Waiting For Him (2 page)

“I repeat, go screw yourself.” But he knew it was true. Even now he had to consciously fight the urge to track her every moment in the restaurant. He didn’t do things like that. He didn’t get all hung up on a woman. Ever.

Not even a hot little virgin.

And that reminded him. “So where did you hear that virgin stuff?”

With a knowing smile, Steve shrugged. “I overheard some of the other waitresses talking, and one of them said she heard it from Keisha’s ex.”

“Probably jealous,” Stone mumbled.

“Probably,” Steve agreed. “She’s getting more than her fair share of attention.”

Something he’d already noticed and didn’t like. “Tips, too.” In the small metro area outlining Atlanta where they all live and worked, everyone knew everyone. Stone ran the family-owned hardware store and Steven in construction with his own shop. Stone’s brother, Jonathan, worked at the high school as a gym teacher and his wife was a nurse.

Most days, Stone and Steve met for lunch at the restaurant because it was just across the street from Stones’ store. It served good, homemade food, it was affordable, and it catered to locals by celebrating high school sports and supporting the other businesses.

When Ms. Keisha Washington started working at the restaurant, everyone noticed, especially every male. And, the gossip started.

“Where did you hear it?” Steve asked.

“Couple of bozos came in a few weeks ago to buy paint. One guy said he’d asked her out and was turned down flat. The other said he used to live in the same town with her back in college, only a couple of hours from here.”

“Same with the waitress.” Steve shrugged. “I think maybe they were in college at the same time.”

“One of the guys claimed she used to be engaged, but when she wouldn’t give it up, the guy left her.”

“And told everyone about it?” Steve snorted. “What an ass.”

“Yeah.” Stone took a big drink of his Coke. “The talk went downhill from there.” He wouldn’t repeat it all because it hadn’t been kind, but there’d been insults claiming her to cold, asexual, even deliberately manipulative, as if she used her innocence as a tool.

“And you didn’t throw them both out? Huh. Good for you, Stone.” Steve reached across the booth to slap his shoulder. “I mean, I can see you’re pissed about it, so the fact that you actually kept your temper in check...”

As Keisha returned to them, Stone gave a quick shake of his head, but not in time.

While setting their food on the table, she teased, “You have a temper? No way. You’re always so nice.”

“He would never show that temper to you,” Steve assured her. “But yeah, when warranted, it makes an appearance.”

Stone gave him a dirty look. Was he trying to scare her off?

Intrigued, Keisha asked, “Is that why they call you Stone?”

She knew his nickname? Nice. Though they’d chatted casually many times, they hadn’t been formally introduced. He’d seen her name on her name tag and used it as most would. Apparently she’d been paying attention when others spoke to him.

“Actually,” Steve said, now on a roll, “he got the name ages ago when he fell off a roof onto his head and was still able to laugh about it.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.” He’d strangle Steve later for bringing that up. “The house was half-built into a hill, so the roof at one end was pretty close to the ground.”

“Still…”

“I only dropped around ten feet.”

“Ten feet?” Her eyes widened. “And you weren’t hurt?”

“Just bruised my pride.” He gave a slight grin. “That is, as much pride as a nine year old can have.”

“If you guys were that young, what in the world were you doing on the roof?”

Stone felt his neck getting hot.

Steve, of course, launched into details. “He was pretending to be Batman. His brother Jonathan was Robin.”

She smiled, and this time, the smile was unlike any other. “Aww. That’s so sweet.”

He snorted. “No it’s not. After I fell, Jonathan ran home to tell our mom and she grounded us for a week.” A week that had felt like a month.

“I can’t say I blame her.” Looking a little wistful, Keisha tipped her head to study him. “Did you and your brother wear costumes?”

“Masks and capes.” He grinned despite his efforts not to. “Looking back on my misspent youth, I think it’s a wonder I survived.”

“Your poor mother.” Another customer called to her, so after a quick touch to his shoulder, she slipped away.

That touch—on the freaking shoulder, for crying out loud—brought his temperature up a few degrees more.

“Pathetic,” Steve said. “Get a grip will you?”

“She likes me.”

“Yeah? And you drew that conclusion, why?”

He shrugged. “She touched my shoulder.”

Steve grabbed his heart again. “Your shoulder? Damn. That brazen hussy. I guess it must be love.”

Stone ignored him. “I’m going to ask her out.”

That seemed to surprise Steve but not because of his intent. “You haven’t already?”

“No.”

“Why not? I figured you’d hit on her from day one and just got shot down.”

“No.” Why he hadn’t asked yet, he couldn’t say. He’d known her plenty long enough. And he’d only recently heard that virgin business. But there was something about her that made him not want to rush things.

“Never knew you to be insecure.” He didn’t have an insecure bone in his entire body. Speaking of bones…he shifted again. “I’ll ask her out today.”

“Yeah? So?”

“So I want you to stuff that food down your throat and then get out of here.”

“This is my lunch break! It’s not like she’s going anywhere. If you’ve already waited a month, why can’t you wait until I finish eating?”

Yeah...he supposed he could. He didn’t want to, but it made more sense than throwing Steve out of the restaurant and rushing things. “Fine.” He took a bite out of his tacos and chewed. “But don’t linger.”

For answer, Steve took an enormous bite of his burger.

Chapter Two

For the next twenty minutes, Keisha stayed pretty busy. Stone noticed that she chatted with everyone. He wasn’t special in that regard.

Except that she didn’t touch anyone else, so regardless of what Steve thought, her fleeting touch to his shoulder did mean something.

What, exactly, he didn’t yet know.

