Tipping The Scales: Knox (Mate Craze)(16)

“It is, but the pie is where it’s at,” he teased, my cake comment apparently breaking the spell my kindness cast on him.

“So pie?”

“Not today.” He turned from me, bent down, and reappeared with a lunch sack he must have retrieved from the shelf under the counter. “I brought a lunch.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back.” Why, pray tell, did he need to kick me out if he had a sack lunch? He didn’t smell like smoke, so smoking wasn’t it.

“This I know.” He smirked before dropping his lunch sack on the counter and tilting his head to the door. I took the hint.

Bounding down the stairs, I reached for my phone as I hit the first landing. My phone that I left in the stupid room. Making my way back to the office, I crossed my fingers that he was still filing and not already gone, if he was actually leaving that was. I needed that phone. Yes, needed because every last bit of me had to text Knox hoping he was going to eat lunch with me.

As I stumbled over the threshold, Liam was putting a paper back into a file as he stuck it back in the file drawer. There was nothing odd about this, per say, papers fall all the time and I could have easily put one in the wrong place. Except my gut told me that wasn’t what I was feeling. My gut told me it was more.

“Did I misplace something?”

He snapped his head back. I had caught him unaware.

“What?” He looked slightly above my eyes. The trick worked in presentations, but I was on to him. I took enough public speaking courses to know his game. “I told you it was time to go.”

“I did, but I left my phone here because of your stupid rule.” I needed to reel it in.

“Not stupid.” He spoke firmly as if to tell me End. Of. Story. I was so not playing that game. He was up to something, of that I was sure.

“So what was up with the paper?” Elbow now on the counter, I leaned into my hand trying to look nonchalant as I attempted to see a clue as to what the paper was.

“I have no idea what you are talking about. You need to leave.” He pointed toward the door and I knew I lost this round. Not that I would give up. Whatever he was hiding had to be the key to it all. At least I hoped it was because at this point my thesis had no actual meat to it. “The building will be open again at one pm unless you want it closed for the day.”

Subtle.

“No, sir.” I mumbled as I left the office and made my way out of the building. I was barely out of the building when my phone finally turned back on. It felt like a sock to my gut when not one notification appeared. I had thought of five thousand different messages Knox would’ve sent me while I was supposed to be concentrating. Not once had it crossed my mind that there would be none. It hurt.

Knox – I’m going to eat.

I typed out the words and hit send before I could change my mind. I went for facts with plausible deniability if he had plans. After all, I hadn’t actually invited him. Not really.

I’ll pick you up.

He’ll pick me up. That made it a date, right? Ugh, it couldn’t be a date. I was here for two weeks tops. Why did I want it to be a date so badly? I barely knew him and when we were together I either freaked out, acted like a B, or became this overly flirty weirdo I didn’t even know.

No need. Just walking to the diner. Liam was a jerk so I may dawdle if you want to join me.

It hurt to send the message. I wanted all the hearts and flowers him picking me up had created in my mind in the minute since he offered, but sitting outside the building like a stalker would only fuel Liam’s desire to keep me out. Meeting him there would do.

Within seconds of pressing send, my phone began to ring.

“Jerk how?” Came through the phone the moment I hit accept. I hadn’t even had time to say “hello.” His voice held anger, but somehow it completely dissipated mine and for the first time in hours I felt like myself, as if his voice was a magical balm.

“He tried to play me, that’s all,” I said and that was pretty much all it felt like now. Less than a minute before I was ready to rip him a new one and now I was all eh. Knox was dangerous and not in the serial killer way. He held a power over me, one I had yet to understand.

“Did. He. Lay. A Finger. On. You?”

Was he serious? I replayed the words in my mind trying to figure out what I did to trigger his thoughts. Play. Player. I was an idiot.

“Did he?” I had clearly taken too long to respond.

“No, he’s hiding something. That’s all. Lunch?” I spit it out as quickly as I could to alleviate his worry. Weren’t we a pair? Not a pair because I lived hours away and we had barely met.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I heard the engine revving as he spoke. He was on his way. To me. For lunch. Just lunch. Why did it feel like so much more?





7





Knox





The diner was just about the only place in town to eat. We’d set it up that way on purpose, to deter visitors and tourist. Except now, there was a tourist and I sure as hell didn’t want to take her to the diner again. We’d already been there for a meal the night before and for breakfast. That was more than I’d been at the dated eating spot in months.

Kallie was up ahead. I could see the soft sway of her hips through my dingy windshield. She had to be doing that on purpose. She must’ve known I was driving up behind her.