LITMIR.BIZ

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so far.”

      “Yeah?” His elbows on the booth top, absurdly charmed for no apparent reason, Brick leaned forward. “Why the delay?”

      “I relocated, and that threw me off for a while, getting settled in and everything. It wasn’t easy finding a place that’d take my pets. And the pets, of course, take up some of my time.”

      “Pets, plural?” So she was an animal lover, too? Nice.

      “Two dogs and three cats.”

      He liked animals, so that didn’t faze him. “A regular menagerie.”

      She laughed, and it was like getting French-kissed by a really hot chick.

      “They have very different personalities, and I love them all. They’ve gotten me through some rough times.” Suddenly catching herself, she shook her head—still smiling—and turned to Jesse. “I’m sorry for going on and on. What can I get you?”

      As if waking up, Jesse said, “Hmm? Oh. I’ll take a BLT and chips, and throw some pickles on the side, will you?”

      “You’ve got it. I’ll get this right out to you.”

      Off she went, with Brick staring after her...until Jesse grabbed his heart and feigned a swoon.

      Damn it, it rankled that Jesse had reason to harass him. “Go screw yourself.”

      Jesse laughed. “You look like a lovesick pup! What the hell, Brick? Mooning over her? Hanging on her every word? I half expected you to slide out of your seat and onto your knees before her.”

      “I repeat, go screw yourself.” But he knew it was true. Even now he had to consciously fight the urge to track her every movement in the restaurant. He didn’t do things like that. He didn’t get all hung up on a woman. Ever.

      Not even a hot little virgin.

      And that reminded him... “So where did you hear that virgin stuff?”

      With a knowing smile, Jesse shrugged. “I overheard some of the other waitresses talking, and one of them said she heard it from a past boyfriend of hers.”

      “Probably jealous,” Brick muttered.

      “Probably,” Jesse agreed. “She’s getting more than her fair share of attention.”

      Something he’d already noticed—and didn’t like. “Tips, too.” In the small town where they all lived and worked, everyone knew everyone. Brick ran the family-owned hardware store, and Jesse was a carpenter with his own shop. Brick’s brother, Evan, worked for the elementary school as a gym teacher, and Evan’s wife, Cinder, was a nurse.

      Most days, Brick and Jesse met for lunch at the diner because it was just across the street from Brick’s store. It served good, homemade food, it was affordable, and it catered to locals by celebrating high school sports and supporting the other businesses.

      When Ms. Merrily Loveland started working at the restaurant, everyone noticed, especially everyone male—and the gossip started.

      “Where did you hear it?” Jesse asked.

      “Couple of bozos came in a few weeks ago to buy paint. One guy said he’d asked her out and was turned down flat. The other said he used to live in the same town with her back in college, only a couple of hours from here.”

      “Same with the waitress.” Jesse shrugged. “I think maybe they were in college at the same time.”

      “One of the guys claimed she used to be engaged, but when she wouldn’t give it up, the guy left her.”

      “And told everyone about it?” Jesse snorted. “What an ass.”

      “Yeah.” Brick took a big drink of his cola. “The talk went downhill from there.” He wouldn’t repeat it all because it hadn’t been kind, but there’d been insults claiming her to be cold, asexual, even deliberately manipulative, as if she used her innocence as a tool.

      “And you didn’t throw them both out? Huh. Good for you, Brick.” Jesse reached across the booth to slap his shoulder. “I mean, I can see you’re pissed about it, so the fact that you actually kept your temper in check—”

      As Merrily returned to them, Brick gave a quick shake of his head. But not in time.

      While setting their food on the table, she teased, “You have a temper? No way. You’re always so nice.”

      “He would never show that temper to you,” Jesse assured her. “But yeah, when warranted, it makes an appearance.”

      Brick gave him a dirty look. Was he trying to scare her off?

      Intrigued, Merrily asked, “Is that why they call you Brick?”

      She knew his nickname? Nice. Though they’d chatted casually many times, they hadn’t been formally introduced. He’d seen her name on her name tag and used it as most would. Apparently she’d been paying attention when others spoke to him.

      “Actually,” Jesse said, now on a roll, “he got that name ages ago when he fell off a roof onto his head and was still able to laugh about it.”

      “Ohmigosh.” She stared at Brick in disbelief. “You’re serious?”

      “Yeah, but it’s not as bad as it sounds.” He’d strangle Jesse later for bringing that up. “The house was half-built into a hill, so the roof at one end was pretty close to the ground.”

      “Still...”

      “I only dropped around ten feet.”

      “Ten feet?” Her eyes widened again. “And you weren’t hurt?”

      “Just bruised my pride.” He gave a slight grin. “That is, as much pride as a nine-year-old boy can have.”

      “If you guys were that young, what in the world were you doing on the roof?”

      Brick felt his neck getting hot.

      Jesse, of course, launched into details. “He was pretending to be Batman. His brother, Evan, who’s a year younger, was Robin.”

      She smiled, and this time, the smile was unlike any other—softer, gentler. “Aww. That’s so sweet.”

      He snorted. “No it’s not. After I fell, Evan ran home to tell our mom and she grounded us for a week.” A week that had felt like a month.

      “I can’t say I blame her.” Looking a little wistful, Merrily tipped her head to study him. “Did you and your brother wear costumes?”

      “Masks and capes.” He grinned despite his efforts not to. “Looking back on my misspent youth, I think it’s a wonder I survived.”

      “Your poor mother,” she agreed. Another customer called to her, so after a quick touch to his shoulder, she slipped away.

      That touch—on the freaking shoulder, for crying out loud—brought his temperature up a few degrees more.

      “Pathetic,” Jesse said. “Get a grip, will you?”

      “She likes me.”

      “Yeah? And you drew that conclusion...why?”

      He shrugged. “She touched my shoulder.”

      Jesse grabbed his heart again. “Your shoulder? Damn. That brazen hussy. I guess it must be love.”

      Ignoring that, Brick said, “I’m going to ask her out.”

      That seemed to surprise Jesse but not because of his intent. “You haven’t already?”

      “No.”

      “Why not? I figured you’d hit on her from day one and just got shot down.”

      “No.” Why he hadn’t yet asked her out, he couldn’t say. He’d known her plenty long enough. And he’d only recently

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