Bent Not Broken (A Cedar Creek #1) (6 page)

“I think, maybe Larry should be there as well. I know you guys don’t keep anything from each other and I don’t want you to have to live through it twice.” Her eyes had gone wide in understanding and she nodded.

“Okay, but only if you’re sure.”

“I am.” And I was. I trusted Larry. He was a good guy. Possessive of his wife in a good way and protective of his family. I really only trusted a handful of people in my life, only one of them a man, this man being him.

But even that took a good long while.

I assumed Macy told him the little about my past she knew and that being the reason, why I felt uncomfortable and skittish at first when I was alone with Larry in a room. But he had worked hard for it and eventually made me trust him by letting me see how he was with Macy and their kids.

Firm, but gentle.

Always.

Affectionate.

Respectful.

He loved Macy despite her craziness. Actually, I thought he loved her because of the fact that she was a little loopy. It definitely seemed that way when his eyes went all soft on her when she was consumed by one of her dramas.

Yes, he should be there tonight to give Macy comfort, because I knew what she was about to learn would break her heart. For me. She was the kind of person that felt deeply for other people and she would feel this down to her soul. So she would need Larry.

“Okay, then he’ll be there, too,” Macy confirmed.

I squeezed her hand in response, and we both turned our heads when we heard the bell over the door ring, announcing our first customer of the day.

“It’s your turn to pick the music,” I told her when I looked back at her, trying to snap us out of the funk.

“Okay. I’ll go do that.” Macy took a deep breath, then squeezed my hand one last time, leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, then let go of my hand and headed towards the counter to pick the music.

“Nothing sappy!” I shouted after her.

“I’ll pick what I’ll pick!” she shouted back over her shoulder, making me smile.

She had her shit together and was my Mace again. Okay, time to get on with the day.

Since Mace had brought coffee that morning, it was my turn to get us lunch. We decided on sandwiches from
Tom’s Diner
. By the time I could leave, it was almost one o’clock. We had gotten in an order unexpectedly, and I had to finish up inventorying everything. I think if I had made Mace wait another minute to get food, she would have turned green and exploded out of her clothes. Pregnant women were crazy scary when they were hungry.

I made my way across the street to the restaurant on this nice early fall day. It was still warm enough to only wear a long sleeved shirt but I could smell the cold moving in from the East. Next week, the nice warm days would be over and it would get colder and windier. But for now, I was fine wearing a white thermal long sleeved shirt under my flow-y rock n’ roll black t-shirt with the pink and purple skull on it.

When I opened the door and walked inside the diner, I was confronted with yummy lunch smells and the sounds of conversation and eating. The restaurant was filled to its capacity.

Tom’s Diner
was exactly what it sounded like. A vintage diner and soda shoppe that served old-fashioned American food. It looked like right out of a movie. When you walked in, you faced the long counter with yellow vinyl swivel bar stools in front of it. To the right across from the bar and further out to the back, the walls were lined with comfy vinyl booths with blacktop tables covered with the holy trinity of diner condiments—ketchup, mustard and those cool glass sugar dispensers. Lots of chrome and vintage throughout and tin signs and mirrors on the walls. And photos. Lots and lots of photos of the town and its inhabitants throughout the years. In my opinion, it was the best greasy spoon in the world with its no-nonsense food like hamburgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, floats, shakes and simple homemade breakfasts. They served the best stack of flapjacks I had ever eaten at a restaurant—the best ones being my nana’s recipe. Their roast beef sandwiches were divine and their milk shakes—or
thick shakes
as Tom called them—were a must. With thirty flavours to choose from and the mix and match option of whatever flavours you wanted, that gave you a
gazillion
options.

Thinking about their milk shakes made me crave one instantly.

While I was waiting in line looking up at the menu trying to decide if I wanted a caramel coffee shake or a cherry banana one, I felt someone tapping my arm. When I looked down, I saw Tommy grinning up at me.

