He was teasing. She knew that. But knowing didn’t make it easier to respond. She’d never been the type who knew how to flirt with a guy. She hadn’t been born with the skill. Or maybe it was a confidence issue. Either way, it was a whole lot easier to be crabby. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of a reason.
They walked toward the cafe. Seeing the familiar big windows and calico curtains lifted her spirits. She couldn’t wait until Garth got a look at the inside.
He held open the door. She went in and he followed. She turned and waited.
He glanced around the small space. She followed his gaze, anticipating his reaction. There were dozens of tables with glass tops. Underneath, long tablecloths hung down nearly to the floor. Wallpaper added color on color. There were shelves of china figures, bowls, cloth-covered books in stacks and every single item was done in calico.
It was an explosion of the pattern. The tiny floral print bred in the night and grew. The menus were calico, as were the seat cushions and the plates. It was calico heaven…or hell-depending on one’s perspective.
Men rarely survived more than a few minutes without visibly withering. Most begged for mercy and ran. The problem was, the Calico Cafe had the best food in ten counties. Their motto, clearly printed on their menus, stated they served breakfast all day and if you wanted something else, go away. It was an attitude Dana could respect.
Garth barely reacted at all. “It’s nice,” he said. “Is the food good?”
She frowned. “That’s it? You don’t want to talk about all the calico?”
He shrugged. “Somebody must like it. I’ve eaten in worse.”
Where?
Renee, one of the regular servers, bustled out of the kitchen. Her ample hips brushed against chairs as she moved. She barely glanced at them.
“Get yourself a table,” she called, carrying a heavy tray to the west side of the cafe. “We don’t stand on ceremony here.”
Garth put his hand on the small of Dana’s back. “Wherever you’d like,” he told her.
Her usual choice was up front, by the window. She liked to keep an eye on the sleepy town. But maybe today that wasn’t such a good idea. She could see but she could also be seen.
“How about there?” she asked, pointing to a table in the back.
“Fine.”
They were barely seated, her with her back to the wall, facing the room, when Renee hurried over with two menus.
“There’s no special,” the fiftysomething waitress snapped, turning their coffee cups over and pouring. “The cook wasn’t in the mood. If you want…”
Renee finished pouring the coffee and actually looked at her customers. Dana braced herself, hoped desperately that nothing was going to happen, then wanted to bolt for freedom when the woman she’d known most of her life said, “Dana. A man? I’m so proud.”
Why? Why did it have to be like this? Why did Renee have to look so happy in an uncomfortably maternal way, as if Dana were a baby turtle who had finally found her way to the sea?
The red-haired waitress looked over her half-glasses, studying Garth intently.
“And you are?”
“Garth. I’m a friend of Dana’s.”
“Uh-huh.” She patted Dana’s shoulder. “I’ll let you two decide on breakfast. Take your time.” She winked, then left.
Dana did her best to think cool, restful thoughts. She was calm. She was one with the universe. She’d forgotten this wasn’t Renee’s morning off.
Garth’s dark eyes sparkled with humor. “I’m guessing you don’t bring a lot of guys here.”
“Not only could I shoot you, I would know how to hide the body so no one could find it. Ever.”
He patted her hand. “It’s all right, Dana. Your secret is safe with me.”
While they were on the subject…
“Look,” she said, leaning toward him. “No one can know. About last night.” She’d almost said “us” but there wasn’t an us. One night of hot monkey sex did not an
He reached for his coffee. “I plan to think about it, Dana. A lot. You’re incredibly passionate. Do you know how rare that is? No pretense, no games, just one-on-one pleasure.” He sipped his coffee.
Her well-honed sense of control seemed to crumble to dust. She wasn’t passionate. She was difficult and crabby and she didn’t let anyone in. She was restrained.
She opened her mouth to tell him so, only to realize that when she thought about this morning, Renee would barely be a footnote when compared with everything else that had happened.
The front door of the cafe opened and in walked all three Titan sisters. They were talking to each other and hadn’t looked around the place, but in a few seconds they would. They would look and they would see her with Garth.
He turned around and laughed.
“It’s not funny,” she snapped.
“As this place was your pick, it is. You’d better stop looking so guilty, or they’ll guess in a second.”
“I don’t look guilty.” She cleared her throat and forced her expression to something she hoped was neutral. “If they ask, this is a working breakfast. We’re discussing strategy. Nothing else.”
She wanted to say more, maybe even threaten him if she could figure out how, but just then Lexi looked up and saw them. She looked puzzled for a second, then Izzy turned and spotted them.
“What are you two doing here?” she asked as she walked over. “Never mind. I already know. Do you ever sleep? Work, work, work. Dana, when this is over, you have to swear you’ll take a vacation. Hey, big brother.”
Izzy bent down and hugged Garth from behind. He smiled at her.
“You’re all up early,” he said. “A sisterly tradition?”
“We still have a lot to talk about and this is the best breakfast in town.”
Skye and Lexi joined them.
“How’s the plan coming?” Skye asked. “Are we interrupting? Should we go away?”
“No. Of course not.” Dana rose and reached for a larger table. “Let’s pull this over and we can all have breakfast together. Garth and I were working out the details. There are actually a few things we need to discuss with all of you, so this is perfect timing.”
Skye and Lexi grabbed the other side of the table and dragged it close.
“You’re just going to sit there?” she asked Garth.
“I like watching women work.”
“I’ll just bet.”
She had hoped in the confusion that someone would take her seat, allowing her to settle a little farther from Garth, but the sisters took other chairs, forcing her back across from him. It wasn’t that she minded the view, it was that she was terrified of what she might say or do. Rational thought was more challenging when there were still tingles going on.
Renee returned to the table. Dana started to panic, but the waitress simply raised her eyebrows then passed out menus.
“Big crowd this morning,” she said, giving Dana a knowing wink, then announcing there wasn’t a special.
“But I love the special,” Izzy whined.
“You’re always the difficult one. I’m bringing you coffee. By the time I get back, I want you to all know what you’re ordering. And no, Lexi, we don’t have organic butter, eggs, juice or anything else. So get over it.”
Lexi laughed. “I didn’t say a word.”
“You were going to.” Renee looked at Lexi’s impressive belly. “You’re due to pop soon, and speaking as the person who’s heard the organic lecture fourteen thousand times, I can’t wait.”
“I have two months,” Lexi told her with a grin. “Plenty of time for us to talk about renewable farming.”
“Gotta go.” Renee scurried away.
“I’ll need herbal tea,” Lexi yelled after her.
Skye shook her head. “You should give Renee a break. She’s old-school.”
