Page 5 of Snake Eyes (Out of His League #2)

Garrett

W ith the low hum of Shane’s Diner buzzing around us, I pull out a chair for a bashful Charlie before taking the seat opposite her. Our table borders the window, with the flowering trumpet vine arching over the shop staining the light a faint orange.

Charlie’s lips part in delight as she takes in the diner, shifting in her seat. “This is the cutest stinkin’ diner I’ve ever seen. Do you come here often?”

“A couple times a week for lunch.” Although I don’t mention the fact that I get take-out instead of staying and—god forbid— socializing with anyone.

She glances out of the window, and I know the instant she sees her car over in Kurt’s forecourt.

Her brow pinches with anxiety, and something inside me wants to smooth it out, to return to the bubbly Charlie she was before Kurt’s visit.

She flicks through the menu, worrying at her lip.

“What would you recommend? Everything looks amazing.”

With the door between my leatherworking shop and the bar left open, today was one of the most enjoyable mornings I’d had in a long time. To begin with, all I could hear was her music drifting through—and then she began to sing .

Her voice is… beautiful. A honeyed melody that smoothed over the jagged edges of my soul, lulling me into saccharine contentment. It stopped me in place, holding me captive as her words soaked beneath my skin.

I’m so fucked. How is it that I’ve got it this bad after knowing her for less than a day?

“Shane’s crowning glory is his grilled cheese sandwiches,” I tell her, leaning forward on the table. “I haven’t found one that beats it yet.”

“Gatherer!” Shane’s surprised voice interrupts. The man himself isn’t far behind, his long hair pulled up into a dark bun. He wears his usual easy grin as he swaggers down toward our table. “You’re eating in instead of heading back to your shop? What have I done to deserve this honor?”

For god’s sake. I greet him with my characteristic frown. Kurt’s comments had been bad enough, but Shane too? They’re not exactly wrong, but I would like to keep some of my dignity in front of Charlie.

I give him a pointed stare. “I have a guest.”

“Which surprises me even more than you eating in, if I’m being honest.” Come on, man.

She holds out her hand, her smile radiating sunshine. “I’m Charlie. It’s great to meet you!”

Shane takes her hand. “Likewise—welcome to the diner.” His smile widens, but there’s a twinge of confusion on his brow. Is it that difficult to believe I can talk to a woman? “Are you a relative of Garrett’s?”

Charlie shakes her head. “No, we only met last night. I’m just passing through on my way north.”

Shane’s eyebrows rise so high they’re in danger of leaving earth’s atmosphere, and I know exactly what he’s thinking when I see that familiar curve in his lip. “Last night?”

Charlie, however, misses the signal. “Yeah, I crashed my car into a tree near his house.”

“Oh shit.” Shane’s humor disappears. “Glad you made it out in one piece.”

“Me too.” Charlie’s smile finds me, her eyes softening—or is that just wishful thinking? It’s definitely wishful thinking, stop getting your fucking hopes up. “Especially when I’ve heard such good things about your grilled cheese. I can’t wait to try it.”

Shane pulls out his tablet from his pocket. “Two grilled cheeses coming right up.” He doesn’t bother asking me what I want; I always get a grilled cheese and an iced coffee, whatever the weather. “You want drinks? Our pumpkin spice lattes have just come into season.”

“Pumpkin spice and killer grilled cheeses?” Charlie waves an easy hand, like I’m not fixated by that thousand-watt smile of hers. “I can hardly wait.”

Shane punches it into his tablet before shooting Charlie a flirtatious wink that makes me want to strangle him. “Coming right up.”

As soon as he’s out of earshot, she leans in toward me and lowers her voice. “Did he call you Gatherer ?”

“Mm.” I scrub my hand through my hair, noticing the town gossip, old Mrs. Sundberg, sitting in the next booth, surreptitiously trying to eavesdrop.

If it were up to me, my glare would burn her to a crisp.

“Shane and I were in the Army together. We joined at different times, but we ended up stationed at the same base for a year or two. After I was assigned as Hunter’s handler, a few of the troops started calling me—”

“Gatherer,” Charlie finished for me, biting her bottom lip in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her giggles. “Okay, that’s kind of cute.”

There had already been a “Locke” in my squad, so it had been only a matter of time before one of us was assigned a nickname—and I’d drawn the short straw. “Come to think of it, Shane did remind me of something. You said you were travelling north. Where are you off to? I never asked.”

