and I want to hear all about it.” She hung up before he could tell her not to get her hopes up.
Sam left his phone on the car console and walked into the diner, where the smell of home cooking made his mouth water. A friendly-looking redhead wearing a black skirt and white shirt greeted him at the door. “Welcome to The Miramar Café.” She picked up a menu, then led him to a booth with a window that faced the roundabout. Her name tag read “Connie.” “Our Tuesday night special is the meat loaf, but everything here is good.”
He didn’t bother looking at the menu. “Then I’ll have the meat loaf.”
“You won’t regret it.” She smiled carefully. “Are you new to town?”
Something in Connie’s tone put him on alert. “Yep. I’m just here for a few days of fishing.”
“Oh, so you’re a tourist?”
“Yep.”
“Huh. We don’t get many of those. Most tourists go to St. Augustine.” She cocked her head to the side like she was trying to figure something out. “I swear I’ve seen you before.” Then she snapped her fingers like it just occurred to her. “You know who you look like? This guy who was on Single Gal. You know, the reality TV dating show? His name is Gas Station Sam.”
He tried not to flinch at that ridiculous moniker. He hated lying, but the last thing he wanted was to be asked to pose for another selfie and end up on someone’s Facebook or Instagram page. Or worse, have her call one of those nosy “journalists” who’d hounded him at the airport. “Never heard of him. My name is Roy.” He made a mental note to pay with cash.
“Really? Because you’re the spitting image of—” The door to the café opened, causing Connie to whip around. Her face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. “Tuesday night at six. Right on time.”
Sam followed her gaze to the couple who’d just walked into the café. The man, mid-thirties, wore a suit and the woman was … holy hell. She was taller than Sam had envisioned from her picture, but there was no doubt that this was Annie Esposito. If she got a look at him, he’d be outed.
He snatched the menu from Connie’s hand and held it up to hide his face. He didn’t want to have to explain lying about his identity, and he certainly didn’t want to have his talk with Annie here in the middle of a busy restaurant. Especially not in front of her boyfriend. That is, if the guy she was with was her boyfriend. He could be her brother, for all Sam knew.
“Did you change your mind about the meat loaf?” Connie asked.
“Uh, no,” said Sam, his face still hidden inside the menu. “Meat loaf is good. I’m just looking ahead to dessert.”
“In that case, the key lime pie is our specialty, but I can also recommend the chocolate chip fudge cake.”
“I’ll just keep looking, thanks.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll bring you some water.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Annie and the guy in the suit walk past him.
“Hey, Annie. Hi, Walter,” Connie called out. “I got your usual booth ready for you.”
So, this was the infamous Walter. If Annie was having dinner with Walter, then it meant Sam wasn’t too late after all. He tried to relax, but fate was being a real bitch tonight because their “usual booth” was the one directly behind his. The only thing that now stood between him and Annie was a thinly cushioned partition.
Connie brought him his water. “Decide on dessert yet?”
Sam reluctantly lowered the menu. “I’ll take the key lime pie.”
“Good choice.” She took back the menu and headed to another table.
“How was your day?” he heard Walter ask. Sam leaned back in his seat to better hear Annie’s answer. It felt voyeuristic, or something a little old lady would do, but the way the booths were set up, he couldn’t have avoided overhearing their conversation even if he wanted to.
“It was great,” said Annie. It was the first time he’d heard her voice. He didn’t know her, but something in her tone told him she was lying. She’d had a crummy day. Either that, or she was tense.
Connie startled him by laying a plate of food and a bottle of ketchup down on the table. Had she caught him listening in to the conversation in the next booth? If she had, there was nothing in her expression to reveal it. “Here