“Hey, Ivey! Wanna come sit with us?” he asked me excitedly, “I’ll get you a coffee,” he added and grinned bigger.

I looked over his shoulder to see Cal sitting in a window booth watching us. When he saw me look, he crooked his finger at me, his eyes intense. Did he really just do that? Crook his finger at me, expecting me to obey and walk over to sit with him? Was he serious? I arched my eyebrows and gave him a dismissive look.

“Come on, Ivey. I’ll throw in a cookie!” Tommy was funny. And charming.

I looked back down at him and gave him a smile. “Sorry, buddy, I’m just gonna order sandwiches and milk shakes for me and Macy to go and then I have to get back to the store,” I explained.

Tommy wasn’t deterred by my rejection and kept smiling big.

“Your sandwiches and shakes are gonna take a few minutes. Come sit with us,” he started pulling me by my arm towards the booth his father was sitting in. I was so surprised by this that I let him drag me to their table.

Great. Now I was trapped.

I didn’t want to seem silly and bring attention to us by putting up a fight only because I turned into a horny idiot whenever Cal was near. That wasn’t Tommy’s fault and he was right. The sandwiches and shakes would take a few minutes and I might as well sit. And why not, if I got a free coffee and a cookie out of it?

I made eye contact with the waitress while being dragged by Tommy and smiled at her. She understood and gave me the one finger up, indicating she would be there in a minute.

Tommy and I had arrived at the table as he gallantly offered me the window seat by indicating his arm before he scooted in beside me.

Trapped. Literally.

Cal smiled proudly at his son and gave him a chin lift, which Tommy returned with a big grin.

“Had to bribe her with coffee and a cookie, but mission accomplished,” he informed his father.

Huh? That was a strange thing to say.

Cal’s eyes came to me. They were warm and teasing. “You’re greedy,” he stated.

I was determined not to be controlled by my body’s reaction toward Cal, so I straightened my shoulders and smiled smugly at him, “Well, what can I say? I don’t come cheap. And since the offer came from a nice charming young man, I just couldn’t resist. Cookies are my weakness.”

Tommy started chuckling and I winked at him.

Cal’s eyes were still on me, still teasing, but now also with a sexy glint in them. “Cookies your only weakness?” he asked.

I didn’t expect that question, so it threw me for a loop. Luckily, I was saved from having to answer when the waitress appeared at our table.

“Hey Ivey, dear, what can I get you?” she asked.

“Hey Martha! Can I get a roast beef sandwich and a turkey melt to go, please? And also a caramel coffee shake and a cherry banana shake, please? Thanks, hon’!” I ordered my and Macy’s food. I had decided to just get both of my favourite flavours, so Mace and I could share, and we each would have the best of both worlds - chocolate and fruit.

“Sure, sweetheart. Shouldn’t take longer than ten,” she informed me, then went to ring in my order.

“How’s your weekend going’?” Cal asked me casually.

“Well, you know, I got up, had a coffee, took a shower, had a quick breakfast, went to work, had another coffee, worked some more, went to get lunch, got accosted by two gentlemen who forced me to sit with them, but bribed me with coffee and a cookie…” I stopped reciting the events of my day, trying to be funny, and looked over to Tommy, because I had realized that he had not ordered my bribe.

I narrowed my eyes at him and accused him, “You little player. You didn’t get me my bribe coffee and cookie!”

Cal laughed out loud and shook his head at me, then got up and walked over to the counter, hopefully ordering my coffee and cookie. I watched him do so—trying to ignore his fabulous ass—wait for it, then grab both and saunter back to the table. He put the coffee in front of me, but kept the cookie. I raised my eyebrows at him questioningly.

“Coffee now. You gotta earn the cookie,” he said in a low and sexy voice.

“And how do I do that?” I stupidly asked. Why did I ask that? I could tell by the glint in his eye that I had walked straight into that one. I was such an idiot.

