Concealed

  “Unfortunately, Wade is the only man I’m interested in. I’m sorry, Luke.” He didn’t try to hide his hurt. He simply turned his attention to his sandwich and dug in. But before she walked away, she had to try and reach out to him one more time.

  “Friends?” She held out her hand and waited.

  With a nod, he took what was offered. “Sure.”

  It should have made her feel better to have cleared the air with Luke, but it didn’t. She had hurt him, just like she’d hurt Wade when she was eventually arrested for all her transgressions. In her wake, she would leave a lot of pain for some really good people to deal with.

  Cara had been watching the whole situation with Luke, and as soon as Sydney reached the counter, she wasted no time in intervening. “Hailey, go take care of Sydney’s tables. I need to talk to her for a while. And for the love of God, don’t touch any of the appliances unless I tell you to.” Hailey’s grousing died down as she crossed the dining room to refill drinks.

  They sat side by side on two of the stools. Cara rested an elbow on the counter giving Sydney her full attention. “Talk to me.”

  Sydney buried her face in her hands unsure where to start. Her head and her heart were a mess, but she had to keep so much from Cara it was killing her. How could she ever explain what was going on inside of her when she didn’t understand it herself?

  “How about if I start and tell you what I think? Then you can jump in if I say something wrong, okay?” Sydney nodded her still covered head, not brave enough to look Cara in the face.

  “I know Agnes told you about Wade and Tara.” That got Sydney’s attention, her head popping out of her hands instantly. “Relax, she’s been worried about you too and told me, that’s all. She suggested I lock you and Wade in the freezer until you two work all this out. I opted to talk about it.” Her warm smile nearly sent Sydney into tears, but over the last few days she realized the tears do nothing but make her face wet. If she was going to start weeping over all the woes in her life, she’d never stop. There’d always be something. From now on, she was saving her tears.

  “Now, here’s where I’m guessing, but Wade looks like he ate some bad cannoli. Snapping at folks and all that. Did you two talk?”

  Sydney’s head bobbed up and down. “Yeah.”

  “Did you share…everything…with him? Does he know whatever it is you need to keep quiet?”

  “Yep.” Sydney tapped her nails in a nervous rhythm on the counter. “The whole ugly truth.”

  “Oh, sweets. How did it go?”

  “It was okay, I think.” She gave a sarcastic laugh. “I’m not in jail, so that’s a good sign.” Cara made the sign of the cross and mumbled something to the sky. “It’s been a couple days since I told him, but the next morning, we talked at the station and it was awkward. He had stayed up all night checking out my story. Then he told me everything about Tara, I think mainly to warn me she might give me a hard time.”

  “That little witch.” Cara pointed her finger at the kitchen. “If she shows up, you call us and I’ll send Pete over to get rid of her.”

  “I can handle Tara, she doesn’t scare me. I’ve dealt with far worse than a jealous ex-wife.”

  “So is that why you’re feeling so down? Tara?”

  Sydney snorted. “No, I haven’t given her a second thought, to tell you the truth.”

  “Then what?”

  Was she really considering telling her? To have the thoughts in her head and in her heart was one thing, but to voice them out loud made them that much more real—Sydney didn’t know if she was ready for that. Once they were out, there was no taking them back. And what were the odds things would work out the way she wanted?

  “Tell me, bambina.” The motherly tone in Cara’s voice crumbled her defenses. She needed someone to confide in, and with Melissa gone, Cara was her closest and dearest friend.

  “I-I think,” Sydney took a deep breath and let the words fly. “I have feelings for Wade. Big, giant, scary feelings.” Her head immediately fell into her hands to hide from Cara’s reaction, but it wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

  “Well, duh.”

  Sydney looked up, her brows furrowed. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, honey, anyone who looks at the two of you would know there was something brewing. A crush, lust, or love, whatever it was it was getting bigger and bigger each time he strolled through that door and ordered some pie as an excuse to see you. I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks?” Sydney said, not intending it to be a question but her voice squeaked, not sure Cara understood the situation. “There’s just one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m not sure he feels the same way.”

