“Thank you,” Angel said.
“You’re very welcome,” I replied. “Are you guys ready to order or do you need another couple of minutes?”
“We’re ready.”
Risk’s voice was so much deeper than when he was eighteen and I quickly found that I almost couldn’t cope with it. It gave me goosebumps. It was ridiculous how much his voice made my body react like a sex-deprived animal . . . which I basically was, but still.
“Okay.” I grabbed my notepad and pen once more. “Fire away.”
I jotted down both of the men’s orders as they spoke, ripped the page off my notepad and said. “That shouldn’t be too long of a wait.”
“No problem,” Angel said.
Risk said nothing, he just stared up at me like I was a zoo animal. I cleared my throat, smiled again then turned and hurried over to the hatch and hung the order up on the rack. Joe spun the order rack around until the order sheet was on his side of the hatch in the kitchen. He looked over at the booth, then looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I shrugged my shoulders in response. I had no idea what was happening any more than Joe did.
The door bell sounded and I jumped when there was a sudden squeal.
I turned and watched as Hannah Porter walked into the diner ready to start her evening shift, from five until closing time at eleven. She spotted Angel and Risk and just about lost her bloody mind. I stared as she literally rushed over to the booth and started telling the guys how much she loved them and what a huge Sinner she was. Risk said something to her that nearly made her die then and there.
“You remember me!” she all but screeched. “I was the year below you and you remember me. Oh my god.”
“Jesus Christ,” Joe huffed from the kitchen. “Hannah. Work. Now.”
She waved her hand at Joe without looking away from Risk or Angel. I didn’t want to stand there and watch her gush over the men so I saw to the other three booths that had customers. They were all middle-aged couples and didn’t appear to see what the big fuss was over two ridiculously attractive men.
“We’re lost on who they could be,” one man said. “Are they famous?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “They’re in a rock band.”
“Ooohh.” The man’s wife grinned. “They’re lookers, too.”
I chuckled. “That they are . . . can I get you both anything else?”
“The bill, please,” the man answered. “We’re finished.”
“No problem.”
I went to the till, checked the couple’s booth out, grabbed their receipt and brought it to them.
“When you’re ready, just come to the till and pay your bill. No rush.”
I kept my eyes averted from booth one where Hannah was still talking with Risk and Angel. I knew what Hannah sounded like when she was flirting and she was hardcore flirting with both guys. More Risk than Angel and that hit me in the gut. She knew he and I once dated, but maybe because it had been so long ago she just didn’t care. I mean, we were co-workers, not really friends, so I guess she didn’t have a girl code to uphold with me.
I turned my attention to my inventory list and reread it nine times before Joe called booth one’s order. Hannah didn’t move away from Risk’s booth to get the order so, with a sigh, I did it since it was my booth to wait on. I grabbed the plates and sides and put them on a tray then crossed the room to stand behind Hannah-bloody-Porter.
“Excuse me, Hannah.”
She jumped, obviously startled by me.
“Oh! Hi, Frankie.”
She stepped aside as I placed the correct plates in front of each man.
“Enjoy. If you guys need anything, give me a shout. Or just ask Hannah since she’s already here.”
Hannah’s eyes narrowed slightly and I knew it was because she heard the slight sneer in my tone. Before I could turn and walk away, she touched my forearm and said, “Wait, Frankie. Have you caught up with Risk? You two used to date when you were kids, right?”
“Date?” Risk blinked. “Weren’t we just friends in school, Frankie?”
I felt my cheeks burn with humiliation.
“We did date. That was a very long time ago though,” I said to Hannah, lifting my chin. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
I turned and walked back over to the counter to my inventory list and tried to focus even though I felt sick to my stomach. Risk didn’t agree that I was once his girlfriend, he referred to me as a school friend. He didn’t even look at Hannah when she mentioned we dated, he only stared at me as if daring me to say someone as good as him had dated someone as basic as me. I didn’t know what was happening but this kind of interaction with him wasn’t something I expected.