“I can live with that. Even though you both are always my heroes. I don’t know what I’d do without either of you. Are you guys hungry? I’ve got some burgers in the back and some fries left to cook. I was going to cook them up and put them in the freezer for my leftovers when I got home but now seeing as you’re here, I don’t see why I can’t share. I’m a sharing kind of girl.”
“Count me in,” Scott said.
“Do you need to be eating those extra carbs and fat?” Beau asked, wanting him gone.
“Connie makes the most amazing bean burgers. They’re a hit and I don’t have to worry about hitting the gym afterward,” he said.
She burst out laughing. “Come on, we can go in the back. You boys can argue about fat and calories like a couple of girls.”
****
It was bad enough when they were each here on different nights, but together, the kind of magnetism they displayed was impossible to ignore.
Connie wouldn’t allow herself to fall. Both men were fucking hot on a big scale. Like panty-melting hot. Beau with his thick mechanic muscles, slicked-back hair, and easy smile, he looked like he knew what to do with his hands. Then of course there was Scott. He lifted weights for fun, and she’d seen him a couple of times in the summer without a shirt—wow, just wow. He wasn’t super slim or anything like that; his body was hard, muscled, and defined.
Each guy made her feel small and delicate, and that was something she was never used to. Growing up, she’d always been the fat girl, the chubby kid. The girl with the big tits and fat ass, and kids were mean. They were evil and made sure she knew it as well. Of course she could convince herself it was all jealousy and to some, it might be. It had taken her a long time to appreciate her body, to love herself just the way she was, and if that meant she wanted to eat cake and ice cream, she damn well would. No one was going to make her do or be anything she didn’t want to do.
The fryer was already on and she lowered her pre-cooked fries. After going to the fridge, she pulled out the patty for Beau and two bean burgers for herself and Scott. She grilled them on two different grills and began setting up the burger buns.
“You know you’re a damn good cook,” Scott said.
She laughed. “You haven’t even eaten anything yet.”
“I know a couple of the guys and some of the women have asked you to consider opening earlier for families.”
“Yeah, because families need to be in a bar. There’s the diner for that. Besides, I don’t offer a whole lot.” The very thought of opening a diner or a restaurant had filled her with so much anxiety she’d immediately turned off the idea. She loved owning a bar, hearing about people’s troubles, providing good food. Besides, the town had a lot of fairs and potlucks, and she was accepted as part of their community, which also meant she could provide baked goods of any kind when she needed, or just to be nice to a neighbor.
“No, but we all know you could.”
She rolled her eyes. “You two are going to give me a big head with all this ego talking. Stop it.” She waved her hand even though she loved this about them. Neither of them was afraid to tell her how they felt.
Humming to herself, she pulled the crispy fries out, drained them on some paper towels, finished each burger, and plated up. She put the plates in front of each man, and she took the spot at the head of the table, climbing onto the stool.
Each man took a bite with relish. Both of these men were dangerous to her equilibrium, but this was what she loved, feeding people.
She started to eat her own food, shoving a fry in her mouth.
“So, Connie, I was wondering. How do you feel about going out with me next Friday?” Scott asked. “Ouch, what the fuck, dude?”
“I also want to go out with you,” Beau said.
She laughed. “Guys, I don’t know what’s going on here.” Was there something in the food?
She glanced at Scott then at Beau. There was no way she’d said how sexy they both were out loud, was there?
“Simple, both of us want to date you,” Beau said. He threw his hands up in the air. “However, we wanted to see which one you liked first.”
“I … what?”
They were both glaring at each other.
“Let me get this straight, you both have been hanging around here because you both want to date me?”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Scott said.
“It’s not?”
“It sounds bad, like the only reason we came around was because we wanted to date you, but our hearts are in it,” Beau said.
“Look, I don’t know what you guys are thinking and to be honest, I’m a little uncomfortable right now. You’re best friends, right?” she asked, looking between the two.
“Well, yeah,” Scott said.
“Then I don’t think this is a very good idea. I’m not the kind of girl to get between friends and I’m not going to cause any kind of rift here.” She got to her feet, suddenly losing her appetite.
“Wait, what?” Beau asked.
“You heard me. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, or if this is to see which one will be able to score first or what, but I’m not part of it. Really, I just want to live my life trouble and drama free.” She turned her back to them, walking to the sink. She threw her food in the trash, feeling
