All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey Read Free Book Online Page B

expected, her mother launched into a litany of complaints revealing her growing doubt about her current relationship. Corey was five years younger than Donna, a fact which had thrilled her mom at first, but was quickly becoming a source of insecurity. “I swear, he would have forgotten the anniversary of our first date if I hadn’t put it on Facebook.”
    Paige put her phone on speakerphone and very quietly spread some work out on the table in front of her, careful to make sympathetic noises at the appropriate times. Pulling what she thought of as the “Gavin’s Specials” tally sheet out of the pile, she scanned through the numbers.
    Gavin Crenshaw was young, but he loved to cook and he was good at it, so he was working at the diner until he could save enough money to move to Portland or Boston and start moving up the culinary ladder. In the meantime, Paige let him try out recipes on her customers, as long as the ingredients weren’t too expensive, and Ava made slash marks on a sheet of paper by the register whenever somebody ordered one of the Gavin’s specials.
    Whitford hadn’t embraced the eggplant parmesan. Judging by the tally marks, most of Whitford hadn’t even tried the dish. The roast beef melt on grilled garlic bread, though, had been such a hit Ava had kept a separate tally for the number of customers who asked that it be added to the regular menu. Paige made a note to have Gavin offer it a few more times and, if the interest stayed high, she’d consider it.
    “Last night he just rolled over and went to sleep. I snuggled up against him, but he started snoring before I got any further.”
    “He was probably just tired, Mom,” Paige said. It had been a few minutes since she made a sympathetic noise, plus she wanted to waylay any descriptions of “any further.” “He’s five years younger than you, but he’s not nineteen, either.”
    But that explanation wasn’t the sympathy Donna was looking for, so the complaints marched on. Paige put a red X next to a couple of items and made a note to remind Gavin their fellow citizens weren’t fans of gussied-up vegetables. They liked a side of green beans. Corn was okay. Caramelized anything wasn’t a crowd favorite.
    Another ten minutes went by before her mother wrapped it up. “Oh, he’s pulling in the driveway now. Gotta run. Love you!”
    Paige hit End with a shake of her head. “Nice talking to you, too, Mom. I’m doing fine. Business is great, thanks for asking. And there’s a really hot guy in town I’m not having sex with because I don’t want to end up like you.”
    She tried not to take it personally. She loved her mother and she knew her mother loved her, too, but she’d long ago given up on being the most important person in Donna Sullivan’s life. It was just the way her mother was wired and she was never going to change.
    As emotionally unsatisfying as the call was, it had come at a perfect time to serve as a reminder of why Paige had a no men rule. She had better things to worry about than a guy forgetting the anniversary of their first date or rolling over and going to sleep.
    Or whether or not one had thought about kissing her on a park bench in the sunlight.

Chapter Four
    Paige loved Whitford’s Old Home Day celebration. A little bit of the love came from the diner not opening until noon, allowing her to sleep in until a very decadent seven o’clock. Mostly, though, she loved the strong community bond she felt while honoring her adopted hometown.
    It was already warm, so she slipped on a red sundress with a snug bodice that flared into a flowing skirt. Besides being cool, it also made her boobs look great. Not that she was showing off for anybody, but she lived most of her life in Trailside Diner T-shirts and it was nice to look pretty and feminine every once in a while. As a nod to the humidity, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and skipped any makeup but a quick swipe of lip gloss.
    Though sleeping in was a refreshing