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“Nope. But his omega sort of did. That’s a no. I’ve got enough trouble as it is. I’m not looking to be their walk on the wild side.”
“Damn straight.” The hard-looking alpha stares at me for a moment, then his face softens. “For what it’s worth, Reid ain’t the kind of man to go looking for skirt.”
“You vouching for him, old man?” I tease.
“Naw. He’s gonna have to do that on his own. Just saying he’s good people is all.”
“Still not falling for it,” I sing-song as I pull another table’s order from the window.
I deliver the food and check on my other tables before returning to the window for table six’s order.
I grab the food from the counter and load my tray, but something is off. I check it against the order. “I’m missing a club with fries.”
“No, you ain’t.” Cutter slides me a plate through the window. It’s the jalapeno-egg burger he makes for me. Only this version is on steroids. It’s piled high with peppers, fried jalapeño slices, and dripping in some kind of sauce that looks thermo-nuclear. “Deliver this one to Reid for me.”
I gape at him. “Why?”
“Because he’s inspired a new dish, and the Firehouse Special is the only thing I plan to serve him.” His tone brooks no argument, and he nods in Reid’s direction. “If he has a problem with that, he can take it up with me.”
I roll my lips, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of this whole situation. At the table, I pass out the other lunches and serve Reid with a flourish.
“What’s this?” Reid asks, his voice amused when I set the monstrosity before him.
I shrug. “Cutter says it’s a new dish in your honor. It’s the Firehouse Special.”
A young alpha at the table snickers. “Looks like you better eat up, bro. Our reputation is on the line.”
Reid rubs his hand along his chin, scratching his beard. “Seems like I’ve got something to prove.”
“Not to me. Enjoy your lunch, gentlemen.” I walk away, refusing to look back and busying myself with my other tables.
But as I work, cheers of encouragement and hooted laughter ring from the table of firefighters. Everyone in the diner is glued to them except me, as I studiously ignore their presence.
When I’m forced to check in on them again ten minutes later, Reid is taking his last bite to a drum roll performed by his crew. He looks a little red and he’s chugging the tea in his glass, but he pumps his free hand in triumph. I swallow my smile, dropping off checks and clearing away dishes.
I don’t know what kind of weird alpha ritual just happened, but it obviously had something to do with me.
The guys tease Reid as I cash them out, each one leaving me too much in tip money. I could feel bad about it, but with the money from this week, I can get caught up on more than the utility bill. I don’t know if they came to gawk at me or tip-bomb me, but it’s working in my favor.
The guys all call out goodbyes as they leave, but Reid hangs back. I feel his eyes on me as I finish busing their table.
I drop off my tray and return to him, hands on my hips. “Yes?”
The towering alpha grins. “I plan to keep coming, whether I gotta eat more of those burgers or not.”
“Suit yourself,” I shrug, trying to play it cool.
He steps closer, and I look up into hazel eyes. The lust I’m expecting is there, but so is something more intense that I can’t name. His scent swells until it’s only him and me in all the world. “Finn and I, we’re serious about courting you. Together. I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear. This isn’t a game. We’re in for the long haul.”
I swallow roughly and look away. I wish what he was offering didn’t sound so impossible. A night or two in their bed? That I can understand them wanting. But the whole deal? Nobody is signing up for that. I’m a single mom working two jobs and have no time to date. I’m one bad day away from being homeless. How could it ever work, and what could they see in me?
Reid tugs on my chin and forces my eyes to him. “We know you’re not ready. We can be neighborly for now. But make no mistake, Cammie, I will pass every test until I’ve proven that I mean what I say. And then Finn and I are gonna spoil you and your kids.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I tell him, breaking from his hold and ducking into the kitchen to hide.
Cutter lets me be, not asking any more tough questions. After a solid five-minute freakout in the walk-in, I pull myself together and return to the floor for the rest of my shift. But the whole night, I’m thinking about the Firehouse Special and hoping that maybe I’ve got it all wrong. Maybe they really could want me for more than a night.
“Let’s dump this. Then you’re out of excuses.” Jeanie hands off the trash to me and grabs the last of the cleaning supplies.
