Luscious (Topped #1)(7)

How would he feel if he knew she had an ulterior motive? She promised herself every single night that she was going to tell him the truth, and every night she put it off. Now she was in too deep. She was caught in a trap of her own making.

“I can’t. I’m closing.” It was a perfect excuse and one she liked using. She took all the extra shifts she could. Besides needing the money, she liked the quiet after the restaurant was closed. She enjoyed the way Sean turned on music and everything seemed to slow down. They would sit and have a late dinner. Sometimes Sean’s wife Grace would join them and she could watch how much they loved each other. If Grace brought their daughter, she could play with the baby.

“You’re always closing.” Deena frowned her way. “Some day you’ll have to join us and have some fun.”

“Of course.” She handed Deena the eraser for the features board. “One day I won’t be the new girl.”

She put the working-late excuse on being the new girl. She couldn’t explain that she didn’t have enough cash for a deposit on an apartment and wouldn’t for a while. She still had to make payments on her mother’s hospital bills. Her mom had been so proud. She couldn’t let it go, couldn’t let her sink into bankruptcy even though she was gone.

Deena sighed. “Can you take the trash out? The bathrooms are clean, but the lobby trash is full. I swear Javier cleans out that truck of his with that can. I’ve told him twenty times to take it out back.”

She nodded and walked to the front of the house. The entry trash was only about half full, but it was best to start with a clean slate. She quickly pulled the bag. There were several more beneath, always ready for a quick change. She fixed the new bag and closed the old.

“Thank you, darlin’!” Deena winked her way. “You’re the best. I’m going to give you all the high rollers tonight.”

Ally grinned and walked toward the back. She moved through the kitchen, enjoying the smells of the prep and the hum of activity.

She’d worked a few jobs before. Before her mom had gotten sick, she’d worked in the local fast food place. That had been pretty nasty, though she’d enjoyed the camaraderie. She’d worked two jobs after high school, saving every dime she’d made for four years. After Ronnie had gone into the service, she’d felt odd about leaving their mom alone for too long. She’d changed over to working part time for the church.

She pushed out of the back door and took a deep breath. Where had all those years gone? Why couldn’t her mother have passed on before she knew Ronnie was gone? It seemed kinder. But the universe hadn’t shown a hell of a lot of kindness to Ally’s family.

With a heavy heart, she opened the bin and dumped the trash in. It would be dark soon and time for dinner service. For a few hours she could lose herself in work and not think about all the problems she needed to solve.

Macon Miles wasn’t who she’d thought he was. Somehow she’d made him a monster in her mind, the one who survived when it should have been Ronnie. He’d taken her brother’s place. She knew in her rational mind that wasn’t fair, but it was how she felt at the time.

Macon was a big bear of a man. He was also well educated and, if rumors were true, he came from a wealthy family. She’d met his brother. Adam Miles was elegant and well spoken. They were the types of men who married women with college degrees and fancy careers and social connections. Three strikes and she was out. He was exactly the type of man she should shy away from because he would never get serious about a girl like her.

So why did her eyes trail toward him constantly? What was it about those big, strong hands molding delicate treats that made her daydream about impossible things?

Macon wasn’t her type. Not even close. She didn’t really have a type now that she thought about it. She’d only dated a couple of guys seriously and they were all willing to look past her shady family history. It wasn’t easy to grow up in a small town where everyone knew about her father’s crimes.

Ronnie hadn’t cared. She could remember the first and only time she’d tried to run away after Carla Rowe had taken her in. Ronnie had run after her, still in his pajamas. He was a gangly kid. All arms and legs and big sad eyes. Everyone teased the hell out of him, but he’d sworn if she was leaving then he was, too. She was his sister, after all. He couldn’t let her go alone, but he’d asked her to reconsider because the next night was mac and cheese night. He loved mac and cheese.

Another deep breath quelled the rising tide of emotion. She didn’t need this. Ever since that day in the cemetery, it always seemed close to the surface, as though her subconscious knew that her other tasks were over and now it was time to deal with all that ugliness that lay beneath.

Well, it wasn’t over. She had to stop dreaming about Macon Miles and find out the truth. If there was one thing she’d learned it was that even the sweetest of surfaces could hide something nasty. Soon she’d have enough money saved to hire the private investigator again and she would try to get the real reports, try to force them to tell the truth.

She was simply keeping an eye on Miles in the meantime. She wasn’t falling for him. Nope. That would be stupid and she wasn’t stupid.

She turned, ready to go back to work. Ally gasped as she came up against a hard chest.

“Hey, I was hoping to catch you alone.” Timothy stared down at her. He was a good half a foot taller than she was. He didn’t move back or give her any space at all.