Not Quite Dating (Not Quite #1)(5)
Author: Catherine Bybee

An older man in his seventies turned in his chair to leave the counter and Jessie rushed to his side. “I told you to let me help you, Mr. Richman.”

“I can do it,” the older man said. But as he rose to his feet, he swayed against Jessie.

“It’s the moisture in the air. Swells up my old bones,” he explained.

Jessie wrapped her arm around his waist and helped him to the door, where he’d left his walker. Even then, she didn’t turn away.

“I can make it from here,” he told her.

“I’m sure you can, but I could use some air. All this bacon grease is getting to me. Walk me outside?” she asked him.

Mr. Richman offered a small smile as she opened the door and helped him to his car.

A couple minutes later, she walked back in with a contented grin on her lips.

“Hey, Jessie,” the other waitress called from the cash register.

“Yeah?”

“Your buddy didn’t leave enough money again.”

Jack watched Jessie’s eyes travel to the door. She shrugged and reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her tips. “I’ve got it, Leanne.”

Leanne shook her head. “I don’t know why you cover him all the time.”

“It’s pancakes, Leanne. And he doesn’t have anyone. Give the guy some slack.”

Jessie covered the rest of the man’s bill and walked away from the register.

Something inside Jack clicked into place. He absolutely needed to know more about Jessie.

Each time she returned to refill the coffee, Jack tried to engage her in some kind of conversation. She didn’t bite. Jack started to think that maybe she wasn’t interested, but the fact that she wouldn’t look him in the eye, and how her cheeks took on an adorable rosy color when he paid her a compliment, proved she wasn’t unaffected by his charms.

Jessie cleared their table and placed the bill in the middle. “I’ll take this whenever you’re ready,” she told them.

For a minute Jack was tempted to toss his credit card on the table and cover the meal to see if Jessie would look him in the eye then. Tom saved him the trouble.

“Guess you want me to cover this one, too, huh, Jack?”

“Hey, I drove,” he said.

“And we paid for gas.” Which actually was the arrangement; staying at the Morrison Hotel and Casino in Vegas was on Jack.

Tom, Dean, and Mikey tossed bills on the table and handed them to Jessie. “Keep the change,” Tom told her.

After Jessie walked away, Mike said, “Looks like you struck out with this one.”

“Man, I can’t believe my head is still spinning,” Dean said.

Jack dug into his pocket for the keys to the truck. “Here, Mike. Why don’t you see Tom off at the airport? Dean and I will stay for another cup of coffee.”

“You know, that’s a great idea. Getting in a car right now probably wouldn’t sit well with my stomach.” Dean looked a little green.

“When does your flight leave again?”

“Six,” Tom said.

“We best get you there. Airport security takes forever to get through these days.”

They all stood and shook hands.

“See you back home next month,” Jack told his friend.

A strong pat on the back and Tom said, “Good luck, Moore.”

Jack sat back down after Tom and Mike left. Dean laid his arms on the table and rested his head in them. “Why did you guys let me drink so damn much? Maggie hates it when I drink too much.”

“We’ll get you sober before we drag your sorry ass home.”

Jessie did a double take when she noticed only two of their party leaving. Jack waved her over to the table.

“Your friends leaving without you?”

“Tom’s flying back to Texas, and Dean is in need of more black coffee before we release him to his fiancée.”

“Fair enough.” Holding a pot in her hand, Jessie poured another splash for both of them.

Before she could walk away, Jack flashed his winning smile. “So, Jessie, could I interest you in a night out?”

She cocked her head to one side. “Was that a pickup line?”

Miffed, Jack shook his head. “If you have to ask, I must be losing my touch.”

Dean laughed but kept his trap shut.

“I’m flattered, Jack. It is Jack, right?”

He nodded. “Why do I feel a but coming on?” Jack asked.

Jessie placed a free hand on the table and leveled her eyes with his. “But I’m a very busy woman. So unless you have a checkbook as big as your ego—and my guess is, since your friends spotted you for your meal and gas, you’re probably broke—I’m not interested.”

Dean blew out a whistle.

Jack was nearly too stunned to answer.

Jessie just kept on staring at him until he uttered, “Well, I’ll be damned. I think that’s the first time anyone has ever said that to me.”

Jessie straightened her shoulders and lifted her eyebrows. “Well, at least I’m honest. You’re cute, cowboy, I’ll give you that. But cute doesn’t buy you a cup of coffee in this town. Now maybe in Texas it does. You might try a waitress back home.”

“I’m not in Texas. Besides, it’s you I want to take out.”

“Again, I’m flattered, but no thanks.”

“You think I’m cute,” he said, which wasn’t the highest compliment he’d been given in recent years, but he’d work with it.

A smirk played on Jessie’s face. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“No. Not easily.”

“OK then, how about this…I wait tables in this dive at night so I can spend more time with my five-year-old son at home.”

Jack’s gaze flicked to her left hand. No ring. “If you’re married, why don’t you just say so?”

She shook her head and rolled it back. “Married, as if. Honey, I don’t even get child support. Not that any of this is your business.”

Not married, raising a son on her own, and having to work graveyard to do it. No wonder she was looking for a wallet and not love. Heather’s words hovered in his mind. Every woman is going to be with you for your money, Jack. But this woman, Jessie, didn’t have a clue about his wallet. And if she was so money hungry, why did she routinely foot the bill for her customers’ pancakes? There was more to this beautiful woman than she was letting on. Suddenly the challenge of winning her over besieged him.