  A huge barking laugh came out of Cara. There was nothing about what she said that should have been remotely entertaining, but Cara seemed to think she was the funniest person alive at the moment from the way she was carrying on. “Oh, sweets, I don’t want to embarrass you, but that man undresses you with his eyes every chance he gets. He wants to get you into bed, bad. Even an old bat like me can see it. Heck even Pete said so. How can you miss it?”

  “I don’t think you understand.”

  Cara waved her hand through the air dismissing the question. “Have you kissed him?”

  “Um, yes.”

  “And how was it? A peck on the cheek like you’d give your cousin, or a hot steamy kiss that made you think of silk sheets and sweaty bodies?”

  “Cara!”

  “I remember how it was when I was falling in love with Pete.”

  “That’s not what’s going on here.”

  Cara gave her a knowing look. “Isn’t it?”

  Oh, crap. Sydney shook her head from side to side as if that would somehow keep Cara’s words from ringing true. She did have feelings for him, and what made them big and scary was that they were love. She was hopelessly in love with Wade, and she didn’t know if he even wanted to talk to her anymore.

  Great.

  “He might have been interested before I told him about my past, but now, I don’t think he wants anything to do with me. I haven’t seen him at all since that morning at the station when I hunted him down. Not a phone call, not a piece of pie, nothing.”

  “He’s got a lot on his plate with the murder. That weighs on him, heavily.”

  “I know, and I’m not trying to be whiney or anything. I just can’t help but wonder if he thinks I’m too much trouble.”

  Cara considered that for a moment then a wicked smile curled her lips. “So let’s find out!”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “Hailey,” Cara called over her shoulder with a grin, “you still drive around with that enormous makeup case in your car?”

  “Of course,” she said with a shrug. Like everyone had a portable salon with them, everywhere they went.

  “Bring it in, girl. We’ve got work to do.”

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Sydney threw up her hands and stepped away from the counter and Cara. She was almost at the kitchen door when Hailey came flying through it, pinning her in place.

  “Who we making over?”

  “Sydney.”

  Hailey scrambled out the door with a smile on her face.

  “No, no, no.” Sydney moved away from Cara, searching for a way out of her grasp. “We did this once. I’m not doing it again.”

  “You want to know how he feels about you, right? Then let’s give him something to look at and see if he bites.”

  At that moment, Hailey returned with a massive box in her hand and a pearl of wisdom of her own. “Kinda like you do with a nice big trout. Put a pretty lure out there to get his attention. That’s what my dad always taught me,” she said as she unstacked the oversized makeup case.

  “You don’t even know if he’s coming into the diner tonight.” It was her last ditch effort to get them to stop, but when Cara’s hands landed on her shoulders and she was shoved onto a stool, she knew she was toast.

  ?
??Then there’s no harm in playing.” Cara gave some directions to Hailey whose painted lips curled up into a grin, then she disappeared to take care of the few remaining tables.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Sydney whispered to Hailey, hoping to get the girl on her side.

  “Sure I do,” she said with two hair pins clenched between her teeth. “I’ve got ten bucks on you and Wade hooking up before next Friday.”

  “You what?!”

  The pins flew out of Hailey’s mouth as Sydney spun around and startled her with a glare. “Calm down. It’s just a bet I made with his deputy, Sam. We’ve been talking lately,” she said with a shy smile. “He thinks Wade will be able to hold out longer because he’s so disciplined, or something stupid like that.” Hailey rolled her eyes and picked up the tiny hairpins that had spilled onto the floor. “Sam’s cute, don’t you think?”

  From there, Hailey began chattering on and on about how wonderful Sam was and all the reasons she wanted to date him. As long as Sydney nodded and smiled at all the right places, Hailey was happy.