“You promise to go bowling with us tonight,” Cal stated his demand.

Go bowling with them tonight? I was confused.

“Go bowling?” I asked.

“Yeah. Bowling,” Cal repeated.

Was he asking me out? I looked at Tommy to see he was smiling at me, waiting for me to say something. I was still confused as to where this was going and didn’t want to go out with Cal, but luckily, I didn’t have to lie when I said, “Sorry, I already have plans tonight.”

My answer caused Cal to narrow his eyes at me and ask rudely, “What plans?”

Excuse me? That was none of his business. What did he care? I was getting annoyed.

“That’s none of your business, but if you have to know, I’m going over to Macy’s for dinner,” I snapped at him.

Cal’s eyebrows relaxed at my answer.

“Breakfast then,” he was again giving me his warm look.

That also annoyed me. I was more than confused about what was going on.

“Macy and I are planning to get smashed tonight. Well, Macy is pregnant, so she can’t, which means I’ll have to drink her drinks for her in addition to mine, so she doesn’t feel left out, which means I will be way too drunk, which means I will be incredibly hung over tomorrow morning and won’t want any food. I’ll be in a crabby mood, ‘cause I get crabby when I’m hung over and hungry, so I won’t be good company. Then I have until eleven to get over my hangover and crabbiness, because I have to open the store, which will be tough and probably put me in a bad mood all day,” I finished my way too long explanation of why I wouldn’t be able to have breakfast with them either. I had the inclination to talk a lot and fast when I was annoyed or angry or embarrassed. This happened a lot lately.

“Wow, you’ve got a lot going on,” Tommy murmured.

“You have no idea,” I mumbled under my breath.

Cal tipped his head to the side in question, but I had said enough. No more information from me today.

Martha arrived with my food, I paid and tipped her, then motioned for Tommy to let me out.

“Gotta go back to work or The Incredible Hulk will hunt me down,” I said.

“The Incredible Hulk?” Tommy asked amused. He must think I’m a total whack job.

“Have you ever seen a pregnant woman that’s kept from her food? It’s a whole new take on crabby,” I informed him.

He just stared at me with wide eyes but I could hear Cal’s attractive chuckle from across the table. I didn’t make eye contact, though.

Tommy let me out and I grabbed my food, shakes, and coffee—thank God for cardboard trays—and made my way to the door.

“You can keep the cookie! Getting me to go out with you will cost you more than that!” I shouted over my shoulder, still trying to be funny while I was walking away from them.

More chuckles, this time not just from Cal, but from all around me.

Oh darn.

Why was I trying to be funny?

I increased my speed in order to reach the door faster in an effort to escape and pretend I didn’t say what I just said with most of the town being my witness. I was inviting trouble. I could tell by the glint in Cal’s eyes that he would take on the challenge I just provided him with.

“That didn’t go so well,” I heard Tommy say to his dad before I reached the door.

“You’re wrong, bud,” I heard Cal’s reply before the door shut behind me, and I was standing on the sidewalk.

When I got back, I didn’t tell Mace anything about my diner run-in with Cal and Tommy. I would tell her tonight with everything else. She needed to hear my story first to understand why I couldn’t act on my physical attraction and go there with him. If I told her about him flirting with me and asking me out—at least that’s what I thought he was doing at the diner—and me turning into a complete idiot whenever he was around and gave me those intense looks, she would try to push me into giving him a chance and go out with him. I wasn’t ready for any of that and was not sure I ever would be. For now, I had to get through telling her about what had happened to me first.

The rest of the afternoon was relatively quiet, so Macy left around three to go to the grocery store and then cook my favourite meal for dinner. I liked simple home-made meals, my favourite being beef roast with potatoes and green beans and either brownies or pie with ice cream for dessert. I was hoping Mace would add her fabulous biscuits from scratch and gravy to that deliciousness, making it even more mouth-watering.