Page 18 of Sight of Fate

Like the hostess, the server has ice-blond hair, but instead of turquoise, his eyes are gold. Pure gold. I’ve never seen anything like them. And he’s every bit as tall and stunning as her. Brother and sister? If so, what does the rest of the family look like? Their gene pool must be insane. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen anyone who isn’t good-looking since I got to town.

Fidgeting under his stare, I blush and murmur, “Charli.”

He holds out his hand. “Hello, Charli. I’m Alex. Clan Larsson.”

Teague stills, and Macklin glares at the young man.

Clan? What does that mean? I stare at Alex’s hand for a second, anxiety rising, then subtly tuck mine under my leg. “Nice to meet you, Alex. Is Brita your sister?”

He tilts his head to the side and lowers his hand. “She’s clan.” As if that answers my question. Confused, I slowly nod, and he inhales deeply, then continues. “Are you a⁠—”

Macklin jumps in. “I’m hungry. Take the order, Alex.”

His deep voice overrides anything Alex was planning to say. Swallowing, he takes our order, then walks away.

Macklin and Teague relax after a minute.

“Besides blue cheese, any other foods you don’t like?” Teague asks, scooting closer.

His expensive cologne washes over me, and I lean toward him. “Hmm, I can’t recall any, but it’s been a long time since I tried anything new.” Besides the occasional pastry from the coffee shop, most of my food is chosen to satisfy hunger, like peanut butter sandwiches and canned tuna with crackers.

Macklin shifts toward me. “Do you cook?”

Hard to cook on the road, and I never really liked using a portable stove. Not wanting to tell him that, I sort of shrug. “Not lately, but maybe I can get back into it. The kitchen in the apartment is a dream.”

Macklin looks thoughtful. “Or you could join us for dinner sometime.”

I glance from him to Teague. Are they like this with every new person they meet? Doesn’t matter. It’s still nice to be asked. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”

They both appear satisfied with my answer.

“Have you seen much of the town?” Teague asks, taking a sip of his beer.

“I drove through the little downtown when I arrived Thursday. It’s lovely, almost like a Hallmark movie,” I admit with a laugh.

“You should laugh more often,” he murmurs, making me blush. “Why don’t I give you a tour tomorrow? I can show you where everything is and point out some of my favorite spots to eat.”

I’m tempted, but I don’t want him to feel like he’s obligated to take care of me. “I’ll have to take a rain check. I need to finish up the two projects I’m working on for my other clients before I start work on Monday.”

His mouth dips, but he nods. “If you change your mind or need a break, text me.”

I nod and watch Alex walk toward us with his hands full. He sets down our dinners, and I stare at mine, flabbergasted at how big it is. Guess I’ll be having leftovers tomorrow.

Picking up one half, I bite into the juicy burger and almost cry at how good it tastes. “Wow. This burger is phenomenal.”

Teague chuckles, and the three of us eat in silence for a few minutes.

When I come up for air, I notice Alex standing near the kitchen, talking to another man, and pointing toward us. Seconds later, the man’s head whips around. I tense, and Teague and Macklin immediately turn toward me.

“What is it?” Teague asks, his eyes moving from me to the tables around us.

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

Did Alex recognize me or something? What if they aired that news piece? I should have turned on the TV today, but it didn’t occur to me. In the morning, I went to Granite Securities, and in the afternoon, I worked on the website for my insurance client.

Macklin narrows his eyes and follows my line of sight. The man Alex is speaking to dries his hands and turns in our direction. Macklin looks at Teague and makes some kind of gesture. He immediately tenses.

I swallow, wondering if they’ll believe me when I say my stepfather is crazy or if they’ll make me leave. Hard to tell. I guess it’s better for this to happen before the snow comes. Although it will kill me to leave the first real job I’ve ever had, not to mention the money.