Return To Sender (The Hart Brothers #2) - J. S. Cooper Page 0,9
for business? Fun?” He paused and then chuckled. “I sound like the FBI, don’t I? Sorry for grilling you. Sometimes I get a bit intense. I guess it’s the thespian in me.”
“Yeah, that must be it.” I smiled and I looked over to the counter to see Beryl staring at me with a blank expression on her face. She was starting to get on my nerves. If she had something she really needed to get off of her chest, then why didn’t she just tell me? Who did she think she was? The head of the CIA or something?
“So, what’s new with you?” Gordon asked.
I just shook my head. “About the same as last week.” As much as I liked Gordon, I didn’t want to tell him about me and Wade. It felt too special to talk about, at least with people I didn’t really know. Plus I didn’t want Gordon judging me. “What about you?”
“Not much.” He looked down and I could see that he appeared nervous.
“Where did you end up going?”
“Going?” He looked up with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“I mean last week when I’d text you, didn’t you say you were out of town?”
“I don’t remember.” He looked around. “Waitress, can we order, please? We’re hungry.” He looked back at me and rolled his eyes. “You just can’t get good service these days, can you?”
“You just got here, so it’s not that bad,” I said lightly, wondering when he’d become so entitled and rude. Had he always been like this?
“I know.” He gave me a rueful smile. “Sorry, I’ve just had a lot on my mind recently.” His expression had turned thoughtful and the light in his eyes had dimmed.
“Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” He repeated my question and just sort of sat there as if he didn’t know how to answer. And then within a few seconds, a bright smile spread across his face and he nodded. “Of course, I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?” He reached over and touched my hand lightly. “Thanks for asking, though. What about you? How’s it been going with the Wolf of Herne Hill? Has he gotten his claws into you yet?”
“The wolf?” I laughed, hoping to change the subject. “Why do you call him the wolf?”
“Most probably because he likes to eat—”
“What would you like to order today?” Beryl interrupted his sentence and I was glad for it. I was pretty sure that if Gordon continued with his line of conversation that my face would give away the fact that Wade was now much more than just my boss.
“Lasagna?” I asked only half-jokingly.
Her eyelid didn’t so much as twitch. “We have burgers today.”
“Maybe I’ll have a grilled cheese,” I said with another smile and then suddenly it dawned on me: white bread, butter, and cheese. Those are the makings of a grilled cheese sandwich. Wade wanted me to make him grilled cheese? He hadn’t acted like he was a huge fan when we were eating them in this very diner. But why then had he created a grocery list for the same ingredients?
“No grilled cheese today.” Beryl looked at me then. “We’re all out.”
“Oh, okay. Then just a burger.” I sat back and looked at my phone, hoping to see a call or message from Wade, but there was nothing. Where was he?
“Expecting a call?” Gordon looked down at my phone.
“Not really. My friend Lucy’s coming to stay, so just thought she might text me or something.”
“Oh, so you’ll have some company.” Beryl suddenly smiled. “That’s good, very good.” And then she walked away. I looked over at Gordon who had a small smile on his face, and I could see that he was trying not to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“I don’t think that lady likes me much.” He rolled his eyes. “Nosey old busy body. Old people are always in everyone's business.”
“I think she means well.” I found myself growing prickly on Beryl’s behalf. It wasn’t like she’d even said anything about Gordon to me. It was Wade and his brother she’d been warning me about. She definitely seemed to have some sort of dislike for the Hart men.
“Yeah, people always say they mean well.” He rolled his eyes. “Usually they only mean well when it benefits them in some way.”
“You sound cynical.”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Not more than most, anyway.” And then he sat back and laughed. “Well, I’m a struggling actor, I guess I’m allowed to be a little cynical.”
“I guess so.” And then I