Текст книги "The Other Side of Love"

Автор книги: J. S. Cooper

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The Other Side of Love
Forever Love – 4
by 
J. S. Cooper

Prologue

The first time I fully realized that I had made a decision that was going to change my life forever was when I saw Skylar. There was something so innocent and haunting about the look in her eyes; they told me that she knew secrets of the world that I could only guess at. She watched me keenly and openly as I walked around the room, and I was worried that she wasn’t going to like me. I felt tense as I waited for her to assess me. I thought I just wanted her to get to know me and to like me. I knew that it would make everything easier. I’d never counted on us having the bond that we did. I’d never counted on my heart belonging to her. I’d never felt a love like this before.

There are some people who live their lives with courage and determination. And then there are some who succumb to their emotions and crumble when they come across an obstacle. I’ve always tried to live my life the first way—it’s the only way I know how to live. Or, rather, it was. Now I’m not so sure. Walking away without saying goodbye was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. And it was the weakest. Growing up, everyone thought that my brother, Zane, was the strong one; he was the oldest and the protector, but they didn’t see the pain in his eyes that I did. They didn’t know the rejection that he felt when our mother left, the rejection that created a wall around his heart thicker than the chests in Fort Knox.

Leaving him had been devastating, especially because I knew he had to think I was dead. I thought that nothing would ever be able to beat my feelings of guilt and anger the day I died. But I was wrong. Leaving her had turned out to be even more devastating. And the fact that I hadn’t been able to say goodbye still tore at my heart. But I knew it was for the best.

Chapter 1

“Noah, are you hungry?” Lucky’s voice was soft as she knocked on my bedroom door, interrupting my thoughts. She sounded motherly and I laughed to myself at the irony of her looking after Zane and myself.

“A little bit.” I said and then walked over to the door to open it. “Morning.” I smiled down at her glowing face, and she beamed up at me. Her cheeks were rosy red and her brown eyes sparkled though her dark lashes. Her long dark hair was up in a ponytail and she looked fresh and beautiful.

“You look too beautiful for first thing in the morning.” I teased her. I pulled her hair and she giggled.

“You certainly know how to make a girl happy first thing in the morning. I’ll make us breakfast if you want.”

“Is Zane here?” I asked casually, not wanting to answer her question until I had an answer.

“No,” she shook her head and bit her lip. “He had to go out.”

“I see.” I tried to stifle a sigh. “So what’s for breakfast, then?”

“He’ll come around.” She grabbed ahold of my hand and squeezed it, while her big brown eyes looked at me compassionately. “He’s still hurt. But he’ll get over it.”

“Yeah, eventually he’ll get over it and forgive me.” I nodded. I knew that in my heart he would we would eventually be okay and that gave me a certain amount of hope. But she wouldn’t. I knew that for certain. She would always hate me for what I had done—or what I hadn’t done.

“What do you want to do today?” Lucky looked at me hopefully. “I thought we could go out and—”

“I’m sorry, but I have to go and talk to Special Agent Waldron.” I lied with a straight face. It came so easily to me now; my heart rate didn’t even beat faster, and the feelings of guilt were minimal.

“Oh?” She wrinkled her nose. “I thought that stuff was all taken care of now?”

“It is.” I looked away. “I just need to take care of some things.”

“Oh, okay.” She paused. “Maybe when you get back, we can go over the documentary stuff. I’m sure Sidney must be wondering where we are.”

“Maybe tomorrow?” I responded and then smiled at her. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be out today.”

“Oh, okay.” She frowned and looked as though she wanted to ask me something else.

