Chapter 1

ONE

Ford

“It’s been a while,” I say to Ransom as I take a seat across from him at the small table.

“Hey, man! I know, between getting Ruby settled at my place and getting ready for the baby, I’ve been swamped,” he says.

He’s got the biggest smile on his face while he says it, and I grin. I’m happy that one of my closest friends has found the love of his life. I just wish that I could find mine too.

Well, actually, that’s not true. I’ve already found her. I just haven’t been able to convince her that we’re meant to be. Instead, I’m fully stuck in the friend zone. The friend and boss zone.

“How have you been?” Ransom asks. “How are things going at Nosh?”

“Good. Business has been steady, especially with all the tourists in town lately.”

I bought the Nosh Diner when I was eighteen. It had cost me all of my savings, plus what I had inherited after my mom passed away. It took a lot of trial and error for me to figure out how to keep the place running smoothly, but now, it’s second nature to do all of the things that I need to in order to keep the lights on and the customers happy.

Foster, my twin brother, plops down next to me, sliding me a beer.

“Thanks,” I grunt at him, and he nods.

“What’s happening?” Foster asks us.

“Ransom was just telling me how busy he’s been,” I explain.

“Yeah, how far along is Ruby now?” Foster asks him.

“Four months now. We’re supposed to be finding out the gender soon. Ruby is debating if we should wait until the baby is born to find out or not.”

“What do you want to do?” I ask him, and he shrugs.

“I’ll do whatever Ruby wants.”

I smile and he leans back in his seat.

“Is Fischer coming tonight?” I ask as I look around the crowded bar.

“I doubt it. I talked to him when he dropped Vera off at Cameron’s place and he was busy with work stuff. I bet he just heads home to get caught up.

I haven’t hung out with either of my friends or my brother in a while. I know that they’re only here tonight because it’s girls’ night and their partners are over at my girl’s place.

“What about you? How are things going with Cameron?” Ransom asks and I take a drink of my beer.

“The same as they’ve always been,” I admit with a sigh.

When Cameron came to me looking for a job, I had hoped that it was my chance to get closer to her and make her mine, but instead, it seemed to do the opposite. Now, I’m not just her friend; I’m her boss, and being her boss means she has an excuse to keep me at arm’s length. I don’t know how to explain to her that I would never fire her. She could be the worst waitress in the world, and I would still keep her on.

I would do anything for Cameron. She’s had me wrapped around her little finger since we were kids. I took one look at her and knew that she was the one for me. I’ve been hooked ever since.

She has not been though.

We’ve been friends, hanging out since we have the same friend group, but that was it. We’ve never been close to anything more than that, much to my disappointment.

Before my mom passed, she used to tell me to show her how I felt. She sat me down and told me to just talk to Cameron and tell her how I felt, but I could never find the words or the right time. I tried to show her, but nothing I did ever ended up working.

After my mom passed, I was dealing with a lot, and then Cameron left town. She’s an artist, a damn good one, and she was trying to make connections in the art world.

She wasn’t gone long, a few years, and then she was back and living in a little house just down the street from the diner. Things must not have gone well because not long after she got back to town, she came to me for a job at the diner.

When she got back to town, I told myself that it was my second chance with her, but still, nothing has changed. We’re still just friends.

“You need to just ask her out,” Foster tells me, and I glare at him.

“Yeah, I believe I told you to do that with Lilliana for years, and you never did. Give me some time and I’ll figure it out,” I tell him.

Foster sighs, but he knows that I’m right.

Foster was in love with his now wife, Lilliana, since she moved to town when we were kids. He had been in love with her for years and when she came back to town after college, they finally figured things out.

He’s probably right. I need to just man up and ask her out. I’m getting tired of just sitting by and waiting for things to change.

“What are you going to do if someone else asks her out?” Ransom asks, finishing his beer.

Murder whoever it is that thinks they can take my girl.

“Probably murder them,” Foster says, taking a sip of his beer.

I give my twin a look, and he laughs.

“I knew it,” he gloats, and I sigh.

“Maybe.”

“I heard she was at the bar the other night,” Ransom adds, and I glare at him.

“She was. So was I.”

“Yeah, but only because you found out that she was there,” Foster points out.

“Shut up.”

They share a grin, and we all finish our beers before Ransom stands. He’s been nursing the same beer for the last three hours so I know he’s good to drive.

“I should be getting home,” he says, and I nod.

“I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, see you later,” Foster says.

“What about you?” I ask once Ransom is gone.

“I was just here to check up on you. Now that I’ve done that, I’m headed over to Cameron’s place to pick up my wife.”

“You love saying that,” I groan, and he grins.

“I do. It’s the best,” he says before he stands and pushes his chair in. “You should try it sometime.”

His parting words eat at me and I know that he’s right. I need to do something to win my girl over.

Now I just need to figure out how exactly to do that.