“No! No, it’s fine!” I said quickly, and smiled in an attempt to appease her. “I appreciate it, thank you. You’re right; I need something and it’s always hit or miss with trying to find openings around here. So again, thank you.”

Grey still looked worried, like maybe she’d done something she shouldn’t have.

“I think working at Mama’s will be great!” I said more sincerely. “I’ll call down there after breakfast and see when she wants me to come in.”

“Um . . . well, she asked if you could come in tomorrow before ten so you don’t get slammed with a breakfast or lunch rush right away.”

So soon. It felt like I had no time to prepare for being surrounded by people I wasn’t used to. Had no time to prepare for what I had been attempting to avoid since I’d moved back to Thatch. For who I had been attempting to avoid.

Mama’s only grandchild, and someone who frequented Mama’s Café: Deacon Carver.

I forced my smile to remain, and nodded in acknowledgment. “Perfect.”

Deacon

May 29, 2016

“IT’S MY FAVORITE part of the week!” I boomed as I watched one of my best friends and his fiancée climb out of his truck. “I get to feed Harlow!”

Knox’s fiancée shook her head but smiled affectionately. “What do you mean week, this is nearly a daily thing,” Harlow called out.

“Dude. I’m feeding her,” Graham said, and shoved at my arm as we walked across the parking lot.

“You both realize by now that she feeds herself, right?” Knox asked once we were closer.

I scoffed. “No. Pretty sure we feed her.”

“She isn’t a baby.”

“She also needs to fit into her wedding dress,” Harlow butted in, and kissed both Graham’s and my cheeks in greeting. “So no more putting extra food on my plate.”

“You’re no fun,” I grumbled.

“Warriors need extra food,” Graham added, his tone making it clear that he had no plans to stop.

As if we would no matter what Harlow or Knox said.

Underweight couldn’t begin to describe Harlow when she’d come back into our lives nearly a year ago. At death’s door was a better description.

Beaten, but not broken. Literally skin and bones, but as Graham always said, still a fucking warrior. Bravest and strongest girl I knew, and Graham and I had taken it upon ourselves to get Harlow back to a healthy weight.

Didn’t matter that she was nearly there, I doubted either of us would ever stop feeding her. The memory of her bleeding out in our kitchen and barely able to stand after running from her psychotic and abusive husband was burned into my memory, as I knew it was Graham’s.

“Let’s just eat, I’m starving,” Knox said as he pulled Harlow against his side and led her into Mama’s Café.

We weren’t in there for more than a few seconds before my grandma, Mama, popped around the corner.

“Well if it isn’t some of my favorite people!” She hugged us all and then waved us away. “Your booth is there, as always. I gotta get back in the kitchen to make sure all’s well.”

“The place will still run just fine if you take a break, Mama,” I called out, but knew she wouldn’t bother with an answer.

If she wasn’t everywhere in her café at all times, she worried it would fall apart. I didn’t know why she allowed anyone to work for her since she just tried to do all of their jobs herself anyway.

My eyes caught the back of a slender blonde waiting on a table a few booths away, and dipped down over her subtle curves as I followed my friends to our usual booth.

Then again . . . if it brought in girls who looked like this, I would never complain that Mama hired people.

I slid into the booth, but still had only managed to see the back of the new girl before she was out of my sight.

“New waitress,” I mumbled to Graham, and started to lay claim on her in case she looked as good from the front, when he spoke.

“Oh yeah! Wait, you didn’t know?”

I leaned away from him, surprised that he knew something about the café that I didn’t. “No. And how the hell did you know? You been coming here in the mornings without me?”

Graham’s face fell. “First, you sound like a jealous girlfriend. Second, no. Thir—hey!”

Knox and Harlow echoed Graham’s greeting, and I turned to see who they were talking to—and immediately regretted it.

My gaze narrowed on the blond girl standing next to our table, just a foot away from me, holding a pad of paper and a pen.

This had to be a fucking joke.

My gaze quickly dipped over her body to confirm that she was in fact the girl I had just been checking out, before slowly sliding up to her face again. She was avoiding looking at me. Not like that was new.

She avoided anyone’s eyes if she could.

But this was different. She knew it. I knew it.

And I wanted her gone.

“Charlie,” I said through gritted teeth.

Her blue eyes darted to me and away so fast that I would have missed it if I had blinked.

“Uh, hey everyone,” she said softly, her discomfort forcing a short huff from my chest.

“Grey said you were working here now. How’s your first week been?”

Charlie glanced to Graham, and the corners of her mouth pulled into a shaky smile. “It’s only been a few days, but it’s been good.” She cleared her throat and inched away from me, toward Knox. “What can I get you guys?”

I didn’t stop glaring at her the entire time my friends gave their orders, and loved that she looked more and more uncomfortable with each order. When it came time for me, I finally looked away and said, “Mama knows what I want.”

I didn’t have to be looking at her to know her body had gone still. I could feel it. After a few seconds, she whispered, “Um . . .”

I glanced back up and raised an eyebrow. “This is usually the part where waitresses leave.”

“Deacon,” Knox rumbled in disapproval.

Graham smacked my arm and said, “Dude, what the hell?”

When I didn’t add anything, Knox said, “He wants what Graham’s having, Charlie. Thank you.” He waited until Charlie was out of the dining area, and in the kitchen before he shoved his foot into my leg. “What Graham said: What the hell?”