“Hey y’all. What can I get ya to drink?”

Josh just smiled at me and then turned to the waitress. Good Lord. The smile he flashed her caused my panties to melt, and from the look her face, she was having the same reaction. Bastard!

“I’ll just have a glass of water, please. Heather?”

“Diet Coke, please.”

The waitress asked if we were ready to order but, Josh asked for a few more minutes.

We sat there in silence while we each looked over the menu. My heart was beating like crazy. Damn it, why does he have to be so gosh darn cute?

Man whore. Just remember he’s a player, Heather.

I glanced up and saw him staring at me. Oh dear Lord. His eyes were so beautiful, I could get lost in them. I smiled at him, and he smiled back at me with the sweetest smile I’d ever seen. Yep, I’m so screwed.

“You ready to order princess?” Josh asked.

Princess?

“Ah, yep. I mean if you’re ready, then I’m ready.”

Josh smiled and I couldn’t help but smile back.

Our waitress came walking back up and turned to face Josh. “So what will it be, handsome?”

What the hell? Oh. My. God. What a bitch. I peeked over at Josh and noticed he was, yet again, looking at me. This time his smile…oh, holy shit. I’d never noticed he had a crooked smile. Deep breaths, Heather. This was a mistake. Breathe in…..breathe out….do not look at him.

I looked down at my menu as Josh began to talk to the waitress.

“I’ll have the catfish plate two fillets with okra, mashed potatoes, and a side salad with ranch.”

She slowly smiled at him. Practically purring, she said, “Perfect choice, handsome.”

Oh, gag me. I had to clear my throat just to remind her that I was sitting here. I honestly believed that she would’ve walked away, never even bothering to take my order. Josh laughed a little, and that just pissed me off even more.

“And for you?” the waitress asked, barely glancing at me.

I rolled my eyes at Josh and looked up at her. I really wanted to pull an Ari and tell her to back the fuck off, but I did what I always did. I kept quiet.

“Yes, um…I’ll have the grilled chicken breast sandwich.”

“You want fries?”

“No, thank you. I’ll take a side salad with ranch, too.”

With that, she gave Josh one last smile and walked away. Jesus, is this how it is everywhere he goes? Girls just falling all over him trying to get his attention. Another reason it could never work.

Good Lord, that was a joke,” I mumbled.

Josh was still smiling at me as he shook his head. “What’s a joke, princess?”

That was twice he had called me princess, and each time, it sent my stomach into a nose dive. What the hell, Heather? Pull it together. Damn Ari for not letting me drive back with her and Jeff.

“The way she was flirting with you, I’m sorry but we could actually be on a date. It was just rude. That’s all.”

Josh laughed again, running his hand through his hair.

Oh my god, it’s getting hot in here. Look away, Heather. Look. Away.

“Can I ask you something, Josh?”

“You want to make this a date?” he asked with a smirk.

“No, I do not!”

Josh sat up straighter, and his face turned serious. It was almost too serious.

“Heather, you can ask me anything you want anytime you want.”

“Why do you keep calling me princess?”

Josh let a smile play across his face as he reached across the table, taking my hand in his. Everything in me was screaming for me to pull my hand away, but I couldn’t. It felt so nice to feel someone’s touch. Ever since my parents passed away, I longed for someone to touch me in a way that made me feel safe and loved.

“I call you princess because you deserve to be treated like one,” he said softly.

Holy hell. I was not expecting him to say that. Just when I think I have him figured out, he goes off and does something so…un-Josh like.

I could feel the heat moving into my cheeks. Josh reached up and ran his hand down the side of my face. The warmth from his hand was driving me crazy.

“You’re so beautiful, Heather, both inside and out. I’ve never met anyone in my life that always puts her friends first, and would do anything for them. You amaze me.”

“Josh…I.”

Just then, the waitress walked up and reached between us grabbing Josh’s glass.

“More water?”

I pulled my hand out from his and glared at the bitch. She totally did that shit on purpose. I looked back over at Josh, and he looked pissed off. His hand was running through his hair again. I wanted to do that so damn bad. His hair looked so soft. Then, Josh did something I had not expected him to do.

“Listen, um.. Josh paused, looking at her name tag. “Casey, we really need some privacy, I hate to sound like a prick, but, maybe after our food arrives, I’ll just flag you down if we need anything. Okay?”

She just stood there in shock. If I didn’t have the urge to laugh, I totally would have kicked him for being so rude.

“Well, of course. Can I get you another Diet Coke, miss?”

I just nodded my head. Even if tried to talk, I knew that I would lose it and laugh my ass off. I couldn’t even look at Josh. I could feel the heat from his stare. Once she walked away, I looked up at him.

“Oh my god, Josh. Asshole much?” I started to giggle.

Josh reached over and took my hand in his again.

Okay, so no harm can come from us holding hands, right? Friends hold hands.

***

After we ate, we both ordered a piece of pie. I got the apple pie, and Josh got the coconut cream pie. With my first bite, the memories were almost too much to handle.

Josh asked Casey about what was going on in town. She told us all about Meet on Main. They had dancing, live music, and shopping. Josh asked if I wanted to check it out. I really didn’t want this afternoon to end, so I said yes.

We walked a few blocks over and spent the next thirty minutes walking around, visiting all the booths and shops.

Memories of my mom and dad kept flooding my mind.

I missed them. Even a year later, the pain was still so raw. Oh god, maybe it was a bad idea coming to Marble Falls.

Josh must have sensed how I was feeling. As we walked past the band, he took my hand and led me out to where everyone was dancing. The band was playing a cover of Jason Aldean’s “The Only Way I Know”. It didn’t take long before Josh was spinning me around on the pavement. I hadn’t had that much fun in… I don’t know how long. My god, this guy knows how to dance!

After Josh and I cut up the dance floor through two more songs, the band took a break. They switched it over to music so that everyone could keep dancing. Blake Shelton’s “Over” started to play. Josh just smiled at me and pulled me into him. Even though I was only five foot three and he was six two, we fit together so perfectly. The warmth of his body made me feel so safe.

I relaxed in his arms for the first time in more than a year. I never wanted this feeling to end, but I knew that it had to. As much as I wanted, there was no way I could ever let Josh Hayes into my heart. Never.

CHAPTER NINE

ARI

I woke up from a terrible nightmare. Fuck a duck! If I had one more dream about Jeff and Rebecca, I swore that I would never go to sleep again. I looked over at the clock. It was 6:30. Jeff must already be up and out for a run.

I picked up my cell phone and called Amanda.

“Hey sweets. What’s up?” Amanda said. She sounded like she couldn’t breathe.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Oh god! Are you having sex?”

Amanda laughed. “No! I’m at the gym, running on the treadmill. It’s something you should be doing, Ari.”

“Yeah, whatever, bitch. I need you today. Are you free?”