“So, let’s go get breakfast. I’m feeling quite starved now.” I ran down the stairs ahead of her, not wanting her to ask me any more questions. I liked Lucky a lot, and I didn’t want to lie to her more than I had to. I watched her as she walked into the kitchen behind me. She really was a beautiful girl, and the pregnancy seemed to make her glow. With her big warm brown eyes and her long brown hair, she had already worked her way into my heart, both because she was a good person and because she loved my brother and made him happy. I had been shocked when Zane had told me he was in a relationship. In fact, I could honestly say that I was more shocked to find out that Zane had a girlfriend than he was to find out I was still alive. Okay, maybe not more shocked, but I was pretty shocked. But Lucky was great; she was perfect for my brother. There was something so warm and caring about her, and I loved her no-nonsense attitude. She obviously adored Zane, but she didn’t put up with his crap either. She reminded me a bit of Skylar. I froze as her name crossed my mind. Forget her, Noah. It’s over. You have no chance of making that right. I repeated my daily mantra to myself in my head as Lucky started to prepare breakfast.

“Omelet with peppers, onions and bacon okay?”

“Any cheese?”

“We have cheddar and Swiss.”

“Let’s go with cheddar.” I grinned at her and jumped off of the stool I was sitting on to go over and help her. “I’ll make the toast. White or wheat?”

“Let’s go with sourdough.” She laughed at me as I looked around the kitchen for the bread. “Look in the bread bin.” She pointed at a pinewood object on the counter top.

“I had no idea there was such a thing as a bread bin.” I made a goofy face and pulled out the bread and shook my head. “I guess you can tell I’m not very domesticated.”

“I guess it runs in the Beaumont family.” She laughed and me and handed me a knife, so I could slice the loaf.

“Well, you know. You grow up rich with maids and cooks, and you can’t cook much of anything.”

“I guess you can do toast and cereal.” She cracked some eggs, and giggled. “Lots of yummy cereal.”

“Do I look like I survive on cereal to you?” I winked at her and flexed my muscles. Lucky’s eyes sparkled appreciatively as she stared at my arms and chest.

“No, you’re way too built for that.”

“Trying to steal my fiancée already, Noah?” Zane’s slow drawl was light, but I could hear the warning in his voice. I stifled a laugh at the jealousy in his face. It was hilarious to see that my brother was so whipped.

“Zane.” Lucky ran over to him, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “You’re back.” She sounded happy and I watched as he kissed her nose before rubbing her belly intimately.

“I couldn’t stand to be away from you,” he purred back at her, and it took everything in me to not demand a DNA test right away. What had happened to my brother? “You’re not feeling cold, bro?” Zane raised an eyebrow at me and gave me a once-over.

“No.” I grinned at him and continued slicing the bread. I suppose it was a bit presumptuous of me to walk around in my boxers and no top, but I really hadn’t thought it was a big deal.

“What are you up to today?”

“I have some stuff to do.” I kept my back to him and cocked my head to look at him. “Want some toast?” I looked into his eyes, and he stared at me for a few moments without speaking. I knew he had questions for me, but I wasn’t ready to answer them yet.

“Yeah, I’ll have two slices.” He continued to stare at me, and I knew he was telling me that he wasn’t going to wait much longer to find out exactly what had gone on. I wasn’t sure how to proceed, though. There was too much I didn’t want him to know.

“So, when is your next doctor’s appointment, Lucky?”

“Not for two weeks.” She chopped the onion up carefully as she spoke. “But everything is going fine so far, so that’s good.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to be an uncle.” I shook my head and then looked at Zane. “And I sure as hell can’t believe that you’re going to be a dad.”

“Well, you’re going to have to watch your language once the babies come.” He gave me a look and then laughed.

“I’m sure I can get away with saying hell for the first few years.” I grinned back at him. “But, I’ll keep my shits and fucks to a minimum.”

“How sweet of you, bro.” He rolled his eyes at me. “I can already tell you’re going to be the best uncle ever.”

“You know it.”

“My friend Leeza is coming to visit in a few weeks.” Lucky glanced at me, and I could see a blush rising on her face. “I thought maybe you guys could go to lunch one day. Because I was hoping you guys would both be godparents.”

