Page 4 of The Shift Between Us (Covewood #2)

“I will have a steak, medium well, with a baked potato and Caesar salad please. And for the lady…” He takes his eyes away from the menu to look up at me. “A salad?”

He did not just suggest that I eat a salad. And only a salad. I’m a baker, which naturally means I like to eat, and a salad is not a meal. It’s the snack before a meal. Yeah, no thanks, Jerry.

I look up at Stefanie, who's giving me a bewildered look, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

“I would much rather have a steak, please, with a baked potato too, and an order of your macaroni salad. Also, the Mexican cornbread was incredible! I might like it better than the rye bread you all had last time.”

Stefanie’s eyes dart between Jerry and me.

I give her a wide smile and bat my eyes for effect, which seems to loosen her up a bit.

“Yeah,” she says, her eyes staying on me, “I agree. The Mexican cornbread has been a big hit. I’ll get these orders in for you guys.

” She turns and practically rushes away toward the kitchen, possibly knowing that this date is already fizzling out, and the faster we eat, the sooner it can be over.

After a moment, I return my attention back to Jerry, whose eyes are running up and down my body in a way that I don’t care for. The look makes me feel uncomfortable, and I shift in my seat.

“Are you sure you can eat all of that? I don’t mean that offensively, but you’re so petite. I figured you watched what you ate and assumed?—”

“Word of advice, Jerry. You should never comment on a woman’s weight, no matter what their body type is. Every body is beautiful, and you should never assume what a woman can and can’t handle.”

He straightens in his seat at my comment, taking it as a challenge and not the insult I meant it as. He smiles and gives me a nod. “Noted. I apologize.”

“You live and you learn.”

Jerry shrugs, glancing out the window before turning back to me. “What is it that you do for a living?”

“I’m a podiatrist.” He flashes a proud smile.

We spend the next twenty minutes discussing Jerry’s profession as a foot doctor.

I wish I had never asked the question, because now my stomach is souring at some of the stories he’s sharing with me.

I do my best to put a dent in my dinner as he continues with stories from his college days and what led him to becoming a podiatrist. He also spends a full five minutes telling me all sorts of podiatrist jokes.

This guy sure loves to talk about himself.

I’m nodding my head to something Jerry is saying, without really listening, when my eyes land on the booth across from us.

I recognize the couple, because of course I do—this is a small town after all.

Elliott Russell, who works with my best friend, Luke, meets my gaze.

He gives me a small wave, which gets his girlfriend, Cindy Potter, to turn around and greet me.

As she does, Elliott seizes the moment and drops to one knee. When Cindy turns back around, she lets out a squeal as he opens a small velvet box, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. Jerry stops mid-sentence before turning toward the commotion.

I plaster on a polite smile, but inside, a sharp pang tightens in my chest. It’s not just the proposal or the way Cindy’s eyes shine as Elliott slips the ring on her finger.

It’s the way everyone around them instantly erupts into cheers that, for a moment, I feel like I’m watching life happen through a window—close enough to see but too far away to touch.

I’ve known Elliott and Cindy forever. After three years together, an engagement was inevitable. I’m happy for them, but all I can focus on is the weight of it pressing down on me—all the things I don’t have, all the things I thought I’d be closer to by now.

I’m not jealous, exactly. It feels more like grief, as if I’m mourning something I never truly had the chance to have. It’s just another quiet reminder of how deeply alone I really am.

I don’t get much time to wallow in my self-pity because after everyone in the diner, Jerry included, finishes clapping for the couple, Cindy jumps out of Elliott’s arms and rushes toward me. She pulls me out of my seat and wraps me into a tight hug .

“Can you believe it?” she says, placing her left hand into mine. I force a smile, my stomach twisting in knots as I stare at the ring. “Did you know he was going to propose? I was totally thrown off when I noticed you sitting behind us.”

“I had no idea.” My mouth suddenly becomes dry. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you both.”

Elliott slings his arm around Cindy’s shoulder as he looks at her with heart-shaped irises before saying, “Thanks, Olivia. I saw you and knew you’d make the perfect distraction. I’m sorry if we interrupted your date.”

“It’s okay. Congratulations,” Jerry says, offering Elliott a firm handshake and a polite smile.

Jerry clears his throat beside me then says, “So, you seem pretty popular. Do you run your own bakery in Covewood?” He runs his tongue over his teeth, casually easing into a new topic.