  It felt like an hour had passed but it was probably only fifteen minutes at most. Many diners gave her the thumbs up or wished her luck, so yeah, it was nearly public knowledge that she was being primped and pressed for Wade’s benefit. And still, she didn’t know if it was even worth it. He still might not even show up, and then all the work Hailey did would be a waste.

  “One last thing to do. Oops,” Hailey said as she fanned Sydney’s eye. “Too much adhesive.”

  “I’ll get it.” Sydney stood up and rushed to the back.

  On her way to the bathroom, Sydney tried to wipe the blob of glue from the false eyelashes. She needed a mirror to see the damage. When she flipped on the light and looked in the mirror, she was stunned.

  Her hair was down, not up in a knot or pony tail. It looked longer than she remembered, definitely less frizzy, with big curls at the ends that framed her face. Her makeup was spectacular. Hailey knew what she was doing. It wasn’t too much, and it wasn’t too little. The eyelashes made her eyes pop against the dark shadow she used on the lids. Her face glowed. It looked like she had spent the afternoon in the sun with the hint of pink Hailey brushed onto her cheeks. The nearly-nude color of her lips was a nice contrast to the color around her eyes.

  “Holy smokes,” Sydney whispered, tilting her face at different angles to better appreciate all of Hailey’s work.

  A loud whistle scared her half to death. Cara burst through the door and crammed herself into the tiny bathroom to get a better look. “Wow!” She clapped her hands together in excitement. “You look amazing, bambina. He’s gonna drool when he sees you.”

  Sydney shooed Cara out the door and followed behind her. She grabbed a clean apron and wrapped it around her waist, ready to get back to work now that the dress up session was over. “If he shows up, Cara. You have no idea if he’s even going to come in.”

  A knowing grin on her face Cara asked, “Are you working?”

  “Obviously,” Sydney said as she finished tying her apron.

  “Then he’ll be in,” she said in a sing-song voice. “That‘s the only reason I’m not complaining that you have your hair down while you’re serving food. The hell with the health department. It’d be a shame for all that work to go to waste.” Cara dodged the door to the dining room and made a bee line for Pete before Sydney could get her hands around her boss’s neck.

  “Coward,” Sydney called into the kitchen after Cara. Feeling happier than she had all day, Sydney hit the door with her shoulder so she could get back to work. It was only a few seconds before her breath left in a rush when she noticed Wade’s truck pulling into the parking lot.

  “Oh, hell.”

  “Game on!” Hailey declared with a fist pump and a broad smile.

  “Shut up, Hailey,” Sydney hissed, grabbing a towel and wiping the nearest surface she could find to look busy. Cara and Pete popped out of the kitchen window to witness his entrance. “You guys,” Sydney whined desperate to not make a spectacle of herself just one time when Wade walked into the diner. Her waving arms did nothing to make the pair go away. In fact, they leaned out farther to see where he parked.

  Nerves were a normal part of her day where Wade was concerned, as well as the verbal diarrhea, but now, she was especially self-conscious with the ridiculous makeup on. She could only hope and pray he didn’t notice. But who was she kidding, the guy noticed everything. It was part of his job description.

  She was screwed.

  When she saw his tall profile walk past the front window, flanked by someone who was also in uniform, she did the only mature thing she could think of, she dove behind the counter and prayed he’d go sit in Hailey’s section.

  “Wade, Sam. What a surprise!” Hailey gushed in an overly perky voice.

  “Um, you invited us over for a cup of coffee,” Sam said with a nervous hitch to his voice.

  Sydney resisted the urge to drag Hailey to the ground and beat her. Instead, she pinched the back of her knee, knowing full well she’d been set up. Hailey probably called Sam while she was in the back and asked him to come in and bring Wade with him, sneaky little traitor that she was.

  “It’s not funny,” she mouthed to the couple who seemed to think the situation was downright hysterical based on their reactions.

  “That’s right, I forgot.” Hailey reached under the counter for a clean mug. Sydney had two in her hands waiting for her. There was no escaping this, because Hailey was seating them at the front counter, smack in the middle of Sydney’s section.

