Page 24

“You’re hungry. Your stomach growled, remember?”

Her stomach? Was he just going to breeze over the receptionist’s assumption that they were a couple?

“Did it bother you, what the girl at the desk said?” he asked.

“Well, it was kind of surprising. Why did she assume—?”

“That we were a couple? I’m not sure.”

“You could have corrected her.”

“What fun would that have been?”

She’d come to a stoplight, and she glanced over at him. His amused expression broke something open inside of her, and she belted out laughing. It was the kind of laughter that could have easily turned into snorting, but luckily, she contained it before that happened. It was bad enough that he’d already heard her stomach growl.

“What would you like to eat?” he said.

“It’ll have to be something quick.” They’d already used up the bulk of their lunch hour at the apartment.

“How do you feel about McDonald’s?”

Could he tell by her body that she was a fan of burgers and fries? Because she was. So much so that she’d imposed a once-a-week limit on them. Luckily, she hadn’t indulged yet this week.

“A burger and fries sound good.”

“Great,” he said, smiling so big that she felt his rays of sunshine warming her from across the console.

In the business section of Troy, a McDonald’s was never far away. She drove to the nearest one, intending to use the drive-through.

“I think it’ll be faster if we go inside,” he said. “But if you’re worried about the time, we can always take it back and eat in your office.”

He’d probably pegged her as an extreme rule-follower, which she usually was. It wasn’t like anyone would care if they were a few minutes late getting back to the office. Sometimes it couldn’t be helped, and most of the managers were understanding about it. Besides, she’d never been one to take advantage.

“Let’s eat inside,” she said, feeling oddly proud of herself.

He held the door open for her, and they went into the busy restaurant. As usual, the lines were long, and the noise level was high, which was why it took her a minute to register the familiar voice.

“Nick. Stacy. Hi!” Britney waved excitedly from a line two rows over.

Her line was shorter than theirs, but instead of joining her, they simply waved back. Britney looked disappointed and a bit envious.

Nick studied the menu board as if he’d never realized how many options there were. Stacy occasionally glanced at Britney, who seemed intent on studying him.

She was relieved when the cashier handed Britney a to-go bag, but then Britney approached them. “I’m running late; otherwise, I’d stay and eat with you guys,” she trilled.

“That’s too bad,” Nick said. His expression belied his disappointment, but Britney didn’t seem to notice.

“Another time,” she said, her eyes sparkling at Nick.

Britney ignored Stacy completely, giving her a sense of what it would be like to be his girlfriend. That’ll never happen, Stacy reminded herself.

After they placed their orders for burgers, fries, and drinks, she reached into her purse for her wallet.

Stepping in front of her, he leaned forward and said to the cashier, “Her money’s no good here. I’m paying for this.”

The older lady behind the counter beamed at him, probably reminded of the days of yesteryear when a man always paid.

A few minutes later, Nick was carrying their tray of food to the station with the soda fountain and condiments. He set it down and began filling the little plastic containers with ketchup while she filled her cup with diet soda. He chose iced tea, and then she followed him to a table for two near the window.