I take a long drink of water, buying myself a moment before answering. “Kind of. I work from home. I mostly do custom orders, but I also deliver baked goods to local businesses.” I glance over my shoulder, pointing toward downtown. This time, it’s my turn to smile.

Jerry’s face, however, looks unimpressed.

“At least you won’t be in serious debt with the school you had to attend. I’ll be paying off my school loans for years to come. Wait, did you even have to go to school for baking?”

Okay , that might be the last straw for me. That came out as an insult, and I’ve worked extremely hard toward my career, poured my heart and soul into everything I do, and I’ve had great success.

“Yes, Larry, I went to culinary school,” I snap, my jaw dropping slightly from the smug look on his face.

He doesn’t even care that I called him the wrong name—on purpose.

“But I know some amazing bakers and restaurant owners who didn’t go to school.

In some cases, learning a skill all on your own is worth more than earning a college degree.

I’m thankful that I’ve already paid off all my school debt. ”

Of course, with perfect timing, dessert arrives at the table. I ordered the lemon-poppy cake, and as Stefanie sets it down in front of me, my mood instantly lifts. Dessert is the most important meal of the day, after all.

Thankfully, we drop the heated discussion as we enjoy our desserts.

I peer over and inspect the hot fudge cake that Jerry ordered.

He dips his spoon into the hot fudge, scooping up a bite, and pushes it into his mouth.

As he swallows, he grimaces, and says, “I should’ve known better than ordering this. It’s too rich.”

He then reaches across the table with his fork for a bite of my cake. I’m too shocked to push him away, and as he slips a bite into his mouth and hums a sound of approval, I’m assaulted. Dessert is sacred, and I only share it with people I respect.

“Now, this is delicious," he adds before licking his spoon.

“I’m glad you think so, because this cream-cheese icing is life changing, and it’s actually a recipe I came up with and gave to the owner.”

I roam my eyes around the restaurant, and by the grace of God, I see my friends, Zane and Ashton, seated at a nearby table. I excuse myself to the restroom before rushing over to them.

Ashton sees me first, giving me a small wave, but his smile falters the moment I crouch down beside them and whisper, “Help me!”

Ashton’s shoulders straighten, as if he’s ready to pounce on someone.

He already has this whole ‘burly mountain man’ look down, but seeing him like this would surely send Jerry running.

Ashton’s dark-brown curls are pulled into a messy bun on top of his head.

He’s wearing paint-splattered blue jeans and a white cutoff shirt.

I turn and look up at Zane, whose hazel eyes are staring at me in confusion, his brows raised high on his forehead and lips slightly parted.

“My date has spent the evening talking about how much he’s in love with his Tesla and how awesome being a foot doctor is, and then he insults my career,” I hiss, earning a snicker from Zane and Ashton.

I turn to Ashton with pleading eyes and say, “I need out of this horrible date and would very much like to not talk to this guy again. Can you help me?”

“Why can’t I help?” Zane asks, clearly offended that I didn’t ask him.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ashton replies, waving a hand over himself. “Clearly I’m the better choice here.”

Zane whips his face in my direction, a look of confusion taking over his expression, and I bite my lip to hide my smile. I shrug and point toward Ashton. “I need a scary, buff dude to send Jerry running.”

“I’m buff,” Zane adds, flexing his arms, giving Ashton a smug look, and I chuckle at the competitive nature of these two.

“Yeah, but are you scary?” Ashton adds before taking a huge bite of his burger, the juices flowing down his dark beard.

Zane returns his attention to me, and I shrug again. “You’re like a teddy bear.”

“My spirit animal is, in fact, a grizzly bear, thank you very much,” Zane adds, folding his arms together with disappointment. “I can be scary if I need to be.”

“He took a bite of my dessert!” I whisper-shout, which gets a gasp out of the two grown men. “I don’t need a grizzly bear. I need a ferocious lion to get back at him.”

Ashton beams proudly at the compliment. I glance over toward Jerry, who’s now searching the room for me. My eyes find Ashton’s, and I say, “I have to get back to my table. Just do something to get me out of this date, please!”

I speed-walk over to my table and sit down so quickly that I slide in my chair, tipping it a bit from the momentum. I steady myself, smoothing over my dress in the process, and give Jerry a bright smile. “Sorry about that. Where were we?”

“Uh…” He watches me closely with wide blue eyes.