"So order what looks good."
He didn't see the problem.
Her frown grew deeper. "Everything looks good."
A young man sidled up to their table, order pad in hand. "Hi, I'm Steve and I'm going to be your server today. Can I get you started with some beverages?"
Knox ordered a soda - with caffeine - and waited for Jenna to take her turn but she was still scowling at the menu.
"She can't decide what to order," Knox said, placing his two menus on the edge of the table. "She said everything looks good."
Jenna shot him a glare before turning her attention to the young man. "He's right. I am having trouble deciding. But I do know what I want to drink. I'll have an iced tea, please. Thank you so much."
The young man's face split into a grin. "I can help you with that if you like. I love the food here but some meals are better than others."
The two of them were off to the races while Knox sat there saying nothing. Jenna and Steve were acting like they were old friends, laughing and joking as he went through the menu with her. Item by item almost. It was a bit of overkill, but it was clear that Steve found Jenna attractive. Knox was a student of body language and he didn't need to be a genius to see that this guy was flirting. And Jenna was lapping it up.
I'm sitting here. Does anyone remember me?
Jenna eventually settled on the pot roast with mashed potatoes. Good ole Steve still didn't leave the table. He was now telling her a story about a friend of his who loved pot roast.
Are you kidding me?
"Shouldn't you put our order in?" Knox asked, a little more loudly than usual. "We're sort of in a hurry."
Steve paused, finally dragging his attention from Jenna. "Oh yeah...sure...of course. I'll get it right in."
"That was rude," Jenna said as Steve bustled back into the kitchen. "What is your problem?"
"I'm hungry, and Steve wasn't going to budge. I would imagine he has other customers that need him too, by the way."
She scanned the restaurant. "It's half empty."
"He still probably had work to do. He's a server, after all." Knox should have shut up then but his mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. "You seemed pretty happy to have his attention."
Her head snapped forward and her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me? What are you trying to say?"
Shrugging, Knox wasn't going to back down. He was in the right.
"It was obvious he found you attractive. He was flirting with you...while I was sitting right here. That's really disrespectful."
"How is it disrespectful? We're not a couple."
"He didn't know that," Knox pointed out. "For all he knew, we could be married for decades with six kids and two dogs and a cat."
"He was just being nice and helpful."
Knox snorted. "Just being nice? He was way over the top, and you didn't help the situation, flirting back with him."
"I was not flirting with him. I was being nice." Jenna leaned forward in her chair. "For a cop, you have lousy people skills. It helps to be nice to your waiter or waitress. It helps to be nice to people in service positions. They already have a tough job. They don't need their actions questioned too."
"Right in front of me," Knox repeated. "As if I was invisible."
Jenna laughed, clapping her hand over her mouth. "That's what this is all about? Your delicate fee-fees got hurt? Get over it and stop being a grouch."
Steve returned with their drinks so Knox didn't have a chance to reply. The waiter smiled widely at Jenna, letting her know that their food would be out soon. He didn't say anything to Knox.
"My feelings did not get hurt," Knox said between gritted teeth when they were alone again. "I was simply making an observation that he finds you attractive and you obviously return the sentiment."
"He's just being nice and I'm being the same," Jenna said with a shake of her head. "Is this how you act when you're wired on caffeine? Because you should know that it's not a good look for you. Seriously, just drop it. I'm not going to run off with Steve at the end of our meal."
The rest of lunch was uneventful. Steve brought their food and they both were starving so they tucked in immediately, not chatting much until they were full. When Steve brought the check, Jenna grabbed it before Knox had a chance.
"I've got this one. You can get the next one."
"This place was my idea," he reminded her. "Let me at least pay half."
She placed her credit card on the table. "Nope, I've got it."
She paid and they headed back out to the car, stopping at the restrooms on the way out. When they met at the vehicle, she was holding a small styrofoam package.
"What's that?"
"Steve wrapped up some biscuits for us for the road."
Rolling his eyes, Knox climbed into the driver's seat. "And Steve just made my argument for me. He finds you attractive. Case closed."
Jenna settled into the passenger seat, placing the biscuits on the console between them. "For a guy that says he just wants to be barely friends, you sure sound jealous."
"I am not jealous."
"You sound that way."
"You're mistaken."
She reached between them, popped open the container, and pulled out a biscuit. "Then why do you care about Steve?"
Knox didn't have any answer. Because he didn't care about Steve. He'd almost forgotten
