Her Unlikely Family. Missy Tippens

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СКАЧАТЬ wondered which one would prove the more worthy adversary.

      He suspected the pink-haired waitress.

      Chapter Three

      Josie crouched behind the counter restocking the to-go boxes and paper cups. The bell on the front door clanged as someone entered. It was almost time for Mike to arrive, and her pulse kicked up a notch.

      She hurriedly stacked the items and wadded up the plastic they came in. By the time she finished, a hint of Mike’s rich, enticing aftershave had wafted her way.

      It’s definitely him.

      Was she forever destined to be stooped behind the counter when he arrived? Her nose would know him better than her eyeballs would.

      She stood up, smoothed the wrinkles out of her uniform and found him in the same corner booth he’d sat in yesterday. She could have guessed he would be a creature of habit. “Mornin’, Mike. How’d you sleep?”

      When he looked up at her, she wanted to groan. The morning sunlight streamed in through the window she had cleaned earlier. It reflected off his shiny black hair. The blue of his eyes was so deep it appeared blue-violet. Thick, dark lashes made her want to shout that it wasn’t fair.

      The creature was even more spectacular in daylight.

      He scanned the grill area. “My niece better be here.”

      The suspicion in those intense eyes snapped her right back to reality. He might be beautiful, but he wasn’t someone she should be thinking about that way.

      “I asked you how you slept last night,” she said. “Shouldn’t you answer before you start barking orders?”

      One eyebrow lifted ever so slightly, and she thought for a second his mouth would follow suit. “I slept fairly well, thank you.”

      “So everything was up to snuff?”

      “The accommodations were fine. I appreciate the recommendation.”

      “Good. I’ll run and get Lisa from the back. She’s washing pots and pans.”

      “Bud hired her?”

      “Sort of. He pays her a little. But mostly, she’s here to help me. She gets a cut of the tips. And room and board.”

      “I’ll certainly reimburse you for any lodging and food.”

      Yet another reason to ignore his gorgeous eyes and yummy smell. Everything had a price for men like him. She waved off his offer and went to holler through the kitchen door for Lisa. Then she returned and slid into the booth across from him. Fiddling with her bracelets, she tried to look anywhere but at those amazing eyes.

      “You like jewelry, I see,” he said.

      “It’s one of my weaknesses. I don’t shop for clothes or shoes. But get me in a bead shop, and I go crazy.”

      “Do you mean you make the pieces yourself?”

      “Most of them. It’s relaxing.”

      “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who made her own jewelry.”

      At the tone of his voice, a burst of irritation flared through her chest and right out her mouth. “Well, I can’t quite afford to shop at Tiffany’s.”

      “I didn’t mean—”

      Lisa plopped in the booth beside Josie and said, “I’m not gonna, like, jump when you say jump or anything. But I promised Josie I’d listen.”

      Wishing he could take back his careless comment about the jewelry, Michael refocused his attention on the problem at hand. “I want to apologize about last night, Lisa. I know it scared you.”

      “Forget it. It doesn’t matter.”

      “Well, I want you to know I’m sorry.”

      “I said forget it, okay?” Lisa practically shouted.

      Stunned by her vehemence, he gave Josie a look that asked, What now?

      “Okaaay…” Josie rubbed her hands together. “Now that that’s out of the way, let’s see if we can get you two to come to some kind of agreement about what Lisa is going to do. The rules are no shouting, or Bud’ll kick you out. No name-calling and bad-mouthing each other, or I’ll kick you out. Agreed?”

      “Agreed,” Michael said and waited for his niece to say the same.

      Instead, she crossed her arms protectively in front of herself, her chin almost touching her chest.

      “Lisa?” Josie said.

      “Mmm.”

      The sound could mean anything, but Michael assumed it was acquiescence.

      “Good,” Josie said. “Now, Michael, tell Lisa why you’re here.”

      “I think that’s fairly obvious. I came to find her.”

      Josie nodded toward his niece. “Tell Lisa, not me.”

      He sighed, but leaned his arms on the table and looked at the top of her green head. “Lisa, I was worried about you. I want you to agree to come home with me.”

      In one quick motion Lisa’s whole demeanor changed. She sat straight up, eyes on him. “Do you mean it, Uncle Michael? You really want me to come home with you?”

      The expectant look on her face nearly undid him. He would have to explain his plans carefully. “Home to Charleston. You need the supervision and care they give you at school. Come back, and I’ll talk to the headmistress about changing the expulsion to a suspension, about letting you make up your missed work. I’m sure she can…”

      As he watched, the life seemed to drain back out of Lisa. What do I do now? He looked to Josie, who rubbed her forehead as if he’d given her a headache. “Surely you both understand,” he said.

      “Understand, nothin’,” Lisa said. “Just go on back to the bank. I’m fine here.”

      “But you belong in Charleston with us. With your family,” he said.

      “Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ll get along without me.”

      “Mike, why don’t you tell Lisa why you want to send her back to boarding school,” Josie suggested.

      “Everyone needs a good education. You’re getting the best money can buy.”

      Josie winced. “Tell Lisa why you worry. Why you want her somewhere safe.”

      He watched as Lisa slunk a little lower in the booth. Another inch or two and she’d slither onto the floor.

      Somehow, the pitiful green hair and slight frame made her seem vulnerable. His heart lurched. No matter how you dressed her up—fingernail polish, hair color, СКАЧАТЬ