“Yeah, then I have to get to work,” Alicia agreed. She turned to wave good-bye to Helen.
“Thanks for the advice, Helen,” Alicia yelled out.
“No problem.” Helen laughed, ignoring Noah’s betrayed look.
Noah sighed and muttered the word “women” under his breath. He looked down at Alana.
“You look good, baby. You have some color in your cheeks now.” He caressed her hair with his hand. His smile was so sexy and personal, it melted her determination to stay away from him.
Alana softened at the word “baby.” She should have reprimanded him, but she didn’t. “Thanks. Every day I feel a little bit stronger. We’d better go, but good luck, Noah. Hope you make lots of money.”
“I’m sure there are plenty of brokenhearted women in this town willing to dunk Sheriff Romeo,” Alicia snorted and walked away with her chin up. “I’m getting us some lemonade, Sis.”
“Will she ever stop hating me?” Noah sighed with a sad shake of his head as Alicia walked over to a booth across from them and got in line.
“You hurt me and humiliated me, Noah. Alicia and Ray picked up the pieces,” Alana explained. She didn’t like all the tension either, but of course her family would stick by her side.
“I know I did, Alana,” he admitted sadly. He wiped his face off. “I wish I had done everything different, but I can’t rewind time. All I can do is promise to do better from now on.”
Alana swallowed her tears. Part of her wanted to throw herself into his arms and beg him not to let her go. Another, more vulnerable part, hesitated to put her heart on the line again. Is this what Noah had been feeling six mon
ths ago? Wanting her but afraid because his heart had been broken in the past? She understood him a little better now.
“I know, Noah. We’re friends again. That is better than enemies. I didn’t like the bad feelings between us. It felt horrible.”
Noah caressed her hot cheek with his cold hand. Alana shivered, but she had the feeling it was from Noah’s touch and not the cold. “Fair warning. I am not giving up on us, Alana Garcia, so watch out. Your family and I will work things out. It is not for you to worry about. You concentrate on getting back your health.”
Alana smiled up at him. She felt flustered and tongue-tied. She gave him a flirty wink. “See you later, Sheriff Romeo.”
He grinned and leaned down to kiss her lips lightly, surprising her. They were out in the middle of a very crowded area. What if people saw him kissing her? What would they think?
“See you later, my Juliet.”
* * * *
Alana almost smiled at her father’s shock. You would think she just asked for a million dollars.
“I’ll clean the tables for now, Papa. I’m not ready to talk to people yet, but I want to do more than sit around all day sleeping. I feel much better.”
Her father, Raymond Sr., agreed to her request. His black hair was sprinkled with gray strands. He had laugh lines around his eyes. He had been worried, but he let her recover at her own pace instead of pushing. She was lucky to have such a good family. She had surprised her parents by accompanying Alicia to the restaurant once they were done. Alicia was telling everyone about the dunk tank with glee. She was encouraging people to dunk Sheriff Romeo.
“Only if you are sure. You do move around much better,” he stated, looking at her pink cheeks. He sat across from her in the booth. He had made her a taco salad and insisted she needed more meat on her bones.
“The stiffness is going away,” she swore, and it was. Every now and then if she moved too fast, she felt a small pinch but no pain.
Raymond kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Get an apron, and get busy. We have been swamped all day with hungry festivalgoers.”
Alana nodded happily. It felt good to have something to do all day other than think.
Chapter 10
The next day Alana was proud of herself. She had worked four hours yesterday and three today. Not one panic attack. She could feel the stares of people, and she knew they wanted to ask her questions about what happened to her. She did not want to talk about it or become the subject of the latest gossip. Alicia helped interfere if people got too nosy. David and Marissa, two other employees, also helped keep the nosy people away from her. Her story had been in the paper, so people already knew the details. They just wanted inside information to add to the gossip.
She was taking a break when Alicia called her over to the hostess station.
“The phone is for you.”
Alicia had that sour look on her face, so she figured it had to be Noah calling. She didn’t have any close friends besides her sister. Her stomach did a somersault as she grabbed it. Did he have good or bad news?