“Oh, no way is Leeza going to be a godparent to my child.” Zane’s voice was loud. “And I’m not having her as a sister-in-law, either.”

“Zane.” Lucky’s face was a deep red now. “Don’t be mean.”

“I’m just being honest.” He shrugged.

“I think Noah might like her.” Lucky pouted at him.

“I think not.” Zane gave her a look. “I’m not having that crazy ho around my brother.”

“Zane!” Lucky poked him in the chest.

“I’m still here, guys.” I raised a hand. “No need to talk about me like I’m not.”

“Well, you never know,” Zane drawled, and I ignored him. “One day you’re here and the next you’re gone.”

“I’d be happy to meet your friend, Lucky, but I’m not on the dating market right now. My heart isn’t really open to loving anyone else at this moment in time.” A dart of pain ripped through my heart and I held on to the counter tightly.

“You okay?” Lucky looked at me in concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.” I turned away from her and nodded. I had to be fine. There was nothing else I could do. Skylar was gone from my life forever. I’d made that decision two months ago when I had walked away. And now—now I was out of that life, and there was no going back. Even though that life had felt more real than anything I’d ever felt before. She had wormed her way in and had never left.

“He most probably had a premonition of what life would be like if he dated Leeza.” Zane patted me on the shoulder and gave me his ‘we need to talk soon’ look.

“Zane, you’re horrible. She’s not that bad.”

“She’s not that bad?” His voice was incredulous. “She’s a snake, and I’m sure she would have bedded me if she could have.”

“She wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Lucky, she would have done me in a heartbeat. She was all over me. I mean, come on, how could she resist?”

“Idiot.” She slapped him on the shoulder and laughed. “I know she hasn’t been the best friend, but I want to give her another chance.”

“Eh.”

“I mean if it wasn’t for her getting me to the party, we might not be together now.”

“I would have thought of something.” Zane stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “There was no way I was going to let you out of my life.” He bent his head and nuzzled on her neck, and I watched as Lucky squirmed in his arms.

“Not now.” She squealed as he squeezed her behind and I took that as a signal to leave the room.

“Hey, guys, call me when it’s ready.” I laughed and Lucky blushed as I walked out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. I smiled as I walked up the stairs. Lucky wasn’t the sort of girl that I thought Zane would end up with, and I was glad. I had long worried that he’d end up with some ice queen who looked stunning but had poison running through her veins. Thank God, he and I had both escaped from Angelique’s clutches. I ran into my room as I heard my phone ringing and grabbed it quickly.

“Hello.”

“Noah?”

“Sidney?”

“Yes. It’s me.” He paused, and I could hear Betty whispering in the background. “Zane told me you were back, but I wasn’t sure. Sorry about the background noise. Betty wanted to know if you were okay.”

“No worries.” I smiled into the phone while listening to my old friend’s voice. “Tell her I’m well.”

“I hope you’ll be telling her in person soon.” Sidney chuckled. “She can’t barely believe you came back from the dead.”

“You didn’t tell Betty?” I was shocked.

“You told me not to tell anyone.”

“But I assumed you would tell Betty.”

“I wanted to, but Betty likes to talk. You know women, I didn’t want to ruin anything.”

“Oh, Sidney,” I sat on my bed, and closed my eyes. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you’re safe. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” I felt emotional. Sidney Johnson had become like a father to me. He was the only person who knew most of my secrets. There was no one who knew all of them but he was the closest.

“I’ve still got your papers.” He spoke in a low voice. “Are you going to tell Zane?”

“He doesn’t need to know.” I lowered my voice as well.

“He went to France.”

“I heard.”

“She turned him away.”

“She shouldn’t have done that.” I was angry. “I’ll have to call her.”

“You sure you want to do that?”

“No, not really.” I lay back and rubbed my temples. I was starting to get a headache. “But I need to know what she said to him.”

“You should tell him.”