By all accounts, she’d turn down dates. Not that it mattered. He wasn’t an insecure schoolboy who quailed in the face of possible rejection.

If she turned him down, he’d just have to figure out a way to change her mind. Without seeming pushy or stalkerish.

Keisha came out to the kitchen with a loaded tray, she moved around her seating area, dropped off food, refreshing cups of coffee, taking new orders and saw that everyone had everything they wanted.

Finally, while digging a bill out of her pocket, she approached again.

“You guys need anything else? More to drink? Dessert?”

Steve said, “I’m good, thanks.”

“Same here.”

She placed respective bills on the booth top before them, clasped her hands together and faced Stone again. “If you’re all done, mind if I ask you something?”

After a stifled grin, Steve did him a solid by saying, “It’s your turn to pay, Stone, and I’m running late. So if you don’t mind…” He pushed his bill toward Stone and slid out of his seat.

Keisha sent him a smile. “Thank you for stopping by. Come see us again.”

“Will do.” Whistling under his breath, Steve strolled out.

In the middle of a busy restaurant, at the tail end of the lunch crowd, Stone relished the moment of relative privacy. “Got a second to sit down?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.” She untied her apron and took Steve’s seat opposite him. “I’m actually off early today.”

So now might be a good time to get to know her better.

She wrinkled her pert little upturned nose. “I can’t stay long, though. I have a ton of stuff to get done.”

“Classes?”

“Those are in the morning. The animals have been closed up since this morning, I have laundry piling up, and I’m hoping to put in a doggy door.”

“You have your own house?” He’d love to find out where she lived.

She shook her head. “I’m renting a duplex, but my landlord is okay with it—for a small fee of course. I know my pets will appreciate it. I hate leaving them cooped up while I’m away.” She shrugged. “That’s what I want to ask you. I know you own the hardware store. Do you sell whatever I’ll need?”

He had what she needed, all right. “Actually, it’s a family business. Mom and Dad retired early, and Jonathan wasn’t interested in it, so I run it. In a couple more years, I’ll buy them out.”

“That’s nice. You’re close with your family?”

“Real close. You?”

Avoiding his gaze, she moved aside Steve’s plate. “Dad died in a car wreck when I was seventeen. Mom was disabled. She passed away last year, too.”

Wow. His heart clenched over such devastating losses. “Siblings?”

She shook her head. “It was just Mom and me.” With a cheerless smile, she added, “And our menagerie.”

So she’d inherited the animals? Drawn to her, needing the contact, he touched her slender fingers, hesitated, and when she didn’t pull away, he held her hand. “You said your mom was disabled?”

“Except for doctor appointments, she preferred not to venture out much. It was too difficult for her, and she felt conspicuous.”

“Did she need full-time care?” He couldn’t imagine that type of responsibility being dumped on someone so young.

Keisha shook her head. “I kept meals ready for her, and we cleared the house enough that she could get around pretty well in her powered wheelchair. When I had to be away, for school and grocery shopping and stuff like that, I kept a cell phone on me for any emergency calls. She loved our animals, and they loved her. They kept her company when I couldn’t be with her.”

Damn. “I’m sorry, Keisha.”

“We managed okay. I mean, until she worsened.” Slowly she freed herself from his touch. “After she passed away, the animals had a hard time adjusting. I figured a change of scenery would be nice, so here I am. With the animals, who, like I said, are family to me.”

“But you need that doggy door.”

“Yes. They’re happier now, but they were used to her being there. Now they’re alone.” She blew out a breath. “I think they’ll enjoy it more if they can get outside and play a little or even just lay in the sun.”

He considered her, wondering how much her mother’s health might have played into her broken engagement. Not many men would sign on for that type of responsibility. “Are you handy around the house?”

She laughed. “Not really, no. But I can read directions.”

Man, she had a nice laugh. Not too girly, not at all fake. Just nice. “Do you have a good tool set?”

“I have a hammer and a screwdriver.” She bit her bottom lip but ended up shaking her head. “Will I need a lot of other stuff?”

Perfect opening. If it hadn’t been for the heartbreaking story she’d just shared, he’d have grinned in anticipation. But given her reasons for relocating, he managed to hold it together. “Tell you what. Why don’t I put in the doggy door for you?”

He waited for objections, for excuses, or a flat out no.

She dropped back in her seat. “Seriously? You’d do that? I mean, I’ll pay you of course, but…”

“Neighbor to neighbor.” He smiled cutting her off. Given what he wanted from her, no way could he let money change hands. “I’m happy to help out.”

Still surprised, she said, “We’re not neighbors.”

No, but he wanted her bad. “In this town, everyone is a neighbor.”

“You’re sure?”

“It’ll be my pleasure.” He’d find out where she lived, make himself useful and in the end he’d have her under him, where they’d both have some fun.

Even to him, that sounded like a Grade A prick move.

She forestalled any opportunity for him to retrench when she said with heartfelt gratitude, “Thank you. I appreciate it more than I can say.”

Chapter Three

Keisha looked around the duplex again, saw everything was in order and tried to listen for Stone’s knock at her front door. The laundry would have to wait for another day. She’d tidied the space as much as she could with three pets underfoot. Like toddlers, they had toys everywhere. And though she’d just vacuumed, fur was a never ending issue.

Clyde, her shepherd and collie mix, knew something was happening. He watched her with ears perked up, expression alert. “It’s okay, Clyde. Just be on your best behavior, please.” Because Clyde was always happy and eager to please, that wasn’t asking too much of him.

Bonnie, a smaller bearded collie mix, didn’t really care enough about any visitor to skip her nap. Keisha could hear low snores and as always, it made her smile.