Not Quite Dating (Not Quite #1)(4)
Author: Catherine Bybee

“Oh, come on, he can’t be that bad.”

“He’s flirting with a waitress at Denny’s, Leanne. His ambitions can’t be all that high.”

“Dissed!” Mike laughed, punching Jack in the arm. “Doesn’t look like the waitress is taking a liking to you.”

“Might have something to do with the way you’re dressed, Moore.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the way I’m dressed.” In fact, he liked the fact that Jessie, the sexy waitress wearing a god-awful brown skirt, had no idea who he was. Jack stayed out of the spotlight as often as he could. Here in California, people didn’t know him by sight. In Houston, the story was entirely different. The thought of charming the waitress without waving his wallet felt like the right thing to do, especially after his recent encounter with Heather.

Jack removed his wallet and quickly handed Tom a twenty.

“What’s this for?”

“Breakfast.”

“Why are you giving it to me now?”

“Just hold on to it. If it comes up, I’m just a shit-kicker coming off a long binge of a weekend.” Jack followed Jessie’s movements until she disappeared around the corner.

Hell, he’d be in Ontario, California, for several weeks, overseeing the construction plans of a new hotel off the convention center. He might as well hook up with someone while he was there. He would love to burn the image of every Heather he ever knew out of his mind once and for all. Plastic What can you do for me baby women who flirted with his wallet more than him. There were times this kind of woman didn’t bother him at all, but lately he’d been searching for someone he could talk to, someone to share his ideas and dreams with, maybe a down-to-earth waitress who wasn’t ashamed to get her hands dirty and work for a living. Or ride in an old pickup truck.

Jack wasn’t afraid of hard labor on the ranch or pushing papers at a desk. Ever since he’d finished college and his father put him in acquisitions and mergers, he’d gone out of his way to excel at his job. Unlike his sister, Katie, who probably did lunch with Paris Hilton, Jack actually wanted to work for a living. Living off his father’s money didn’t sit well with him. When the day came for Jack to take over for his father, no one could accuse him of being a slacker who was handed the job without any knowledge of how to do it.

“Hookay, I see what you’re doing,” Tom said.

“Do you?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, I do. I saw you this weekend, dodging the women at the hotel. For a while there I was wondering who was getting married next month, you or Dean,” Mike said. “Tired of all the gold diggers, aren’t you?”

“Tired of all the liars.”

“That would suck,” Tom agreed.

“My Maggie is the best th-thing that’s ever happened to me,” Dean told them.

“Lordy, now he’s gonna go and get all emotional on us.” Tom pushed Dean’s coffee cup closer to him. “Drink up. Maggie, the fair maiden, isn’t going to like it if you come home smelling like a bar.”

Dean propped his elbows on the table and held his head up with his hands. “She’s the best. And the sex.”

“We’ve heard it, Dean.”

“All friggin’ weekend,” Tom chimed in.

“You guys are just jealous.”

Jack sipped his coffee and kept his mouth closed. He was happy for his friend, but not so sure Maggie was the right choice. Dean loved to play: motorcycles, camping, boating trips on the river. He wasn’t afraid of hard work to pay his way, either. But ever since Maggie walked into his life, Dean gave up a little bit of himself daily.

“Maggie’s worried that I’ll get in an accident on the motorcycle.”

“Maggie doesn’t enjoy the river; boating makes her nauseous.”

“Maggie would rather stay at one of your hotels instead of an RV.”

Maggie might make Dean smile, but how long would it be before he blew his lid being molded into what she wanted him to be?

Jessie strolled around the corner with her arms stacked with plates. With choreographed ease, full breakfasts slid over the table and condiments emerged from the pockets of her dull, stiff uniform.

“It smells great, Jessie,” Jack told her before she walked away.

“I’ll let the cook know you’re pleased.”

Tom and Dean shoveled food into their greedy mouths.

Jessie disappeared long enough to grab a pot of coffee to refill their cups. “Are we missing anything?” she asked.

“I think we’re good.” Jack tried to capture her eyes, but she avoided them.

“Let me know if you need anything. You can see we’re just swamped tonight.”

Jack noted the one lone customer at the counter. “I’ll bet you could tell some stories about working the graveyard shift at Denny’s,” Jack said, trying hard as hell to get her to reveal a thing or two about herself.

“It’s hard to stay awake most nights. We start to pick up around four thirty.”

“That’s an ungodly hour,” Tom said between bites.

“You’d be surprised at the number of suits that come in for a bite before heading into LA to work. They start early to avoid traffic.”

“I’d heard that LA traffic was bad, but that bad?” Jack asked.

“The worst. You must not live here if you have to ask.”

“I’m from Texas, mostly. My most recent job brought me here, near the airport.” Ontario International Airport took some of the burden off LAX and Burbank, but the land around those airports was built out, without any ability to grow. Ontario provided plenty of room for new hotels.

Mike nudged him in the arm. “Bums off my place when he wants a decent night’s sleep.”

Which wasn’t exactly a lie, Jack thought. Mike lived over in Claremont, and Jack sometimes stopped by to crash when he wanted a break from the hotel. The Morrison was a five-star luxury hotel filled with champagne and caviar. Sometimes Jack just wanted pizza, beer, and a ball game on the tube with a friend.

Jessie seemed to mull over the information a bit too long. She shrugged her shoulders with a flash of disappointment. “Well, enjoy your food.” With that, she turned and walked away.

Dean laughed. “Not so easy, is it?”

“I’m not done yet,” Jack told him as he picked up his fork. Not by a long shot.

By three, most of the food was gone and a few new customers had shown up at the counter, pulling Jessie away from their table.