  “I’ll make a fresh pot for you both,” Hailey said with a smirk as she took a step toward the new coffeemaker, which she was forbidden from touching. On reflex, Sydney sprang to her feet and jumped between her and the machine.

  “I’ll do it.”

  “Hi, Sydney,” Sam said stunned to see her pop out from underneath the counter. “Didn’t know you were down there.”

  “Yeah, I was getting this knife that was stuck under the thingy for Pete.” She turned to the window and threw the dirty utensil at him. “Here you go Pete, now go cook something.” It was the most pathetic excuse she could come up with since her brain had stopped functioning. Her face was so hot it felt like it might melt off. She dumped fresh coffee grounds in and braved a peek at Wade from beneath the veil of her hair. She found him staring at her with a shocked expression.

  “Syd?”

  “Hi, guys.” She made her way to that part of the counter, bumping Hailey out of the way with her hip. The entire time Wade’s eyes were fixed on her, the heated look in them unmistakable.

  Well, I’ll be damned.

  “Can I get you something?” She looked first at Sam, enjoying the way Wade kept watching at her. Normally he wasn’t as blatant with his attentions, but considering how much she’d missed him over the last few days, she relished it.

  “Yeah, I’ll take a bacon cheeseburger.”

  “Fries okay with that?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Sam waved Hailey over and the two began a hushed conversation that Sydney couldn’t pick up any part of, so she turned her attention to Wade.

  “What can I get you, Sheriff?” she asked Wade in a seductive voice she barely recognized. Wade was as surprised as she was because he fumbled with his menu, nearly dropping it on the ground. It brought a smile to her face to see the normally composed Wade Jenkins flustered.

  “I told you so.” She heard Cara laugh behind her before dragging Pete back into the kitchen.

  “I-I’ll have the, um…”

  “The turkey club, extra mayo, hold the tomato, right?” She leaned toward him, pointing to it on the menu just as an excuse to get closer to him. “It’s right here.” She could smell the rich cologne he wore and it sent a tingle of awareness through her body.

  If she had her way, she would have crawled into his lap and buried her face in his neck right now. But that would have to wait.

  “I know what I want,” he said slowly, his co
mposure regained. Wade’s eyes never left hers except to dip down to her lips. Everything feminine in her responded, and immediately, thoughts of the two of them wrapped in an erotic kiss filled her mind.

  Hailey snickered from behind Sydney. “Now, now, let’s keep it PG, you two. There are kids in this diner. Don’t make me throw a bucket of water on you.”

  “Go away, Hailey,” Wade said with a deep rumble of sound from his chest.

  With a laugh, she grabbed Sam by the hand and led him to a booth. “You bet, Wade.”

  Sydney could have kissed her.

  “What did you do to your hair?” Wade asked as he captured a curl and rubbed it between his fingers slowly.

  “It was slow around here today. Hailey got bored,” she said with a shrug. “Do you like it?” With a flick of her head a pile of platinum waves came pouring over her shoulder nearly hitting him in the face. Flirting was something that was foreign to her, but from the look on his face she was doing just fine.

  Maybe they were going to be okay after all.

  “I think you know I like it.” The muscles in his neck tensed as he struggled to control himself. Knowing the effect she had on him made Sydney feel powerful.

  She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Good.” She allowed her lips to lightly brush against the shell of his ear.

  “Careful, Sydney,” he said darkly, “or I’m coming over this counter, and taking you out that back door straight to my place.”

  “Oh my,” Sydney whispered, stunned by his brazen declaration.

  “Oh my, indeed.” He took a sip of the coffee she handed him to cool the flames that had erupted between them. “You look beautiful.”

  The sincerity in his voice made her heart flutter. “Thanks. We were just goofing around.”

  “I’ve missed you.” They were the words Sydney had been holding out hope to hear and she couldn’t stop the wide smile that spread across her face.

  “I missed you, too,” she said shyly. She went over to the window and put his order in, ignoring the big grin on Pete’s face and the way Cara was fanning herself beside him.