“What if he doesn’t want to see me again?”
Quinn smiles. “He does. Trust me. You should go after him.”
“Now?” I shake my head. “I can’t. What would Andy say if I just left in the middle of my shift?”
She waves me off. “I’ll tell him your leg hurt, and you needed to go home and rest. He’ll be so worried over the worker’s comp claim he won’t bat an eye about you leaving. Here,”—she digs in her pocket—”take my car.”
I furrow my brow. “Do you want me to come back and pick you up?”
“No.” She grins. “Brock will give me a ride.”
I raise my eyebrows. “I take it you two are getting along now?”
Her grin widens, and she licks her lips. “You could say that. We’ve been working on it the past two nights in the parking lot after work in the backseat of his car.”
I laugh and hop off the desk with only a minor stinging pain on my knee. “You guys are too much. Call me if you need a ride, and I’ll come back for you.”
“Will do. Speaking of calling…” Quinn pauses for a beat. “Did you call Uncle Simon yet?”
“No,” I whisper. “I’m still not ready to talk to him yet.”
Quinn frowns. “Okay, but you should consider doing that soon. Ma says he’s worried sick and been talking about flying out here so you’ll talk to him. It’s been a week, Anna. I don’t know how much longer Ma can stall him.”
I sigh. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
That answer seems to satisfy her because she nods. “Good plan. Two overly emotional men in one night might be too much for you.”
I roll my eyes. “Goodnight, cuz.”
“Night. Don’t do anything that I’d do.” She winks.
“Isn’t the saying don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do?”
“That’s exactly my point. If you were like me, you’d fuck that man into submission. Your ‘friends first’ tactic seems to be working, so don’t be like me,” she teases before she struts by the two cooks, smacking Brock’s ass as she passes by on her way to the dining room.
Brock stares after her and says to no one in particular in a dreamy voice, “I love to watch that girl go.”
Sooner or later I’m going to have to get the scoop on those two.
The moment I lock myself into Quinn’s Honda, I scroll through my phone to find Xavier’s number. If he’s on his bike he’s not going to answer, so it’s pointless calling right now. There’s only one place that I know he likes to go, so I crank the engine alive and head in the direction of the diner.
Nerves jitter through me as I drive through the city. What in the hell am I suppose to say to him? Am I supposed to tell him that I’m sorry again, or do we drop it and move on? What if he sees me and walks away, angry that I didn’t get the hint the first time?
I sigh and keep driving, because I have to at least try. I don’t want our friendship to get crushed because I couldn’t take a hint and back off a touchy subject.
I pull into the parking lot, and there’s no sign of Xavier’s bike. My shoulders sag as it occurs to me that I have no clue where he lives. We’ve only ever met in public places, so I don’t even know how to attempt to find him. I pull out my cell and dial his number but it instantly connects to his voice mail. “It’s Anna. Call me, please.”
I drum my fingers on the wheel and debate my next move until I spot Nettie through the window, serving tables.
She’ll know where I can find him.
I hop out of the car and shove my phone in my back pocket as I make my way toward the diner’s entrance. It’s then, in the distance, I hear a motorcycle rumble. I stop in my tracks and wrap my arms around myself as I stare in the direction of the sound.
Xavier pulls into view, and my eyes glue to him. His dark hair blows back while the dark sunglasses he’s wearing hide his eyes from me. The material of his black t-shirt strains against the defined muscles in his chest and arms, and his jeans hug his powerful thighs perfectly. He’s sexiness personified, and I can’t tear my eyes away.
He parks next to me but because of his glasses I can’t get a good read on his expression. Xavier flicks down the kickstand and swings his leg off the bike. “What are you doing here, Anna?”
I hug myself tighter. “I didn’t like how we left things.”
He leans back against his bike and crosses his arms over his chest, still hiding his eyes behind the dark plastic. “Don’t sweat it. It’s over. Let’s not rehash the bullshit.”
There’s no doubt the small crack I broke through has now been bricked shut, and I’ve learned pushing him doesn’t always end with the result that I want.
I readjust my arms and nod. “You’re right. No need to discuss things we’ve dealt with.”
His lips pull into a tight line. “Then why are you here?”
I take a step toward him, feeling the pull that connects us drawing me to him. “I wanted to make sure we’re still all right.”
“We’re still friends. Nothing will change that.” Coldness rings through his voice and it scares me. I don’t want him to push me away.
I take another step, unable to stop myself from getting closer to him. He raises his eyebrows as I straddle one of his legs and place my hands on his sides. “Nothing?”