The Bully (Calamity Montana #4)(29)

“No problem.” He nodded, sipping his coffee.

My own mug was getting cold. I’d been gulping ice water instead, hoping it would help me chill. My armpits were sticky. My forehead felt dewy. It took effort not to fan my face. Every time Cal’s gaze swept to our table, it was like the desert sun had settled directly over my shoulder.

I risked a glance to the side.

Cal was glowering my direction from beneath the brim of his hat.

“How are you liking Calamity so far?” Zach asked.

I barely registered his words, too focused on a different man than my date.

Wait. Was this a date? It seemed like a date. But maybe I was just reading into it.

I’d bumped into Zach at the grocery store yesterday. I’d walked there with a few empty totes, planning to carry everything home. He’d been behind me in the checkout line and we’d gotten to catching up.

Zach was Kerrigan and Larke’s older brother, and we’d met a couple of times on my previous trips to Montana. When he’d offered to give me a lift home, I’d gladly accepted because more items than I’d planned to pick up had worked their way into my cart.

He’d driven me home and had helped haul my groceries inside. When I’d told him about my car woes, he’d volunteered to give me a ride to the office this morning. It had been my idea for breakfast. A thank you for his shuttle service.

Except it resembled a date. Did Zach think it was a date? He’d kissed my cheek when I’d come in. Maybe that had just been a friendly peck? Shit. I hadn’t intended this to be a date.

Date. Date. Date. That word sounded like an emergency alarm, blaring inside my head, screaming at me to exit the building right fucking now. Was it time to leave?

Not that Zach wasn’t a nice guy. He was exactly the man I should be dating. Clever. Sweet. Employed. But I couldn’t think about the merits of this being an actual date with Cal sitting in the same room. Why was he here so early?

Zach and I had planned to meet at six thirty. That would give us time to eat before he dropped me off at the office. This should have been a safe window. But that was the problem with Calamity. It was too damn small.

“Nellie?” Zach set his fork down.

Right. He’d asked me a question. “Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about my car,” I lied.

“I can always get you a loaner from the dealership.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a soft smile. “My mechanic offered me one too. If they don’t have my car fixed by this afternoon, I might take you up on that.”

“Just holler. Or I’m happy to give you a ride home.”

“Thanks. But to answer your question, yes, Calamity has been great. I really love it here.”

“I’m glad. It’s a good town.” He picked up his fork, diving into his scrambled eggs and hash browns.

I watched him eat, studying the flex of his jaw and curve of his lips as he chewed. Zach had a nice face. He had kind brown eyes and thick, chestnut hair. He worked at the Hale family car dealership and had lived in Calamity his entire life. I doubted anyone requested his autograph while he walked down First.

But there was no chemistry. Zero. Not even the tiniest of sparks.

What would it take for a nice guy to make my pulse race? Why was it always Cal?

I stole another look at his table, and this time, his attention was fixed on his breakfast date. The older woman smirked at him, like she’d just delivered an insult and was waiting to see how he’d respond. Who was she? How’d she know Cal?

“That’s Harry.” Zach leaned in closer, having read my mind. “Her daughter, Marcy, owns the motel.”

“Ah.” What kind of a name was Harry?

“I guess Cal’s living there.”

I blinked. “At the motel?”

“Yeah. He rented Marcy’s RV that she parks there.”

“Huh.” I couldn’t picture Cal living in a camper. “How do you know that?”

“Small town.” He shrugged.

And Cal was a topic of conversation.

I tore my eyes away and studied my pancakes. If Cal was making friends, that didn’t bode well for my plan to chase him out of Calamity.

“Nellie.”

My eyes flew to Zach’s face. “Yeah?”

“I asked if your breakfast was okay. You haven’t really touched it.”

“It’s good. Really good. My stomach just isn’t in a great place this morning. And I went a little heavy on the syrup.”

“Oh, sorry. Should we go?”

“No, I’m fine. Finish eating. Please. I think it’s mostly nerves. I’m interviewing for a new assistant later, and those things always make me anxious. I hate turning anyone down.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. I was doing interviews today, and I did hate turning people down. But Cal was the reason my stomach was in knots.

“You’re sure?” he asked.

“Positive.” I gave him my fullest attention while he finished eating. When he asked me a question, I listened and asked a few in return. I ate a few more bites and did my best to block out Cal. No matter how many times I felt his eyes on me, I looked at Zach and only Zach.

My date. Sort of.

The waitress dropped off the bill, and Zach shifted to dig his wallet from a pocket.

“Don’t even think about it, Hale.” I dove into my purse. “This is my treat today since you’re acting as my chauffeur.”