“No.” I shook my head vehemently. “He’s in a good place now. I don’t want to disturb that.”

“Noah, I know you think you’re protecting him, but he has a right to know. And honestly, I don’t think he’s going to just let it go. He has a right to know the truth about his past.”

“I’ll tell him something.” I cleared my throat. “Anyways, how have you been? I heard Lucky has been working on the documentary with you.”

“I’ve been good. Better since Lucky and Zane been coming over; made me not worry about you so much. Lucky’s a good girl.” Sidney sighed. “I like her a lot, she’s good for your brother. She really loves him.”

“I know. I’m glad he met her.”

“What about you? You got anyone?”

“No.” Not anymore.

“What about where you were hidden out?”

“I dated. Nothing too serious.” Liar.

“You’re still young. Plenty of fish in the sea.”

“Yeah. I’m not too worried.”

“What about the girl you mentioned to me? When you first got there?” Sidney talked slowly. “The one I told you to be careful with.”

“You were right to warn me to be careful.” I sighed deeply. “Things got complicated. Her life was complicated.”

“Were you one of the complications?”

“I became one of them.” I stared at the wall as I spoke. “My presence ended up hurting someone.”

“Nothing bad, I hope.”

“I hope not.” I lowered my voice. “I was going to ask you later, but I need you to speak to your son for me. The family attorney. I have some questions.”

“You in trouble?”

“No.” I shook my head as I bit my lip. “Not yet.”

“You’re scaring me. Why do you sound like you’re about to leave us again, Noah? You should be happy, you just got back.”

“I’m back, but everything isn’t the same as it was before, Sidney. My life didn’t stop when I went away. Life continued for you and for me. New complications arose. I guess there are troubles to be left and to be found.”

“Where did you go?”

“I can’t say.”

“You mean you won’t say.”

“Yeah.” There was no need to lie to Sidney; he knew the deal. “I’ll talk about it later. I don’t want to think about it now.”

“Lucky got some good ideas for the documentary. She’s a history buff like you. She knows a lot about civil rights.” Sidney changed the subject and I smiled to myself. He always knew how to read me.

“I’m excited to hear them.”

“Yes. It will be good to get your life back on track.” Sidney paused again. “I’m glad you’re back, you know.”

“I know.” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling into the phone, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “I’m glad to be back as well.” I hung up and looked up slowly to see Lucky staring at me from the doorway with a half-smile.

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know that breakfast was ready.”

“Thanks.” I nodded and remained seated and she walked into the room uncertainly.

“Do you have someone that you left behind?” She chewed on her bottom lip and stared into my eyes earnestly. “Asides from Zane, I mean. Did you leave a girlfriend behind? We just assumed that Angelique was the girl you were seeing, because you know, you were devastated by her dumping you.” She made a face. “Thank God that wasn’t true. But was there someone else?” She took a deep breath, as she stopped rambling and she looked into my eyes searchingly but slightly hesitantly. I could tell that she felt like she was prying a little bit and wasn’t sure if she was stepping over the line.

“I wasn’t seeing anyone seriously when I left.” I shrugged. “But you’re right, Angelique wasn’t the love of my life by any means.”

“I wonder why she believed that you were so in love with her that you would take your life.” Lucky frowned. “I mean, if she hadn’t believed that one point, everything could have been ruined.”

“Angelique would believe she was an angel from heaven if you told her that.” I laughed. “She wasn’t low in self-confidence.”

“I guess that’s true.” Lucky sat down next to me. “Are you okay, Noah? I know that Zane has been a little distant, and we haven’t really asked you how you’re doing. We’ve been so happy to see you alive that we haven’t really thought about anything else. But I assume you’ve had a life the last year or so, away from here. It must have been hard to start over and then have to leave.”

“It wasn’t hard.” I jumped up as my stomach growled. “Zane has always been the first person in my thoughts, and it was never my intention for him to think I was dead and gone this long. I couldn’t stay there when I knew that Zane was out here with a hole in his heart.”