Charlie’s answer is briefly halted as Shane drops off our drinks. “Calgary,” she responds, sipping her latte with an approving moan. “It’s where I’m from, originally. My brother still lives there, so I was going to crash for a while as I figured out how to rebuild my life.”

“It needs a complete do-over?”

She takes a long sip, sadness weighing down her features.

“Essentially. In Long Lake, I was in a relationship with this guy. The first year was good, but the second…” She trails off, twitching her lips to the side.

“I wasn’t happy, and I don’t think he was either.

By the end, we were more like roommates than an actual couple.

About a month before I left, we got into this big fight about him pulling his weight around the house.

I had to leave for work, but when I got back…

” Her voice cracks, like she’s torn open a wound that was just starting to heal.

Every muscle in my body tightens. I reach across the table to take her hand, gossiping old Mrs. Sundberg be damned. “What happened?”

“It’s silly, really.” She plasters on a smile that doesn’t meet her eyes.

“I had a plant collection—everything from carnivorous plants to roses. Our spare bedroom was entirely filled with plants. I adored it.” Her expression is so bittersweet it’s painful to look at.

“Joey…he destroyed them all. Crushed the plants under his boot. Smashed the pots. Broke the shelving. I left the next morning.”

“That isn’t silly, Charlie.” My voice is quietly furious.

There’s a current of anger trapped inside me.

“He destroyed something you love because he wanted to hurt you. It’s spiteful.

It’s pathetic .” I suddenly realize I’m still holding her hand, but neither of us move to break the connection.

Leaning forward, I lower my voice. “You wanna know what is silly to collect? Especially for a man in his 30s such as myself?”

She matches my energy, leaning in until I can see every striation in those wily blue eyes of hers. “Well, now I have to know.”

“Snow globes.”

Charlie rears back like I knocked her off balance, but a grin of disbelief spreads across her face. “Seriously?!”

I nod, surprised to find I’m grinning along with her—before I catch sight of Shane in the corner of my eye, zipping toward our table with an armful of plates and a look that is far too interested for my liking.

“Here you are,” Shane said cheerfully, sliding the plates onto our table. “If you need anything else, just flag me down.”

Charlie’s attention immediately shifts to the food, her eyes lighting up like the Rockefeller Christmas tree. “Oh my gosh, these look so good! Thank you so much.”

There’s a lull in our conversation as the food begins to disappear, bite by bite. It strikes me how much I’m enjoying this—eating with someone rather than eating alone in my office .

“Jeez.” Charlie’s voice is muffled as she chews, shaking her head. “You weren’t kidding about how good these are.”

“I never joke about grilled cheese sandwiches, ma’am.”

Her lips curve into a lighthearted, lopsided smirk.

Fuck, I can’t stop looking at her. There’s a brightness to her that I’m in awe of, like even on the rainiest of days, she could step out her front door and the sun would come out.

Reality kicks in a moment later. I’m gawking at her like a lovesick puppy when she’s off the instant her car is fixed, on top of only just getting out of a relationship with some dickhead. It douses my mood, reminding me of everything I’ll never have.

I clear my throat. “So, uh, I mentioned earlier I had an idea I wanted to discuss with you.”

Her smirk morphs into a knot of worry between her brows. “Right.”

I don’t beat around the bush. “How much are you short for the car repairs?”

She winces. “Am I that easy to read?”

“I think being caught off guard by an unexpected bill is a universal experience. I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it. How much?”

“Sixteen hundred,” she admits. Her attention drifts out of the window in the direction of Kurt’s garage, where her broken and battered car sits.

“I’ll lend you the money—”

“Garrett, I couldn’t accept,” she begins, but her voice stalls at my raised hand.

“Just hear me out. Snake Eyes is a mess. I need to get it back up and running if I’m to have a hope of attracting a new tenant. No one’s going to take it on as it is. But you—you know how to run a bar. You’re good with people. I’ll offer you the same deal as Chrissy, just on a short-term basis.”

Charlie leans against the back of the booth, her lips parted. Her eyes are bright with interest. “So I’d keep the profits? And I’d pay you back with those?”

“Correct. You’d run the bar on a daily basis, as well as giving me suggestions on how to improve the place—which I’d pay for. Give me a month, maybe two. Help me make it a thriving business once again.” Help me do my dad proud.

“What about once the profits have exceeded $1600? Do you keep those?”

I shake my head. “Nope. Those would be yours too.”