Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
The bell over the door jingles again. I glance up automatically. And my stomach drops.
Roger. Of course it’s Roger. He walks in wearing the same wrinkled baseball cap he’s had since high school, his shoulders slightly hunched like he’s already expecting a fight with the world. Apparently nothing about him has changed according to all the locals. When I came to Freedom Falls he asked me out, and hasn’t stopped coming in pushing me since.
He hasn’t seen me yet. But he will. He always does. Whether he finds me here or at the ice-cream shop, it doesn’t matter, he will seek me out. He will confront me about brushing him off. It’s not that he’s a bad guy. I don’t know him well enough to make a judgement. I simply don’t have the energy to put into dating someone. And I really don’t have the time. When I’m not working I want to spend time with Quinn.
My heart starts pounding. I set the coffee pot down slowly.
Tucker notices immediately. His eyes follow mine to the door. Then back to my face. “You okay?” he asks quietly.
I force a smile. “Yeah.” But my voice betrays me.
Roger finally spots me. And his expression changes instantly. There it is.
That familiar mix of excitement and entitlement. He strides toward the counter. “Lucy.”
The old men beside Tucker suddenly become very interested in their pancakes.
“Hi, Roger.”
“What’re you doing here?” he asks.
I blink unsure why he asked me this. He knows what I’m doing. “Working. Same as usual, Roger.”
His gaze slides to Tucker. Then to the cut on his back. Then back to me. His mouth tightens. “Makin’ new friends, Lucy?”
Tucker doesn’t move. Doesn’t react. Just slowly lifts his coffee cup and takes a sip.
I wish I had that kind of control. “He’s a customer,” I answer.
Roger scoffs. “Looks like more than that the way you’re giving him attention. I watched you from outside.”
My cheeks heat. “Just stop, Roger. We’re not doing this right now.” This man has spent the last three months asking me out to dinner, each time I decline, and he still tries over and over again.
“We’re doing it whenever I say we’re doing it,” he snaps. “You let him take you to dinner, huh Lucy? You got time for him, I bet.”
Tucker sets his coffee cup down. Slowly. Still not looking at Roger. But something in the air shifts. Like a storm rolling in.
Roger notices it too. His voice gets louder. “I’ve been calling you.”
“I um, I’ve had phone problems,” I lie.
“Bullshit.”
Before I can respond, Tucker finally speaks.
Calm.
Quiet. “Friend of yours, Lucy?”
Roger turns toward him immediately.
“Mind your business.”
Tucker glances up slowly. Their eyes meet. And suddenly Roger doesn’t look nearly as confident. “Seems like my business,” Tucker says evenly.
“How’s that?”
“You’re raising your voice at a woman who’s working.”
Roger scoffs. “This doesn’t concern you.”
Tucker shrugs slightly. “It concerns the entire diner at this point.”
Roger looks around.
Everyone is absolutely pretending not to listen. But they are. Of course they are. Small town shit and like every other time Roger creeps around me, they all pretend not to notice.
Roger straightens his shoulders. “You her boyfriend now?”
“No.”
The answer comes easily. Truthfully. But something about the word makes my chest feel weird.
Roger smirks. “Then shut up.”
For a moment nothing happens. Then Tucker stands. The movement is smooth. Unhurried.
But suddenly he seems twice as large. Roger steps back automatically. Just half a step But I see it. And so does Tucker.
“You’re causing a scene,” Tucker state calmly.
Roger glares. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“Maybe not.” Tucker’s voice stays steady. “But she asked you to stop.”
I hadn’t even realized I did. Roger laughs harshly.
“You think I’m scared of you?”
“No.” Tucker pauses. “But you should probably stop anyway.” The words aren’t threatening. Not exactly. But the message underneath them is crystal clear.
Roger looks from Tucker to me. Back to Tucker. And something in his posture changes. He’s calculating now. Not emotional.
“You gonna follow her around everywhere?” he asks.
“Not unless you give me a reason to.”
“This conversation ain’t over.” He points a finger at me. “We’re talking later.”
Then he turns and walks out of the diner. The bell jingles behind him. The entire room exhales. Tucker slowly sits back down. Like nothing happened.
I stare at him. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He lifts his coffee again. “You’re welcome.”
“I mean it. I appreciate it, but you don’t have to step in and save me from the creeps I seep to draw in everywhere I go.”
“So do I.”
I lean against the counter, suddenly exhausted. “Sorry about the drama.”
He shrugs. “Seen worse. Probably caused worse.” His mouth twitches. “Maybe.”
The old man beside him chuckles again. “You should keep him around,” he tells me. “Best breakfast entertainment we’ve had all week.”
I roll my eyes. “Eat your pancakes, Harold.” He grins and goes back to them. Johnny slides Tucker’s plate through the kitchen window.