“You’re the first person in his life, too.” Lucky walked with me to the door. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen the light in his eye that returned when you came back from the dead.”

“Not anymore.” I spoke matter-of-factly, and I saw Lucky’s face drop. I grabbed ahold of her hands and stopped her at the top of the stairs. “My brother loves you, and I’m not sad that you are his main concern now. That’s how it should be. That’s how true love should be. I’m still his brother and he will always love me, but you’re the one he lives for.” The words were passionate on my lips, and I laughed as I realized that Zane had figured it all out before me. Oh, the irony of the situation was fantastic. It hurt just like a knife had been stabbed into my heart and twisted, and I stood still for a moment as I absorbed the unspoken grief and loss that sat in me.

“Noah.” Lucky’s eyes flashed with concern and she grabbed my shoulders as I refocused on her. “We’re going to have to talk. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow. But someday, you’re going to talk to me. Because the worst thing you can do is keep your worries to yourself.”

“Okay.” I nodded and then smiled. “Thank you.”

“No worries.” She grinned at me as my stomach growled. “Now, let’s go get you some food.”

Chapter 2

“This is where people go when they want to disappear.” She didn’t smile as she looked me over slowly and intently. “No one else moves to Palm Bonita.”

“I didn’t move here because I wanted to disappear.” I shrugged and stared into her eyes confidently. I stood in the alleyway and wondered who this woman was who had just walked up to me out of the blue.

“Maybe you didn’t want to disappear, but you had to.” Her eyes issued me a challenge and I hid my surprise. She was smarter than I thought she would be. But to be honest, my thoughts weren’t based on anything other than her looks. She looked too beautiful to be intelligent. I suppose a feminist would kill me for saying that, but then again, I wouldn’t say it out loud. I knew that my thoughts were based on my own masculinity, but based on her looks I thought she’d be an airhead. She had long white-blonde hair and big doleful blue eyes that glittered at me with an emotion akin to distaste.

“Perhaps.”

“I know guys like you.” She laughed and shook her head. “You think you know me just by my looks, but let me tell you, mister, you know absolutely nothing about me.”

“I think you’ve got it a bit twisted. You were the one claiming to know me, not the other way around.”

“No, I was just the honest one. I spoke my thoughts out loud.” She turned around then and walked away from me. I hurried up to catch her, feeling confused and annoyed at myself for getting off on the wrong foot already with someone in my new town.

“Hey, wait, I’m sorry.” I grabbed ahold of her shoulder and she flinched, glaring at me as she pulled away quickly.

“Don’t touch me.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” My eyes narrowed, and this time I looked at her for a longer period of time. I studied her face carefully this time; I tried to look beyond the surface of her perfect features. Her eyes looked red and puffy as if she had been crying a lot, and her lips looked cracked under her lip gloss. Her cheekbones seemed too pronounced for her face, and her clothes hung on her body as if they were too big. She was either wearing someone else’s clothes or she had lost a lot of weight recently.

“You didn’t scare me.”

“So why did you want to disappear?” I smiled at her weakly, and her eyes flashed at me, looking me over in distrust.

“So you admit it, you came here to get away?”

“I’m dead.” I laughed, but no smile crossed my face.

“I’m dead too.” She nodded and ran her hands through her hair. She had understood exactly what I meant.

“I’m Noah.” I reached out my hand to shake hers. “I mean, I’m Mikey.”

“It’s best not to use any names.” Her handshake was firm, but her fingers felt soft and cold. I wanted to rub them between mine, to warm her up. “It’s safer that way.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Three months.” Her voice lowered. “And if I were you, I wouldn’t ask too many people too many questions. Most of us didn’t come here to get away from something bad.”

“What do you mean?” I frowned, not really sure what she meant.

“Most of the people in Palm Bonita are the bad. They have come here to disappear so that they won’t be caught.”

