Chapter 9 #2
“Y’all need anything else?” Selena asked, swinging by to clear my empty pie plate and the two forks we’d been sharing like we weren’t already the talk of DeeDee’s.
I shook my head. She pulled a couple of slips from her pocket, set them on the table, and said to Jasper, “Just pay upfront at the register.”
“What are you doing?” I asked when Jasper reached for the checks. Our fingers collided, and we had a small, awkward struggle as we both tried to grab them.
“I’m paying for us,” Jasper said mulishly. I liked the way he pursed his lips when he pouted. He’d probably kick me if I told him he looked cute when he was annoyed.
“I’m the one who crashed your lunch—that means I should pay.” My logic was airtight. He’d been trying to have a quiet lunch when I forced myself into the booth. Sure, Selena set the wheel in motion, but I’d stayed.
“But I ate most of your pie.”
“Yeah, but you made breakfast this morning.”
“And you made dinner last night.”
“Both times with your food. Pretty sure I win this round.”
Jasper huffed and leaned back, eyeing me. “Fine. But next time, I get it.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone argue about buying me lunch or dinner.”
“I think things should be fair. Fair means taking turns.”
“All right, fine—but this one’s on me.”
“Deal.”
Our first argument settled, I slid out of the booth and waited for him to follow.
As he started toward the door, I caught his hand.
He glanced down at our joined fingers and kept his gaze concentrated there.
When he finally looked up, the confusion was clear, but the insecurity was hidden in a flash, and he returned to his standard sass.
“If you were trying to avoid gossip, you’re failing hard.”
“They’re gonna talk either way,” I said. “Might as well get something out of it.”
“And what exactly do you get?”
“I get to hold your hand,” I said with a wink.
From the corner of my eye, I caught Mrs. Brody at the counter, nudging her friend and tilting her head in our direction. A couple of teenagers in the far booth pretended not to watch us, but failed miserably.
“It’s nice to see you out and about these days,” Deanna called as we passed her booth. She gave our joined hands a pointed look. “I don’t think I’ve met your friend…”
“Jasper, this is Deanna and her husband Earl. They run the mechanic shop out on 27 toward Centerpoint—and Deanna likes to swap ‘neighborhood updates’ with Faust.”
Earl snorted into his coffee. “Updates, huh?”
“For the record,” Deanna said with a twittering laugh, “Faust and I are not gossiping. We’re keeping each other informed on local events. It’s like a bulletin board for ourselves.”
“That’s a load of bullshit,” Earl muttered.
“Earl, no one asked you.” She shooed him back to his scrambled eggs.
“Anything you’d like me to pass on to Faust this afternoon?” she asked me sweetly.
“Thanks for asking, but I think I’m good for today. I’ll let you know if that changes.”
Jasper looked between the three of us with his mouth half-open. As we moved away, I leaned in to murmur, “Deanna’s harmless. She’d give you the shirt off her back and go find another one for you, just in case.”
“Is that why you put up with her and Faust’s gossiping?”
“It’s usually not me they’re talking about, so I’ve never worried about it.”
“Are you gonna worry about it now?” His tone was casual, but I heard the real question: was I going to claim him in public here? I swallowed the anger at whichever asshole in his past had made him wonder.
“Not even a little bit.”
By the time we reached the register, Selena was already waiting, and everyone in the diner had seen our hands still linked. A man at the counter raised his eyebrows over his coffee cup. Earl was still smirking into his plate.
“I guess you’re pretty pleased with yourself,” I said to her.
“I surely am. Thanks for asking.”
“You sound like Deanna.”
“She’s got lovely manners.”
I ignored Jasper’s giggle and Earl’s guffaw from across the room.
“Jasper, since you’re doing a B&B, does that mean you like to cook?” Selena asked, breezing right past me.
“Uh, yeah.” Jasper’s confusion was cute. Between the wrinkles in his forehead and his head cocked to one side, I wanted to confuse him myself so I could see it again. “Why?”
“There’s a supper club barbecue a few of us do—trying out new recipes together. Hank’s always invited but never comes. Our next one’s two Saturdays from tomorrow. You can even bring Hank if he behaves.”
“Yeah? Oh, that’s so sweet of you to invite me. Usually, my brothers are stuck with my experiments, but lately, it’s been my goats, and their feedback is useless.”
“Ha! Those suckers will eat anything.”
“Well, almost anything. I had a failure the other day that even my ladies wouldn’t touch, so you know it was really bad. So maybe their feedback is useful? Anyhoo, I’d love to join you guys. What should I bring?”
“It’s potluck, so whatever you want. It’s just a few of us business owners who get together, share what’s going on, and help each other out. Small-town business ownership can be rough.”
“Oh, wow. Thanks for the invite. I’ll be there. Hopefully by that point, I’ll have a firm date for the B&B opening.”
“I hope so because I’m tired of my in-laws camping out at my place whenever they come to visit.”
Jasper lit up. “If they stay with me, I’ll take such good care of them they’ll never want to stay at your place again.”
“Oh, hell yes.”
Once I was finished with the bill, we moved into the dusty parking lot.
I held the door for Jasper, and we stepped out into the afternoon heat.
Realistically, I knew Jasper had a million things to do back at Sissy’s place.
But I also wasn’t ready to give up his company.
How to fix those two problems was something I hadn’t yet figured out.
I led Jasper over to his car and boxed him in against it. “Heading back to your place?”
“No, I was going to hit up some antique stores. The rooms need some local flavor. Wanna join me?” Jasper asked his question as if it were a joke, but his eyes were cloudy again.
“I haven’t done that since my mom dragged me out years ago,” I groaned. “It was hours of waiting.”
I imagined I’d complain a little less with Jasper. I could see him debating the pattern of this chipped teacup over that one. I’d get more wrinkled foreheads and cocked heads. Easy call.
“Ha! Poor guy. I’m sure once a decade is enough.”
“I must be a glutton for punishment.”
“Why’s that?”
“’Cause,” I said with a smirk, “I’m gonna take you up on that invite, sugar.”
“I’m not spending the entire time listening to you complain, Daddy. If that’s the plan, you can’t come.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”