Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Coffee,” I say without even looking up at her or waiting for Gigi to order first, and I feel like an ass.
I’m acting like a bad mom. And I hate that it’s because of Zeus. Or rather my jealousy over Zeus.
Crap.
I glance up at Gigi, and thankfully, she has no clue that her mom is currently acting like a jealous shrew.
“What would you like to drink, Gigi girl?” I softly ask her.
“Milk, pwease,” she says without looking up from her picture.
I glance at Megan to make sure she got that, and her writing on her pad tells me that she did.
“I’ll have a coffee,” Zeus rumbles out.
“Two coffees and a milk. Be right back with those.”
Megan walks away, and I can’t help but look at Zeus to see if he’s watching her leave.
He’s not. He’s watching me. With something akin to amusement in his eyes.
And it pisses me off.
I frown at him. And you know what the bastard does?
He smiles at me.
“You wike my picture, Zweus?” Gigi asks him.
He pulls his eyes from me to look at her picture. “It’s really good, Gigi. Do you like coloring?”
“S’okay,” she says. Typical four-year-old response. “Yellow’s my favowite color. Then, pink. Purple. And blue. What’s your favowite color?” she asks him.
“Yellow,” he says.
I know he’s fibbing because green is his favorite color. Or it used to be.
“Same as me!” Gigi beams at him.
He smiles. “Same as you,” he echoes.
Then, Megan Flirty McFlirterson appears back at our table with our drinks.
“Milk for Miss Gigi.” She puts it on the table in front of Gigi, who immediately picks it up and has a drink.
“Coffee for Cam.” She smiles at me as she puts it down in front of me.
I don’t even bother to smile back. I think her behavior has been really inappropriate, asking for Zeus’s number. I should complain to her boss.
“And coffee for Zeus.” She puts down a small jug of creamer between Zeus and me.
I pick it up, knowing Zeus takes his coffee black and pour some into mine.
Then, because I’m feeling bitchy, I offer it to him.
He frowns. “I don’t take creamer,” he says roughly.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot.”
His brow comes up. “You didn’t forget yesterday when you made me a coffee.”
Shit. Crap. And double shit.
I have nothing, so I ignore him and turn to Megan. “We’re ready to order now.”
I know Zeus hasn’t even had a chance to look at the menu. But I’m not in the mood for playing nice right now. And Gigi knows everything on the menu here and has already decided what she’s having, which will be—
“I’s have the cookies and cweam pancakes, pwease,” Gigi says, taking the words right out of my head.
“What would you like, Zeus?” Megan asks him, a flirtatious lilt to her voice.
If he says her, I’m going to throat-punch him.
I’m not normally a violent person, but I’m feeling all kinds of ragey right now.
Zeus turns to Gigi. “What do you recommend I have?”
She looks up from her coloring to him. “Same as me. They da best.”
He glances at Megan. “I’ll have the same as Gigi, just double up the order for me.”
“Growing guy, huh?” She simpers.
“I’m already grown,” he says.
Her eyes flash to his huge biceps and then to his face. “Yes, you are,” she says, biting the edge of her lip.
Right. I’m done.
“Blueberry pancakes for me,” I say in a hard tone. “And send them with a different waitress.”
Megan’s eyes flash to mine. I stare hard at her. Her face reddens. Then, she gives me a look of apology, nods, and scurries off.
“You still have it, huh?” Zeus murmurs, seemingly nonplussed.
“What?” My voice is a quiet bite.
“A jealous streak.”
My memory flies back to all those jealous moments I had over women flirting with him. He never once did anything wrong.
Until he did.
“I’m not jealous,” I hiss, furious. “But we’re also in a diner, not a bar. And my daughter is here.”
Zeus actually has the good grace to look guilty. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to—”
“Forget it,” I cut him off.
The atmosphere at the table is awful, so I break it by asking Gigi about her picture. It’s the only thing I can think of to say. My brain’s too full of angry barbs that I want to fire at Zeus at the moment.
“Cam,” a recognizable voice says from beside me.
I turn my head to see Rich standing there in his uniform. “Hey,” I say. “What are you doing here?” I ask nicely.
“Just picking up an order for me and some of the guys at the station. Hey, Gigi.” He gives her a wave.
“Hi, Rich.” She waves back, smiling.
At the mention of Rich’s name, I see Zeus stiffen in my peripheral. If we hadn’t just had the Megan situation, then I would feel awkward about Rich being here. Now, not so much.
Rich’s eyes curiously go to Zeus, recognition sparking in them.