Rising (Anderson Special Ops #2) - Melody Anne Page 0,25

a home to her for many years. She looked around the room, and if a person hadn’t been there when the fight occurred, they wouldn’t even know something had happened. It was odd how something so life-changing could take place, and then be forgotten.

That happened much more than people realized. Look at 9/11 for example. The motto of that horrific day had been Never Forget. And the people of the nation had done incredibly well at respecting that day, respecting those families who had lost loved ones and coming together afterward. But a few years went by and then a few more, and slowly the day was being forgotten — not by those it was still directly impacting, but by those who were far removed from it. No matter the tragedy, its impact eventually did fade, it was a sad fact of life.

The bell over the front door dinged, and Erin felt her heart pick up its beat as Ben walked in. The smile he gave her as he strode forward, his steps confident and sure, his eyes on no one but her, sent a little thrill down her spine.

“Hi, Ben,” Erin said as he sat at the end of the counter. Her fingers shook as she moved in front of him. Why did this man have such an impact on her? She met all sorts of men working in the diner. Many of them hit on her, and she smiled, flirted a bit, and forgot all about them as soon as she collected her nice big tip.

But that wasn’t the case with this man. From the second he’d entered her diner, he’d fascinated her. Not only was he gorgeous, but his attitude also drew her in. He was confident, sexy, and had a close bond with his friends that drew her closer. She didn’t have many friendships, and she was always a little jealous of those who did. The way other people acted around you told a story of the kind of person you were.

Did that mean she was a jerk?

Maybe. She didn’t seem to attract people who wanted to spend a lot of time with her. Well, she hadn’t until this man had stepped through her door. She was used to being flirted with. She wasn’t, however, used to men coming back over and over again.

“Good evening, Erin,” Ben said. Before she could say something more, he held up his hand. “I have a confession to make.”

Erin had to fight her disappointment at those words. He was going to tell her he was married, but it was a terrible marriage, and he was only staying because of the kids, but he really liked her, and he promised he’d leave his wife soon if only she’d give him a chance. Yep, Erin had heard that line — three times now. What was it with creepy men and twenty-four-hour diners? She felt her armor lock into place as she stared him down.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice automatically colder.

His head cocked to the side as he gazed at her. “I’d really love to know what’s going through your mind right now because you just closed up tighter than Fort Knox,” he said with a smile. She didn’t return the friendly gesture.

“My name isn’t Ben,” he said after only a moment of hesitation. “I didn’t think I was going to do anything more than flirt with a very beautiful waitress, so I didn’t need to give you my name. But since I keep finding myself drawn back here, over and over again, I’d rather you know my name.”

He stopped speaking, and Erin wasn’t sure what she was feeling. They hadn’t spoken outside of this diner, and she knew she’d given out a fake name to people before. He was telling her the truth now before anything much had happened between them. She waited.

“Hi, I’m Steve, it’s very nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.

He was letting her know that it was up to her if she was going to accept his peace offering. Erin normally had a good sense of humor, and she found it rising right now.

“Hi, Steve, I’m Erin,” she said, taking his hand and feeling that spark that seemed to ignite inside her each time their skin touched. “Is your next confession going to be that you’re married with a dozen kids and three wives?” she asked.

“Ah, that’s what was going through your head when the shutters came over your eyes,” he said with