“Oh.” I pursed my lips. “Well, that means we good guys should stick together.”

“Who said I was one of the good ones?” She raised an eyebrow, and walked away from me and back down the alley. I watched her as she walked away again. She stopped after a few yards and looked back at me.

“Be careful, Noah.” She placed a finger against her lips. “Be very careful.”

I sat on the couch, holding my phone, thinking about the first time I met her when Zane walked into the living room. He stood there staring at me for a few moments, and I laughed.

“Don’t tell me the cat has your tongue.” I shook my head. “This is the first time I’ve actually seen you stand and think before spouting off whatever you wanted to tell me.”

“Blame Lucky.” He laughed as well, and sat down on the couch next to me.

“More like thank her.”

“There’s that as well.” His eyes crinkled as he thought of his fiancée, and I envied him the peace of mind and stability she had brought to his life. I wanted that for myself, but I also wanted to make sure that nothing interrupted the new joy that Zane had in his life.

“What were you thinking about just now?” Zane’s tone became thoughtful. “You looked so far away just now.”

“I was just thinking about the day I moved to Palm Bonita.”

“Palm Bonita? Is that were you where?” Zane stared at me. “Is that here in California?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s a small town in Florida, about an hour south of Orlando.”

“I see. Did you choose the area?”

I shook my head and almost chuckled to myself. “Agent Waldron suggested it might be a good place for me to go and lie low as I didn’t want to become a part of the witness protection program.”

“Wait, what?” Zane’s eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about? I thought you were in witness protection?”

“I wasn’t an official part of the program.” I shrugged and looked away from him. “Once you go in, you can’t really come out. I wasn’t willing to close the door.”

“So you did it for me?” Zane’s lips thinned. “You risked your safety for me, yet you couldn’t or wouldn’t tell me what your plan was.”

“I don’t want to go through this again.” I let out a big sigh. “Not now, please.”

“So what happened the day you moved to Palm Bonita?”

“Honestly?” I laughed. “I wondered what the fuck I had done and wanted to call the whole thing off.”

“It was that good, then?” Zane gave me a half-smile, but his eyes looked me over with concern. No matter how angry he was at me, I was still his brother, and he was still concerned about my feelings more than anything.

“Better.” I rolled my eyes. “Palm Bonita is one of those nowhere, small dusty towns, where ex-gang bosses and mafiosi go to spend their days.”

“Sounds delightful.”

“Yeah. It was an adjustment.” My thoughts drifted back to the decrepit apartment building I had found myself living in. It was cockroach– and rat-infested, but even worse than that was the smell. The stench of rotting eggs and hidden fish had filled the complex, and no amount of spray or candles had diminished it.

“Want to tell me more over lunch?” Zane looked at me hopefully, and I nodded. There were many things I couldn’t tell him, but I knew that he would want to know about my time away. And as long as I kept to the bare minimum, everything should be okay.

“The sky looks beautiful today.” Lucky walked into the living room with some recently picked flowers and my face turned white. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I jumped up. “I thought you said something else. That’s all.” I gave her a weak smiled and I noticed Lucky and Zane exchanging a worried glance. “I’m okay, guys.”

“No one said you weren’t.” Zane grabbed Lucky’s hand, and pulled her towards him. “Noah and I are going to lunch, want to come?”

“If Noah doesn’t mind.” She looked at me eagerly, and I tried not to laugh. She was so different than the type of girl I had imagined seeing Zane with.

“I don’t mind. I’m pretty sure whatever I tell my brother, he shares with you anyway.”

“Zane can keep a secret.” Lucky blushed, while my brother glared at me.

“I’m just joking, guys. It’s fine. I don’t expect you to hide anything from each other. Secrets ruin relationships.”

“Yeah, they do.” Zane gave me a pointed look and I jumped up and turned towards the stairs. I had walked into that trap, and I didn’t want to stay around and feel guilted into revealing information I wasn’t ready to share.

