String Beans (The Girls of Beachmont #2) by T. K. Rapp Read Free Book Online Page A

neighborhood.”
    “Wyatt…”
    “It’s food, Vi.
That’s all.”
    I looked past him
and pointed to the customers still hanging out.
    “Emma’s closing
tonight. I was just sticking around to talk to you.”
    I felt my cheeks
burn hot and looked away to avoid the awkwardness I felt. He held the door open
and I reluctantly stepped out, questioning my sanity and what I was getting
myself into.

 
    It’s just food?
    Yeah, right.

Chapter 5
    WYATT
    We got to Fusion
Bar and Grill and sat down at a table on the sidewalk. The menu was printed on
a piece of paper and had the date written on it. I watched Vi look it over and
tried to gauge what she was thinking.
    “They make a new
menu every day, depending on what the chef wants to cook.”
    “But what if you
like something and they don’t have it next time you come?”
    “It’s never been a
problem for me. I always like something they have on the menu.”
    About eight months earlier,
my childhood friend Jeff, who owned the restaurant, decided to stay open until
one in the morning on Thursdays and Fridays for the late crowd.
    I’d never been
there late at night, but I was glad I remembered the place. It was definitely
convenient luck for me.
    She settled on the grilled
eggplant Parmesan sandwich and I ordered the same. The waitress disappeared in
the back, leaving us alone. Viola shifted in her seat and looked around the
walls, trying to avoid looking at me.
    “So aside from
Atticus, have you met any new people since you’ve been here?”
    “Besides my
landlord? No,” she laughed. “But my best friend is coming out in a few weeks.”
    “Ouch,” I said,
taking a sip of my water.
    “Apparently you’re
more than a friend, babe ,” she
quipped, but then her eyes grew wide and she shook her head. “Just kidding.”
    “So tell me about
this friend who’s coming out. Should
I be jealous?” I teased, knowing that I was treading on shaky ground. But she
made it easy with her red cheeks and constant fidgeting.
    “Everyone’s jealous
of Jolie,” she laughed with a roll of her eyes.
    “How so?”
    “She’s the crazy
one,” Viola answered. “Dani’s the good girl, Millie’s the smart one.”
    “And you?”
    “I’m the dreamer,”
she answered without any emotion.
    “Is that a bad
thing?”
    “No. Not bad. But
it leaves you open to a lot of disappointment.”
    “How so?”
    She bit her lip and
looked away, and I hoped that she would elaborate. I stayed quiet and gave her
some space to choose her next words. I thought it would offer me some insight
into the woman who caught my attention as soon as she walked through my door.

 
    Until that day, I had never tried so hard to befriend a woman in my
entire life. But something drew me to her. She seemed scared and strong at the
same time, like she had a bone to pick with the world. I found myself saying
and doing things that I normally wouldn’t.
    She went out of her way to make sure I knew that she was unavailable,
so of course that made me more interested. And I was absolutely flirting with
her. I watched as she tried to find the chair to relax in and I didn’t know
anyone noticed my staring until Emma walked over and nudged me.
    After two weeks of seeing her in my coffee shop, my employees began to
notice the way I looked at her.
    “Why don’t you go talk to her?” she asked. She had been working for me
for a while and we had an easy working relationship. Sometimes I felt like she
was the sister I never wanted.
    “What are you talking about?” I went back to pretending I was busy
when she snatched the piece of paper that had Viola’s order.
    “You aren’t fooling anyone,” she said quietly. “Besides, she just looked
over here.”
    “She’s probably trying to make sure she avoids me.”
    “Trust me, a woman doesn’t have that look on her face if she’s
avoiding someone.”
    I glanced over and saw that she was reading the same book she had the
first day she came in. Surely she’s finished