3. Willa
Chapter 3
Willa
I SLAM THE masher into the potatoes like a mad woman.
This entire town is obsessed, and I hate every second of it. Every customer for the past three days is all Officer Reid this and Officer Reid that, and come on already. Can they just let it go?
No. No, they cannot.
Which means he stays in my head, as well. I can’t shake thoughts of him. The way his muscles filled out that T-shirt. The way he smiled. The way he looked at me.
Ugh .
And it’s pointless. Someone like that won’t ever go for someone like me, and I’m flat-out pissed at myself for even thinking about him. There’s no use to it, so why, why , can’t I get him out of my head?
My potato mashing gets more and more insistent until Dad says he thinks I’m going to pull a muscle. “It’s food, Dad. It’s not like I’m deadlifting weights over here.”
Dad snorts and flips the burgers on the grill behind me.
Over at the counter, Tom raises his coffee, and Goldie moves smoothly to pour him some. “Have you seen our new officer yet, Goldie?”
Goldie shakes her head. “Sorry to say that I haven’t, Tom. More for you, Jerry?”
I keep my eyes on my work, grabbing a handful of cheddar cheese to fold into the mix.
“Thanks, Goldie,” comes Jerry’s voice. “What are we calling him? Officer Hubba-Hubba?”
I roll my eyes.
“Officer Mac?” offers Goldie.
“Not to be confused with Chief Mac,” Tom says.
I tune them out. I can’t believe the guy is my new neighbor. Worse: He saw me practically naked , in my absolute worst underwear. Not that I even really have good underwear, but still. These were the very worst.
The only bright spot is that he’s here for a short time. I won’t be facing an entire lifetime of mortification. Just…three months.
Three very, very long months.
“Order in!” Goldie calls out and lays the new ticket in the window, then swivels away to continue working.
I grab the order. “Chicken club, grilled cheese, drop two fries.”
Dad repeats it back to me, and I shove the ticket into the wheeled holder above the window.
The amount of hijinks I have pulled in these last few days to hide from Reid is absolutely ridiculous. Yes: Hide. Because, of course, he’s been sprinting out of the house to go on a run when I’ve been trying to leave to open up the diner, leaving me to do a one-eighty to crouch behind Agatha’s car in the driveway. And, okay, maybe it’s fine to see him when I’m totally clothed, but I’m not great at making small talk. Especially when the person I’m supposed to be talking to is brain-meltingly hot and my stupid self can’t help but get all giddy every time I see him, like I’m a pitiful grade schooler.
And then, when I come home at night, there he is, not even fifty feet from me, sipping on a beer like some…some person enjoying their backyard. Forcing me to speed walk past him with my face buried in my phone, pretending I don’t see him or hear him, when all I want to do is get inside and shower to get the diner smell off me immediately. Only now I’ve got to make sure the blinds are closed before stripping in my house like a normal human being.
Honestly, the least the man could do is be ugly. Is that too much to ask?
Apparently.
Goldie reappears in the window and hisses, “He’s here!”
“Who?” I know who. But for some reason, I need to pretend I don’t.
“ Him! Officer Reid!”
My heart thumps far too much inside my chest. Perfect. The painfully hot man himself, come to haunt me in my place of business. Fantastic.
Goldie harbors no such qualms like mine, and why should she? Like her name, she is the golden girl no one can resist, and her blue eyes are bright with excitement. She fluffs her ponytail and wiggles her fingers. “Wish me luck!”
I twist my lips. “You need no such thing.”
She giggles and does a miniature bow, then speeds away to flirt while I focus on the line of tickets in front of me.
“Burgers up,” Dad says.
I turn and grab the plates, garnish them, and hit the bell. “Order up!”
One of the other servers, Melanie, appears and takes the food. She’s replaced in seconds by Goldie, who’s smiling even wider now.
“Oh my gosh, he’s so cute ,” she sighs. “Have you seen him, Willa? The greenest eyes. His tan…and those dimples ! Oooh, I wonder if he has those mirrored sunglasses. Maybe he’ll stop me for speeding and say, ‘Do you know how fast you were going?’ in this really deep voice before whipping them off and staring into my soul like a sexy beast.”
I ding the bell in her face. Twice. “Give me his order and get out of my window.”
She blinks, then laughs, completely unfazed by my aggressive bell-dinging. “Okay, yeah, you’ve seen him. Here’s the order.”
I take the ticket she slaps down and start reading it off like always. “Dash Burger, hold the fried egg and avocado, add lettuce, tomato, onion.” I stop, then read the ticket again. That’s a regular burger.