“You guys choose a place for lunch, I’m just going to go upstairs and get my stuff ready.”

“What stuff?” Zane’s voice was curious, and I smiled at Lucky as she pulled him away from me, whispering something about wanting his help choosing out a crib for the babies.

* * *

“Hi, I’m Robin and I’m going to be your waitress today. Can I start you off with any drinks?” The girl in front of me was gorgeous and I couldn’t help but to admire her body. I gave her a once-over and I realized that she had caught me as I looked back up and she was glaring at me. As our eyes connected, I felt a spark of recognition light up my heart. I’d never seen this girl before, but something about her had ignited a feeling of warmth inside of me. “I’m not on the menu by the way.” The smile fell from her face as she spoke to me and I wondered what had gotten her so upset. She looked away and the buzz in my ears faded.

“I didn’t think that you were.” I frowned at her in confusion.

“Well, the way you were looking at me made me think that perhaps you thought something else was on the menu.”

“Um, okay?” I looked at Zane to see if I had missed something. Had I said something and not realized it, or was this chick just crazy?

“No, it’s not okay. How would you like it if I looked at you like you were a juicy steak and I was a dog ready to pounce?” Her frown lifted and her expression changed to one of excitement and anticipation, she looked me over slowly and licked her lips before locking eyes with mine. “Not a very nice feeling, is it? To be treated like a piece of meat.”

“Actually, I don’t mind.” I laughed and leaned towards her. “It makes me feel quite excited, actually.”

“Noah.” Lucky’s voice sounded shocked and she shook her head at me.

“I’m just being honest.” I shrugged.

“Typical male reaction.” Robin shook her head and turned towards Lucky. “Anything I can get you guys?”

“We’ll have three waters, please, Robin.” Lucky smiled at her widely and we were all silent as Robin walked away.

“Okay, is it me or is that chick crazy?” I exclaimed as soon as Robin was out of earshot.

“Noah.” Lucky laughed and made a small face. “I mean, she does seem like she is having a bad day.”

“She’s off.” Zane shook his head. “Like loony-bin off.”

“Right? What was up with that?” I rolled my eyes. “I thought she was going to grab a knife and stab me and for what?”

“Well, you did give her a once-over.” Lucky smiled at me. “Some girls don’t like that.”

“I looked at her and appreciated her beauty,” I coughed into my hand as Robin returned to the table with three waters. “I thought waitresses were meant to treat their customers like royalty, not like shit.”

“Are you talking about me?” Robin raised one eyebrow at me, and our eyes met again. She had the most unusual hazel eyes; they seemed to change from brown to green to match her temperament.

“Do you see another waitress in the vicinity?”

“I prefer to be called a server.”

“And?”

“Noah.” Lucky’s voice sounded shocked, and I saw her poke Zane in the stomach to get him to say something to me. I looked at Zane and his eyes were sparkling back at me. I could tell that he thought the whole situation was hilarious.

“It’s okay. I’m used to dealing with spoiled rich boys who don’t respect the help.”

“Whoa, what?” I frowned up at her and swallowed hard as I stared at her beautiful shimmering eyes. She was beautiful, and I had a hard time not feeling captivated by her. Her long black hair hung straight down her back, and her sun-kissed olive skin glowed in the bright light of the restaurant.

“Nothing.” She sighed and bit her lip. “I apologize for my words. It’s been a long day.” She looked away from me and back at Lucky. “Do you guys know what you want to order yet?”

“We’re going to share the bleu cheese burger with a large fries, please.” Zane spoke quickly, and Lucky gave him a look.

“Who said we were sharing anything?”

“I thought you wanted—”

“You didn’t even ask me if I wanted the bleu cheese burger.” Lucky made a face at Robin. “Sorry, but can you give us a few minutes?”

“Sure.” Robin smiled back at her briefly and gave me a look before walking away from the table.