Broken Hart (A Cross Creek Small Town Novel #1) - Kelly Collins Page 0,20
mischief as he rubbed his sore side.
Chapter Eight
Kandra
“It’s just...” Benji let out an exasperated sigh. “I never imagined you working in a bar.” He said the word bar with enough disgust that I was insulted for Roy.
“The place is respectable.” I picked a table for two to make sure he had no choice but to sit opposite me. Something told me if he had the option to sit next to me and be close, he’d jump at the opportunity. “You go there, so what’s the problem?”
His shoulders drooped under his salmon-colored button-down. The tawny sports jacket he wore over it did nothing to mute the loud fashion choice. The disappointment in his features lent him an almost comical air, like an angry cartoon character.
I tried to push aside my rude thoughts as I stared at him. Planting both elbows on the table, he pressed his palms together, brought his hands up to his face, and rested his lips against them. “It’s the only place to grab a drink, but it’s still a bar.”
I sighed. “Okay, what are you concerned about, exactly? Roy walks me to my car at night.”
I went quiet as Dottie approached because the woman couldn’t keep quiet to save her life, and part of me was terrified that I’d give away my big secret somehow. If she found out now, the whole town would know yesterday. Dottie gossip wasn’t constrained to time and space rules.
She stopped at our table. “Kandra. It’s so good to see you again, sweetheart. I was just telling people you were back in town.”
I didn’t doubt that for a second. Everyone in town probably knew my address as well as the number of panties I had in my top drawer. “I’m happy to be back. It’s good to see you, Dottie.”
She beamed at me as her attention slid to Benji. Her smile pressed thin, then returned to full force as she lifted her pad. “What can I get you, kids?”
“Water.” Since I had to watch my caffeine intake and I’d already had coffee today, my choices were limited. I also wanted to keep this visit short and sweet and having a no-cost option allowed me to leave when it was convenient.
My stomach twisted, and I wasn’t sure if it was from morning sickness creeping into the afternoon, or nerves.
I wished I hadn’t come, but it would have been rude to say no to Benji’s invite. Benji wasn’t someone you wanted to upset. When he put pen to paper, he could be downright deadly.
Benji looked up at Dottie. “I’d like pancakes for lunch, and she’ll have some too.” He lifted his chin in my direction before glancing at me. “My treat.”
“You and half the restaurant. Must be a Monday thing,” Dottie said.
It was a nice gesture, but something about the whole situation, the look in his eyes, the way he said it, everything about the moment rubbed me wrong.
“No, thank you. I had a late breakfast, and I couldn’t possibly eat another bite.” I patted my belly like I was full, then mentally kicked myself for drawing attention to that area of my body. I wasn’t showing, not yet, but I didn’t want anyone to have any suspicion about my condition.
Benji’s eyes narrowed at me, but he smiled when he looked at Dottie. “Just one, I guess. Thanks, Dottie.” He handed her his menu, and the full weight of his attention shifted back to me. The intensity of his stare put me on edge. I sipped the water Dottie dropped off. Curbing the urge to chew the ice chips almost overwhelmed me. I inhaled a deep breath through my nose and continued. “But, back to the conversation before, I’m happy working at Roy’s.” I met his serious gaze and shifted uncomfortably. Why was he looking at me like he was trying to figure out every thought in my head? “And Roy is a great boss.”
“But it’s a bar.”
I tried my best to hold back my scoff. “Yeah, you’ve mentioned that. But I still don’t see why it’s a problem. This is the twenty-first century, and women can have jobs, even in bars.” My humor didn’t seem to move him, so I took another sip of water. The back of my neck prickled, and I ran a hand over the spot.
“You were a model. Isn’t working at a bar a steep fall for you?”
“I was working as a model, and now I am working at a bar. It isn’t down, it’s parallel. I’m still serving