“Hey, there.”
A man about their age came out from the back, and gave them a cordial nod. He wore a white apron over jeans and a black T-shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to expose his muscled forearms. His face was scruffy, and he had the look of a guy who hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before. A toothpick quivered out the corner of his mouth when he talked.
“What can I get you?” he asked, then he squinted. “Wait... Olivia Martin?”
He looked from her to Sawyer. A flicker of recognition passed through the man’s eyes, and he nodded toward Sawyer in a silent greeting.
Olivia stiffened, and Sawyer glanced down at her. Her smile had dropped and she gave the man a curt nod. Who was this guy...and should Sawyer know him? He didn’t like the way Olivia had recoiled.
“Eddie Dane,” Olivia said. It wasn’t an exclamation. More like a grim announcement.
Bella put a hand on the side of his face, and he patted his daughter’s back absently. He felt a surge of protectiveness. It wasn’t just Olivia here, but his daughters, too. Something felt off, and his hackles had gone up.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” Eddie said with a slow smile. “These your kids?”
“No, they’re mine,” Sawyer said, forcing the other man to look at him. Sawyer met his gaze with the steely drill of his own—his own message of exactly how he felt about him.
“Hey, Sawyer,” Eddie said. “Long time, man.”
“Yeah.” So apparently, he did know this guy. He didn’t look worth remembering.
“Wow...” Eddie said, shaking his head. “I mean, I haven’t seen you since high school. Senior year was pretty wild, huh, Olivia?”
“Not especially,” she said dryly.
“Come on...” Eddie shot her a meaningful look. “I seem to remember you really came into your own that year.”
“It’s been a long time,” she said pointedly. “I think we’ve all grown up since then, haven’t we?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Eddie said with a laugh. “I hope not too much. Where’s the fun in that?”
The words themselves were innocent enough, but Sawyer sensed a meaning beneath the surface that irritated him. There was a familiarity on Eddie’s side that felt like overstepping.
“I’m no fun,” she retorted. “At all.”
“I could change that...” Eddie leaned forward and gave her a slow smile. “You free tonight?”
“No,” she said shortly, then she turned to Sawyer. “We should go.”
A woman about their age came into the diner wearing a waitress uniform. She smiled in their direction, then came behind the counter and stashed her purse.
“Hi... Olivia?” She paused and a genuine smile broke over her face.
“Janice.” Olivia forced a smile. “Hi. It’s been a long time.”
“Sure has. You look good.”
“Thanks.” Olivia relaxed a little.
“So, are you here to pay your brother’s tab?” Eddie cut in.
“What?” Olivia turned back toward him. “What do you mean?”
“Brian’s been running up a tab here for a year,” Eddie replied with a shrug. “The owner says the next time he comes in, I’m supposed to throw him out.”
“Norm said that?” she asked.
“Yeah. He only started that tab because Brian said you owed him money and that’s why he was short. And Norm always was kinda sweet on you...”
“He was not sweet on me,” she snapped.
“Whatever you say.” That slow smile was back. “Norm doesn’t do tabs, but he did one for your brother. You do that math. Anyway, Norm is done with him, so I figured maybe you came to pay up. Unless you missed me, or something.”
Olivia blushed pink. She adjusted Lizzie in her arms.
“You want to cut that out?” Sawyer said, his tone menacing.
Eddie flatly ignored him.
“How much does Brian owe?” Olivia asked.
“I’ve got it here,” Eddie said. “Hold on...”
He rummaged under the till and came out with a little book. “Two hundred and eighty-five.”
He turned the book around in case Olivia didn’t believe him, and Sawyer glanced at the tally of numbers over her shoulder. Sawyer pulled out his wallet and looked inside. He had about three hundred dollars in his wallet in fifties, and he realized he didn’t know why he had that kind of money on him. Whatever—Olivia needed him right now, and he could sort out the rest later, he was sure.
Olivia opened her purse, but closed it without looking inside. “I don’t have the cash on me right now. I could use a credit card.”
“Norm doesn’t take credit.”
“Still?” She looked exasperated and heaved a sigh.
“I’ve got it,” Sawyer said.
“Sawyer, you don’t have to do that,” Olivia said. “The bank is on the other side of town, but I’ll be back in about twenty minutes and I’ll pay it—”
“No, I’ve got it,” Sawyer repeated. He pulled out the bills and put them on the counter.
Eddie counted the money and gave a nod. “I owe you some change.” Then he glanced up at Olivia again. “So, you single? You look single to me.”
Sawyer’s ire rose at that question. It was the tone—oily and insinuating. It was obvious what Eddie thought of Olivia, and it took all of Sawyer’s self-control to keep his mouth shut. But he was holding one of his daughters, and Olivia had his other girl in her arms. He felt hampered.
“Eddie, you are still a disgusting excuse for a man,” she retorted.
“You used to be nicer!” the smaller man snickered. “A whole lot nicer, to a whole lot of guys...”
“I never was that nice,” Olivia said tersely. “Especially not to you.”
“I know!” He laughed. “But I
