Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(28)

Sarah mock-stabbed at him with her own fork. “Keep your silverware to yourself!” she admonished. “I’m gonna eat every bite of this, then bitch and moan the rest of the day about how full I am . . . but it’ll be worth it.”

God, she’s beautiful, Cole thought as he watched her relax and joke with him. Once she let down her guard, her true inner light shone brightly. He knew he was waxing poetic, but couldn’t help it.

They finished their food and had nothing but praise for Francesca. When it came time to leave, Cole pulled out his wallet, but Francesca refused to take his card.

“Your money’s no good here, Cole. Put that away,” she fussed.

“Are you ever going to let me pay?” he grumbled good-naturedly.

“Nope,” she told him with a smile.

A waitress came out of the kitchen just then with a large plastic bag and handed it to Sarah, who took it without a word, but with a confused look on her face.

“In case you get hungry later,” Francesca told her. “It’s a little sampling of just about everything on the menu. Anyone who can make Cole here smile like he hasn’t a care in the world is good people and always welcome in my restaurant. You come in anytime. No reservation necessary. I keep a few tables every night for my very favorite guests. You’re now included in that small number.”

Sarah just stared at Francesca for a moment before thanking her profusely.

As Cole expected, the older woman waved off her thanks. “Hush. I could tell the second I saw Cole that you’re special. Not many people have seen past Cole’s tough exterior. You’ve obviously not only seen beyond it, you’ve embraced all that he is. Don’t let that food go to waste. Now, you two get. I’ve got customers coming soon, and I’m sure you have better things to do than stand around talking to an old woman.”

With that, Francesca stood on tiptoe, and Cole leaned down so she could kiss him on the cheek. She hugged a slightly shell-shocked Sarah, then turned and headed back to the kitchen.

“What just happened?” Sarah asked as Cole took her arm and steered her out the door.

“You were just officially welcomed to the city of Castle Rock,” Cole said warmly. “The only people who have an open invitation to come and eat whenever they want are Logan and his brothers, and their wives, of course.”

“And you,” she said.

“And me,” Cole agreed. “And now you.”

“Why?”

“This space used to be the Mason Architectural Firm. When Grace’s parents were put in jail, the business closed, for obvious reasons. Francesca bought it and turned it into Scarpetti’s. She worked her butt off trying to get customers to give her a try, but it was rough going there for a while. Logan and his brothers ate here practically every night, since they were single and too lazy to cook for themselves. They also worked a lot of cases before they found their women. I think Francesca felt sorry for the ‘poor single men’ and discounted their meals almost every time. Eventually the restaurant took off, but she never forgot their support, and how loyal they were from the very beginning.”

“And you?” Sarah asked as they headed for the parking lot. “How’d you get in her good graces?”

“Because I’m cute?” Cole asked with a smile.

Sarah smiled and playfully smacked his shoulder. “I’m serious.”

Cole shrugged. “I’m single. I don’t like to cook. I live nearby. I think she felt sorry for me too because I ate there so much. I also might’ve given her a free membership for life to the gym, and she comes in most mornings at five when we open to get in her daily two-mile walk.”

Sarah stopped in the middle of the sidewalk—and Cole immediately looked around to see if she was reacting to a threat. When he felt her hand on his arm, his gaze swung to hers.

“You’re a good man, Cole Johnson.”

He shook his head. “I’m not. At least, not like you’re thinking.”

“Cole, you gave Francesca a free membership to your gym.”

“Yeah, because I knew it would put me in her good graces, and I’d be able to get homemade Italian food whenever I wanted. It costs me nothing to let her use one of the treadmills for forty minutes every day for free. Don’t put me on a pedestal, Sarah. I’m not always the nice guy you’re thinking I am. I mean, I’m not a serial killer or anything, but I’m happy to take the parking space closest to the door, I cut people off on the highway, and I’ve never offered to help carry anyone’s groceries.”

She didn’t look away from him as he outlined his transgressions. “It might not cost you anything, but you’ve given Francesca a safe place to walk every morning where she doesn’t have to worry about being harassed or hit by a car or even assaulted. You aren’t a woman, so you have no idea how important that is. I bet she’s made friends with everyone she sees every morning, so you’ve also given her that too . . . the ability to meet people.”

Cole shook his head and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I love that you see the world through those rose-colored glasses of yours.”

Sarah frowned. “I’m not an idiot, Cole. I know there’s bad in the world. I see it on a daily basis. People die in the hospital without the comfort of their children at their side. I’ve seen people fight over their loved ones’ belongings before they’ve even gotten cold on their deathbed. I’ve seen the harm a husband can do to his wife and watched her go right back to him the second she’s able to get up from her hospital bed. And I’ve seen women who’ve tried to kill their boyfriends for some imagined slight.