Behind me, Dad replies, “So, a regular burger?”
“Guess so.” I mutter, then yell through the window. “Hey, Goldie!”
My sister comes back. “What’s up?”
I wave the ticket. “It’s a regular burger. Just change the order.”
She shakes her head. “Nope. I asked him the same thing. He wants the Dash Burger, hold the fried egg and avocado, add lettuce, tomato, onion.”
Exhaling, I push the ticket into the holder. “Fine.”
Except it’s not fine, because it frazzles me so much I get the next order totally wrong, and Melanie’s back in the window pointing at the table of middle-aged women and saying they want their orders completely re-done. Because of course they do.
You know what’s worse than a table full of middle-aged women saying they want their orders completely re-done?
Nothing. There is absolutely nothing worse. Ask me how I know.
I’ve had it. Enough with this man and his stupid order and his stupidly pretty face.
Unwrapping my apron, I stalk out of the kitchen and find the source of the past seventy-two hours of frustration. Or maybe more. I’ve lost the ability to count thanks to this man. It’s easy enough to spot him in the dining area: He’s the guy in the navy-blue uniform that fits him like a freaking glove. The guy who is completely ignoring me as I approach and is chatting it up with his table mate, Ox Hall, another officer.
I point at him with a shaky finger, only this time the shakiness is from how mad I am. “You.”
He startles and looks up, a question in his eyes. Then his entire expression morphs, and he smiles knowingly. “Hi.”
I don’t bother with pleasantries. “Just order the regular burger, Officer .”
“But I?—”
“Nope. No buts. It’s the regular burger. Why do you need to order the Dash Burger if all you want is the regular one?”
Ox stifles a laugh, and he doesn’t try holding back the grin when I glare at him. “Afternoon, Willa.”
Not bothering to respond, I swivel my head back to Reid. “Well?”
Reid says, “What does it matter? You’re not waiting on me, right?”
I cross my arms and try hard not to yell. “I’m the cook, so yes. It matters.”
“Wait, really?”
My eyes narrow into slits. “What does that mean?”
“Sorry.” He holds his hands up. “I didn’t realize you were actually one of the cooks.”
“Oh, man.” Ox loses the battle and chortles.
“ Actually ?” I huff. “What does that mean?”
He shoots a helpless look at Ox, who’s shaking with silent laughter. “I…I don’t know. Sorry,” he repeats, looking properly chastened.
It makes him hotter. And that makes me even angrier. “Listen, the Dash Burger is a specific burger. With a fried egg and guacamole. Do you have something against fried eggs?”
“No.”
“Guacamole?”
“No, I?— ”
“But you want a burger with tomato, lettuce, and onion,” I state. Honestly, I’d like to shut myself up at this point, but we’re way too far gone.
“Right.”
I wave the ticket at him. “Then why. Are. You. Ordering. The. Dash. Burger?”
Ox is practically melting into his side of the booth at this point.
Meanwhile, Officer Dimples lets out a defeated sigh. “I don’t like sesame seeds,” he mutters.
“You don’t like—wait.” I take a beat. “What?”
He straightens and clears his throat. “Sesame seeds. I hate the way they get caught in my teeth. The regular burger has a sesame seed bun and?—”
“The Dash Burger doesn’t,” I finish for him. Aren’t I a peach? My cheeks blaze with mortification. Of course. Of course. I jerk my chin in a nod, and leave the table without another word.
And then I make the best damn burger possible. He’s going to be amazed at how delicious it is. He’ll never be able to eat another burger without comparing it to this one. For the rest of his life, I want this man thinking of my burger. It’ll serve him right.
Dad eyes me the whole time, because I may or may not be a little aggressive with my movements, but he remains quiet. When I’ve plated and dressed the burger, I decide I’ll be the one to take it out to him, along with Ox’s chicken salad and fruit plate.
To his credit, the man doesn’t so much as flinch when I show up. Instead, he smiles up at me, showing off those damn dimples. “Hi, Willa.”
“No sesame seed bun.” I slide the burger and fries onto the table.
I didn’t think it was possible, but the dimples get even deeper. “Thanks. ”
Apparently I’m a sadist, because when I return to the counter, I watch him. He takes a bite, and it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
Dammit.
“Willa.” Mom sidles up to me and waves her phone in my face. “Have I shown you the reviews of that new place up in Nashville? Looks like they’re angling for a James Beard award.”
I grit my teeth. “Nope, you haven’t.”
She points to the screen. “Look. Their menu sounds perfect for you. Even has some of the same items from your semester at?—”
“I need to get back to work, Mom.” I turn away without another word.