We both ordered coffee. Two thoughts vied for prominence in my brain, but the more personal one came out first. “Boyfriend?” I asked with a grin.
He shrugged as he stared at the menu as if it might reveal something new. “That is completely up to you.”
“You buying breakfast?” I asked.
He looked at me, raised one eyebrow, and handed me the dollar menu. “Sure.”
“Finally figured out how to do that, eh?” I asked waving a finger in the direction of his eyebrow.
He smiled sheepishly. “Maybe.”
“Nice. So how do you know the waitress at a truck stop in the middle of Iowa?”
“I stopped here a while ago. We chatted.”
“Uh-huh. And the male models?”
“She’s easily impressed,” I said.
I was beginning to think I was, too.
The waitress came back, more quickly than I’d expected.
“So what will it be?” she asked.
I ordered a burger and fries. Jake went with the farmer’s breakfast combo.
“So how’s the situation with the manager?” he asked as she collected our menus.
“Great,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “Somehow he was fired the day after you guys were in. Oh, I wasn’t supposed to say anything about that! I’m sorry.”
Jake should his head. “It’s okay. He’s a friend. Shauna, Eric. Eric, Shauna.”
She nodded at me and gave me a small smile.
“I’m very glad to hear that about your manager. And the ex-stepfather?”
At that, her smile dropped and she hugged the menus to her chest.
“Shauna,” Carson asked gently. “Tell me.”
She tried on a smile. “You know how it is. Restraining orders. Not worth the paper they are printed on.”
All traces of easy-going Jake dropped away and it was definitely Carson making an appearance now. “Are you and your mother safe?” He unwrapped the napkin from around the silverware, his fingers toying with the knife.
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “He comes and yells but it’s not like he’s going to do anything.”
Carson tapped his fingers on the tabletop and then pulled out his phone. “I know I told you to wait a few days to call my friend. But this is important.” He put the phone on the table. “Before I do this, how do you want it to go?”
“What do you mean?”
“With your piece of trash stepfather. What do you want to happen to him?”
She looked at me as if I had any more idea what Carson was asking than she did. I shook my head and shrugged slightly.
“I just want him to leave my mom alone.”
Carson nodded. “I understand that. I also know this kind of person doesn’t just go away and leave people alone unless they are absolutely forced to,” he said with a grimace.
“You mean like, do I want someone to,” her voice dropped and she leaned towards us, “beat him up?”
Carson looked at her, expressions totally serious. “I mean do you want him dead or in jail? Because I can make either one happen.”
Shauna’s eyes widened and she looked at me, shocked.
I’m sure I had a similar expression with an extra helping of arousal. That shouldn’t be hot, right? When someone said something like that, I should be horrified, not horny. But he sounded like Don Corleone. He sounded powerful. At that moment, I had zero doubt that he could and would make either of those things happen. Oh God, it was making me hard. I shifted in my seat and Carson’s hand landed on my thigh. That was not helping the situation.
“Um, can I think about it?” She asked, fingers tight around the plastic menus.
“Absolutely. Call your mother, if you can. Feel her out. This will affect her, too. Are they still legally married?”
“I think so,” she answered. “I’ll ask.”
“Fabulous. Actually, let’s make sure she is. That way she’ll get the insurance money. If anything…fatal…should happen to him.”
She laughed. “That dickwad doesn’t have…” her voice trailed off at the look at Carson’s face. “Oh.” She stared at Carson, her expression star-struck bordering on adoration.
I feel you, Shauna. I think we were both starting to get an idea of how Carson worked.
“Do you mind if I make a phone call?” he asked after she’d gone.
“Here? Is it safe?”
He did the thing with the eyebrow again, then gave an exaggerated sweep of the mostly-empty restaurant. “I think we’re good.”
I motioned for him to go on.
He poked at the phone. When it rang, he leaned over so I could hear. A woman with a warm voice and a tiny hint of an accent answered.
“Chaney, my love. To what do I owe the pleasure? Have you sealed