“Hi, Rachel. Lunchtime?”
“Yes. Have you had lunch yet?”
“No.”
“Join me, then. I hate eating alone,” Rachel proposed.
“I’m not in a rush, so I can sit awhile.”
“Thanks. Let’s snatch that table before someone else does.” Rachel and Willa sat down at the empty booth, ordering their drinks and food, plus Lily’s to-go order.
“What have you been up to?” Rachel asked her shy friend.
“Nothing much.” Willa shrugged. “King’s restaurant opens next week. We came up with a couple of things for his menu.”
“That’s all you need is more work.” Rachel shook her head at her as the waitress set down their drinks.
“What does that mean?” Willa tilted her head to the side.
“It means you never get out and have any fun,” Rachel complained. “Are you coming to Mrs. Langley’s party tonight?”
“I’m busy,” Willa hedged.
“You can spare an hour. Be there,” Rachel ordered. “Lily, Holly, and I will be there, and we are party misfits.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please,” Rachel pleaded for her friend’s own good.
“All right, but if I’m miserable or make a fool of myself, then I’m never going to talk to you again,” Willa threatened.
The waitress put their food down in front of them. Rachel bit into her chicken sandwich, staring at the plain salad Willa was eating.
“Is that any good?” Rachel stared down at the salad made of mostly lettuce.
“No.” Willa picked through it, eventually taking a bite.
“I have a big ass,” Rachel admitted.
Shocked, Willa looked across the table at her.
“I do. I shove it into Spanx, and if I’ve had more than one too many fries, it jiggles like Jell-O.”
Willa’s laughter filled the restaurant and dimples peeked at Rachel.
She motioned for the waitress. “Bring her a grilled chicken breast and some of the asparagus that’s on the lunch menu.” The waitress moved off.
“I’m tired of dieting all the time,” Willa confessed.
“Then don’t. You’re beautiful; you really are.” Rachel reached across the table, laying her hand on hers. Warmth flooded from her into Willa. “I wish I looked like you. You’re soft and feminine. I look like a tomboy,” Rachel confessed. “I’m twenty-three and look seventeen. When men look at you, they see a beautiful woman, Willa.”
When the waitress set the plate down on the table, Rachel pushed it toward Willa. “Cut it up and put it on your salad.”
Willa did as told and then took a bite.
“Better?”
“Yes. I was being too strict with myself. Then I get tired of eating boring food and splurge with a cupcake,” Willa confessed, beginning to eat her salad.
“If I was surrounded with your cupcakes, my ass would be as big as a barn.”
Their laughter drew many appreciative male glances, which brought the color to Willa’s cheeks.
A large group of men who had been standing at the doorway approached their booth.
“Mind if we join you? The restaurant is busy, and you have a few extra seats.” The men seemed friendly enough, and they were surrounded by familiar faces in the diner, so Rachel slid over. Willa did the same after shooting Rachel a worried glance. Rachel sent her a reassuring look before taking in the men who had sat down with them. She had never seen them in town before.
“Are you traveling through Treepoint?”
“Is it that obvious we’re not from here?” The one sitting next to her with blondish-brown hair cut short answered for the group.
“I know everyone in town, so yeah, it is a little obvious,” Rachel said, staring at the men sitting around their booth.
“We’re new to the area. We’ve moved to Jamestown and decided to spend the day exploring the nearby towns. If I had seen Treepoint first, I would have picked it over Jamestown.” He held out his hand to Rachel. “I’m Scorpion, and the one sitting next to your friend is Vaughn.”
“It nice to meet you. Treepoint is smaller, but it’s prettier with the mountains,” Rachel agreed.
“I was thinking more about the women.” He smiled.
Rachel smiled in return, liking his easy attitude. He wasn’t coming across as aggressive, just slightly flirtatious. Rachel’s confidence received a much needed boost from the appreciation she saw in his eyes.
“My name is Rachel, and this is Willa.”
Scorpion reached out his hand, shaking Willa’s while introducing his other two friends, Yancy and Scott. The men nodded in acknowledgment as the waitress brought coffee and took their orders.
Rachel was aware Willa felt uncomfortable with the situation and was about to excuse themselves when the door opened and Cash, Shade, Dean, and Rider came in, taking a table. Rachel couldn’t have felt more self-conscious with the men’s curious eyes on their table.
“So, you’re both from Treepoint?” Vaughn asked, staring at Willa.