“Paige will advertise for a cook and we’ll keep our fingers crossed. Until she finds one, it’ll be a little crazy, but at least it’s the slow time of year. Everybody will chip in and, even if all we can do is burgers and fries for a while, we’ll make sure Paige has what she needs. But what about you? Isn’t all this time you’re spending in town cutting into your work time?”
He shrugged. “Like the diner, I have a slow time. I’ll get a few jobs intended for Christmas presents, but mostly I fall into that category of unnecessary money to spend so close to Christmas and winter heating bills. It’s built into my budget, so it’s not a big deal.”
She sighed and stretched, hands to her back. “Ava should be here soon. I can’t wait to get out of here.”
Max did not want to still be there, talking to Tori, when Ava arrived. She was almost as scary as Miranda. “You want to go for a walk after work?”
That was a dumb question. It was obvious she was feeling some fatigue from being on her feet, and he’d invited her to go for a walk.
“That sounds good,” she said. “I could use the fresh air.”
“Tori!”
“Coming, Rose!” She rolled her eyes and took the money Max handed her so she could make change.
“I’ll wait for you on the bench,” he said when she brought it back.
“I’ll be there.”
He took his time walking to the bench, since even once Ava arrived, it would take Tori some time to get out of there. It was a sunny day, but there was a nip in the air, and he was glad he’d put on a sweater before leaving the house.
He realized it was the sweater he’d worn on his first date with Nola and frowned, fingering the cuff. But it was also the one Tori had chosen. She’d obviously liked it.
Sighing, he turned his face up to the sun. How he, a man who’d botched trying to talk to a woman so badly he’d ended up with a dating coach, was going to convince a woman who hated the idea of love and marriage to give him a chance was beyond him, but he was going to try.
He hadn’t needed Ava’s advice to know he was pursuing the wrong woman by taking Nola out. He’d known it. But maybe the woman’s thoughts on the matter had been the push he needed. And Josh and Katie had said essentially the same thing.
He wasn’t crazy in thinking Tori might be the woman for him. Other people thought so, too.
Now he just needed Tori to believe it.
*
Tori knew it was weird, standing at the edge of the town square, watching Max, but she couldn’t help it. With his arms stretched out along the back of the bench and his face turned up to the warmth of the sun, he was a sight to behold. And she did love the look of that sweater on him.
Eventually she realized she might be spotted staring at Max and started across the grass. Whether he sensed her coming or got bored, she didn’t know, but he picked his head up and looked at her when she was two-thirds of the way to him. His face lit up.
“You survived.”
“It doesn’t take but five minutes with Rose to figure out how she survived raising five Kowalskis plus Katie.”
He stood up and starting walking as she fell in beside him. “I’ve pieced together a little of that story, but not the whole of it.”
“I don’t know the specific details. Rose went to work doing housekeeping for the Kowalskis when Katie was a baby because Mrs. Kowalski let Rose bring Katie with her. Then Mrs. Kowalski died when the kids were young and Rose stayed. She helped their dad and raised Katie along with those five. If you ask her, she’ll tell you she’s the housekeeper, but she’s way more than that.”
“Doesn’t that make Josh and Katie’s relationship a little weird for them?”
She shrugged. “Hailey said Katie always loved Josh and everybody knew they’d end up together. It just took Josh a long time to figure it out.”
“Love works in mysterious ways.” When she snorted and looked sideways up at him, he smiled. “I read that somewhere.”
“You’re going to the party tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, I am. It sounds like it’s going to be the social event of the year.”
It was nice, walking around the town with Max, and she wondered how many laps they could do before they got conspicuous. “I don’t think it’ll beat Old Home Day, but it’ll definitely be the social event of the fall.”
“Do you have a costume yet?”
“Maybe.” She had no intention of telling him what she’d come up with at the consignment store. It was going to be a surprise.
“Katie rejected my suggestion of the Black Widow. You should feel free to borrow that.”
She laughed and shoved him away. “Got a thing for black leather, Crawford?”
“Have you ever met a man who doesn’t?”
“I’m not sure it’s come up in conversation. Do you have a costume?”
“Yes, I do.”
She waited, but he didn’t say more. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“Nope.”
“Such a mystery man.”
“I like to keep people guessing.” He stopped walking and she realized they were in front of the bank. “You probably want to get off your feet, and I should probably get home. Slow season doesn’t mean off season.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty beat. And this isn’t my slow season, so I need to make up some hours on the computer. But I’ll see you tomorrow.”