. Across from me, he shook his head as he took a bite of his own.

“What?” I asked once I swallowed.

“All it takes is a burger to get on your good side.” His eyes moved from my food to my mouth, making my cheeks heat.

“Yep. I fell in love with Rick the moment I came here.”

“Hmm.”

I raised an eyebrow at his response. Instead of asking him what he meant by that, I let it slide. We were actually getting along for once, so there was no need to ruin it.

The two of us were quiet as we ate. Once in awhile our eyes would meet before we quickly looked away. It felt weird, yet… nice eating with Landon. Maybe I had eaten alone for far too long if I was enjoying Landon’s company. Not wanting to touch that subject, I continued eating.

“Thank you,” I said after a bit. At his confused expression, I elaborated. “For the food and for the apology.”

“You’re welcome.”

As the two of us shared a small smile, my heart fluttered.

Don’t even think about it, Lydia.