The sign of the diner comes into view, boasting the best pancakes in Miami-Dade county, and I can’t fight back my smile. This is it. I made it and I’m actually going home. I scan the parking lot and notice a man sitting in a parked truck with the engine running, the windows rolled down and Louisiana license plates. That has to be Sawyer. His light brown hair is falling into his face and he brushes it back with a hand covered in bright, colorful ink. The tattoos snake up his arm and into the sleeve of his black flannel shirt. He lays his head back on the seat before bringing a steaming styrofoam cup to his lips and takes a sip. A flash of metal catches my attention and I cock my head to the side. Is that a nose ring? Usually I can’t stand it when men have their noses pierced but just from the side profile, it works for him… really well. Almost as if he can sense me, he turns and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen slam into mine. I suck in a breath and stumble back as my heart kicks in my chest.
His gaze narrows and he studies me for a second before his gaze drops to the bags behind me and he sets his coffee cup down as the door opens. When he steps out of the truck, I begin walking again, putting one foot in front of the other without any instruction from my brain, almost as if he’s pulling me into him, drawing me in with a look alone. I close the distance between us and stop in front of him, dropping my head back to meet his eyes again.
“Sawyer?” I ask and he nods as he glances down my body.
“Juliette?”
I nod and lick my lips as my heart thunders in my chest. “That’s me.”
Jesus Christ.
Could I possibly get anymore awkward? You would think I’d never spoken to a man in my life or maybe it’s just been so long that my brain, even without my memories, has no idea what to do. Lord, what is happening to me right now? Our eyes meet again and warmth rushes through me.
“Here,” he says, breaking the spell as he reaches for my suitcase. “Let me get that loaded up in the back of the truck.”
I nod, mesmerized into silence as he takes my things and lifts them into the bed of the truck before turning to face me again. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking almost shy, as he glances up at me and I swear, my heart skips a beat. This man checks off every single “bad boy” box I could think of and even some that never occurred to me and damn if my traitorous body isn’t responding like I’m still an overzealous teenager instead of a grown woman who runs her own damn company. He’s not just “bad boy” though, that much is clear from our brief interaction and I tilt my head to the side as I study him, frustrated that I can’t figure him out.
“Are you ready to go?”
I blink. “Uh… actually, I need to run to the bathroom first. I’ll be right back.”
I leave him standing by the truck without waiting for a response as I book it into the diner and find the bathroom at the back of the dining room. As soon as I’m locked in the stall, I dial Mercedes’ number.
“Jett? Everything okay?”
“Um…”
She sucks in a breath. “What is it? Did you make it to the diner okay?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“And is Sawyer there?”
I close my eyes as I picture him standing next to his truck and nod. “Yep.”
“Then what is wrong?”
“Nothing,” I answer, pinching the bridge of my nose as I picture the man outside. My heart thumps and I press my trembling hand to my chest. Oh, this is ridiculous. “It’s just… how well do you know this guy?”
“Sawyer?”
I nod. “Yes, Sawyer.”
“Well, I’ve never actually talked to him…”
“Mercedes,” I hiss, rolling my eyes as my shoulders fall back against the wall. “You sent a stranger to drive me back to Louisiana?”
She laughs. “I mean, kind of, but you just have to trust me. All those boys in the club are top notch. You can trust him with your life.”
“The club?”
“Yeah, he’s in the Bayou Devils.”
An image of that sexy man out there straddling a bike pops into my mind and I suck in a breath. “Jesus Christ.”
“Just go with it, Jett.” She laughs. “Would I steer you wrong?”
“No, I guess not,” I grumble. When I was little, my mother used to say that the universe gets bored sometimes and likes to have a little fun at our expense which is why things happen to us when we’re least expecting it. She liked to say that in the end, things usually worked out the way they were supposed to but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a huge mess in the middle so it makes complete sense that I’m wildly attracted to a man I just met only moments after breaking off my engagement to a man I can’t remember. On second thought, maybe that’s all this is. My life has been upside down for the past week and it’s making me a little crazy. Of course.
“Is there something else?” Mercedes asks and I shake my head.
“No, I trust you.”
“Good.”
“All right, I’m turning my phone off for the night but I’ll text you with updates.”
“You’d better,” she replies. “I love you.”
“Love you, too. See you soon.”
We hang up and I suck in a breath before making my way back out to the truck. Sawyer glances up from behind the wheel as I step out and the butterflies in my belly take flight as I blow out a breath and slowly shake my head.
Get a grip, girl.
As I turn my phone off, I walk to the passenger side and slide my phone into my pocket before climbing inside. He arches a brow as he studies me.
“You good?”
I nod. “Yeah. I just had to call Mercedes and let her know I got here safe before we take off.”
“Actually, I was going to find a hotel room for the night. I started driving at three this morning and only got a quick nap in the truck before I came to get you.”
“Oh,” I reply, nodding. “Of course.”
“Do you have any preference?”
I stare at him for a second, my mind blank, before shaking my head. Even if I did have a preference, I have absolutely no clue what it would be. He nods.
“Okay, then.”
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and spends a few minutes on it before clipping it into the holder attached to the air vent.
“Looks like there’s a decent place on the way out of town and it’s next to another one of these.” He points to the diner and flashes me a wry grin. “I’m dying to try the best pancakes in Miami-Dade county after staring at this sign for the past hour.”
I nod, breathless. “It would be damn near criminal to leave Miami without putting their claim to the test.”
“Or you could just tell me if they live up to the hype,” he says as he backs the truck out of the parking space and pulls out onto the road.
“And rob you of the experience? I think not.” Truthfully, I have no idea how good or not the pancakes are because I can’t recall if I’ve ever even seen one of these diners but that’s not something I want him to know. I’ll admit that I briefly considered filling him in on my situation, especially after Mercedes’ “you can trust him with your life” comment but it’s nice that he doesn’t know. I can be around him and not put on an act or wonder who he expects me to be. It’s a breath of fresh air after a week of living someone else’s life.