Coyote (Hawks MC Next Generation #1) - Lila Rose Page 0,47
I returned, one a little bigger because he was my friend. We weren’t close, but I’d still class Bryson as a friend.
I deposited the plates onto the table. “There you go. I hope you enjoy. Denise will bring out the drinks too.” I smiled.
“Thanks, cutie-pie,” Julian said.
“Channa,” Bryson called.
I glanced over at him, and he beckoned me over with a wave of the hand. “Sorry, I’ll come by when I can.”
“No worries,” Zara said.
Bryson stayed by the door, which was strange. Usually he’d make his way straight to the register and wait there if I was busy. Taking the few steps over to him, since Clary and the others had picked a table near the door, I stopped at his side and said, “Hey. It’s good to see you.”
“You too. Always, Channa.”
My stomach revolted and my smile died.
“Look, before you say no, just hear me out, yeah?” Bryson asked.
“Of course.” I felt I had to give him that, and I just prayed it wasn’t about going out on a date again.
“You and I get along really well.”
I nodded. “We do.”
“I think the more we get to know one another, the more we’ll see there could be a connection between us—”
“Bryson,” I whispered.
“No, I’ve been thinking the last few days that this was what we needed. Time outside of here to see if we could go somewhere.”
My heart hurt because I hated this. I really did. “I’m sorry, Bryson, but I can only see us as friends.”
He shook his head. “You won’t even give us a chance?”
Was I being mean if I said no? I could give him a chance, but that could lead him into a false hope. God, I didn’t know what to do.
Bryson sighed. “Just think about it. For me. Have a few days and really think about it.”
“Okay,” I muttered.
He grinned; his hand reached out and gripped my upper arm. “Thank you.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. I wanted to move away from him, and I hated that I did because he was such a nice guy. “I’ll talk to you soon.” He went out the door and I stood there staring after him.
Why did a kiss on the cheek feel different with Bryson than it had with Cody?
“Are you okay, Channa?” Clary called.
Turning, I plastered on a smile, which I knew didn’t reach my eyes, and replied, “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” I hooked a thumb towards the counter. “Better get back to it.”
Instead of staying behind the counter, I walked out the back of the shop.
“What’s wrong?” Stanley asked.
“Huh? Oh, nothing.” I waved him off and went over to the sink to start the dishes. We had a dishwasher, but that was for the smaller items.
“By the way, your phone’s been making noises.”
“Thanks.” After I filled the sink, I checked my phone in the locker. Seeing who it was had me smiling and my heart gave off an excited extra-hard thump.
Coyote: Hey, angel. Haven’t had a chance to drop by but wanted to check in with you. We’d had each other’s numbers when I started staying at Stanley’s, but we’d never texted one another.
Coyote: You’re probably busy with work. Would it be cool if I came to your place with pizza at six? Let me know when you can and what type of pizza you eat, if you’re up for a visitor.
Why couldn’t my body react like this to Bryson? Someone who I knew was interested in me for more than friendship? But then again, it was probably better to stick with friendship with anyone, at least for a while for the business’s sake. Shaking my head, I quickly altered his name to Cody.
Me: It would be great to see you! Did that sound too forward? Too keen? I quickly deleted it and went with: Pizza sounds great. I eat anything but anchovies. I hit Send before I second-guessed myself again.
It chimed in my hand.
Cody: Great, see you then.
Did I text back or leave it? I knew if I texted, there would be a chance I’d say something stupid, so I dropped my phone in my bag and turned with a smile.
Stanley grunted. “I’m guessing that was your beau.”
“I don’t have a beau, Stanley. It was just a friend.”
“Uh-huh. Well, whoever it was made you smile.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled, causing Stanley to chuckle. Ignoring him, I walked back out the front, and since it was still quiet, I made my way to Clary’s table, after saying hello to Amos, who was at the coffee