A grin formed on her lips as she neared the restaurant. Her stomach growled, but it was barely audible over the country music that was carried in the air from the building ahead. It was a typical small-town restaurant that had been built back in the seventies, with an old wood exterior, painted green to match the hand-painted sign above the entrance. She could also smell the food, which was enough to cause her to move faster.
The parking lot was surprisingly busy, more so than she expected. The gas station had already closed, and its lights were dim next door. The restaurant, called Dixon’s, was packed. She could see through the windows that a number of tables were full.
The country music was so loud it almost knocked her off her feet as she opened the door. She could smell the beer and steak from where she was standing, waiting for a waitress to notice her. The walls were covered with football and music memorabilia, all laid out between wooden beams. Everything was made of wood, which gave it a quaint old steakhouse feeling that she never really saw in New York City. There was a simplicity to country restaurants that made her feel as though she was back in her hometown.
A waitress passed with a tray, her red apron clinking with change as she stopped briefly to look at Yvette. “Not from around here, are you?”
“No, I’m not, actually. I’m just staying at the-”
“We’re a little packed right now, but there’s room at the bar. You can sit there for now. Just let the bartender know if you want a table.”
Before Yvette could reply, the waitress had whirled off to her designated table and was lowering drinks for the customers. She was right - it was packed. There wasn’t an available table in the whole place. Strange thing was, there were very few children. Most of the people in the restaurant were together in groups, ranging in age from young people about her age to older men with plaid shirts and their work boots still on, caked in mud.
She could feel a few people watching her as she made her way through the restaurant. It might’ve been the place to go after work, or to hang out with friends for a few drinks, but newcomers were obviously not a typical sight. She stopped at the bar and took a seat on one of the wooden stools, spinning towards the bartender. She couldn’t help but spin herself to the country music as she waited for the bartender to notice her.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Yvette’s stomach knotted at the sound of that voice. She recognized it, which meant it could only belong to one person. She stopped spinning her chair and saw him sitting three stools down with a beer held in his hand, looking as though he might drop it at any moment.
“Are you stalking me, woman?”
Her cheeks flushed red and she shook her head. How was Jace Johnson at a bar in the middle of nowhere? Sure, they were headed to the same place, but it wasn’t like there weren’t other towns he could’ve stopped at.
“I’m not stalking you,” she said flatly, and smiled as the bartender passed, finally noticing her. “I’m here for some food and a drink. Why are you here? Maybe you’re stalking me.”
“As. If. I’m going to Tallulah. Thought I’d make a pit stop, find a decent place to sleep.”
“Hi there,” Yvette said to the bartender as the woman placed a coaster on the bar in front of her. “Can I get a pint of your local lager? And maybe some chicken nuggets and french fries?”
“We don’t serve chicken nuggets,” the bartender said, and pointed at a board on the wall. “You can check what we have there, while I get you your beer.”
Yvette could hear Jace laughing at his end of the bar and rolled her eyes. What kind of place didn’t sell chicken nuggets? She scoured the blackboard and read the menu, which was scribbled on with chalk. The bartender’s strawberry blond ponytail swung as she turned around and placed the beer in front of Yvette. “Can I get the chicken wings with mild sauce and fries?”
“Now, that I can do,” the bartender said, and smiled. “Not from around here, too?”
Yvette glanced down to the bar at Jace, who was busy watching the entertainment with his beer mug pressed against his lips. “No, I’m not. Just figured I’d come here for a beer and some food. I’m staying in the bed and breakfast down the street.”
“Did they wait for you all day?”
Yvette chuckled. “It actually sounded like it, from what they told me.”
“They always do that,” the bartender said, and made her way towards the end of the bar, where she punched in Yvette’s order. “Such a nice couple, though. They retired years ago and decided to open up the bed and breakfast. Still don’t get too many visitors, but they make an awesome breakfast.”
Yvette took a swig of her beer, letting the cool bitterness roll over her tongue. “Well, I’m excited then. I’ll need a good breakfast to have me ready for the trip tomorrow.”
“You’re not staying here for the day? You’re going straight to Tallulah?” Jace asked.
She turned to face him. He seemed overly interested in her conversation with the bartender. The last thing she needed was him worried that she actually was stalking him. “I have plans when I get to Tallulah, so I need to get there right away.”
His blue eyes pierced hers like daggers as soon as the words passed through her lips. “You have plans in Tallulah?”
“What?” she asked, having to look away. There was a smoldering appearance to him at that moment that caused her heart to flutter, but she tried to push it away. He was just attractive. Hot guys had that effect on women. “Did you think I was actually going there to stalk you?”
The bartender leaned against the bar directly between them. “You two know each other?”
“We met at a strip club. She was looking for a job.”
Yvette’s face flushed a deep red, and she wanted to run out of the restaurant. Seriously? He really was a jerk. “A bartending job. Not that there’s anything wrong with stripping. It’s just, you know, not for me.”
“You’d make decent money at it,” the bartender said, and flashed her a smile. “But I get it. Better tips when you bartend at a place like that.”
Yvette turned to Jace and lifted her beer to him in a cheers, even though she knew he wouldn’t return her excitement at having proved herself right. “See? Told you.”
Jace slammed down his empty pint glass and threw a bill onto the bar. He rose from his stool and peered down at Yvette as though he was challenging her. “Good for you.”
Not another word passed between them as he left the restaurant. The bartender burst out into laughter and Yvette smirked. He might be a jerk, but even he had buttons that could be pushed. She had an inkling that that was the way to win his trust. Strange as her half-assed plan was, it just might work.
Chapter Nine
Jace
He’d stayed in the parking lot before. Sure, he could have driven out in the middle of a field, but that was getting more difficult to do. Last time he did, he woke up with a shotgun in his face and a pissed off farmer. He was trying to take it easy this time around and stay out of trouble. That girl was making it damn difficult. What kind of plans could a girl from New York City have in a small town like Tallulah? She might’ve had family there, but the chances were slim.