Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
By lunchtime, the aches in her body had faded, as she was learning to live with them, but she was also hungry. Andy and Phil were still busy, but she was told to head out for her lunch break.
She looked at her car and decided to walk the small journey into town. It took her fifteen minutes to get to the diner, which was already busy.
Beatrice, as ever, was welcoming with a smile. There were no booths, so she ordered her salad, minus the dressing and the meat, and was about to take a seat at the counter when someone called her name. She turned to see Grant in one of the booths. She also noticed the dog, Wanda, by his feet.
“Go, I’ll deliver your salad in a moment,” Beatrice said.
Walking over to Grant, she paused at his booth.
“Have a seat,” he said.
Aria slid into the booth opposite him. “Er, thank you.”
“There’s no reason you should be sitting all alone while Wanda and I would love the company.”
“You know, I don’t think they allow dogs here,” she said.
“Ah, Carl and Beatrice like me. Besides, they’re suckers for a dog and this is a medical emergency for Wanda.”
Aria chuckled. “I don’t think you’re going to get away with constantly calling it a medical emergency.”
“It is. My doggy is sad, and she needs to stay by me to feel happy. It’s perfect. What did you order?”
“A salad.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Seriously?”
“It’s all I wanted.”
“All the good food Carl has to offer and you go with lettuce leaves.”
She giggled. She couldn’t help it.
“What have you ordered?” she asked.
“Burgers and fries. Let’s face it, they’re damn good.” Grant patted his stomach.
She rolled her eyes.
“I can leave you two in peace,” Aria said.
“You don’t have to do that. You can sit with us. I didn’t call you over here to tease you with a seat. I meant it, sit with me.”
Aria tried not to think about what Andy had said, about this man having the hots for her, because let’s face it, there was no way Grant wanted her. He was a handsome man and could have any woman he wanted. There was no way she’d be on the list.
“How has Wanda been?” Aria asked, not liking the quiet at the table.
“Fine, so far. I think the vets have this one right. I think she was just feeling a little lonely. I’ve gotten her to eat and she has even given me a wagging tail.”
“Congratulations. That is a good thing.” She couldn’t help but smile at how proud Grant seemed.
“She’s a good girl.” He ran his hand down her back.
She watched him with the dog, and knew he was a kind man. There was something about him that just told her he was good. Sure, he was part of a feared MC club, but she had never seen them do anything wrong.
“Andy was asking about the … dogfights,” Aria said.
“Ah, I get that. It did make news.” He shrugged. “It makes sense for her to be asking about it.”
By news, meaning there had been a small snippet in the local newspaper. Nothing big to report. She had to wonder if that was the club’s involvement. Not allowing anyone to divulge what they had done.
“You guys put a stop to it, right?”
“That we did. Evil fucking bastards using dogs to do their dirty work.” He shook his head. “They’re out of it now and those people have been dealt with.”
A shiver ran down her spine wondering what he meant. She wasn’t a fool. She had heard what her parents had said about them over the years, and how it was a little unnerving. Aria ignored the spike of fear. Those men, whoever they were, had been using dogs to fight one another.
“I saw you at the gym,” Grant said.
She opened her mouth to speak, a little surprised as she hadn’t seen him there. Beatrice interrupted by putting her and Grant’s food down at the table.
“Enjoy,” Beatrice said.
“Thank you,” Aria said.
“You’re a doll,” Grant said.
Aria couldn’t deny that the food on his plate looked good. Looked so good, her mouth watered. Her salad looked great but Grant’s food looked even better.
You will get even fatter with that.
Don’t forget the calories.
The fat.
The carbs.
Just enjoy your salad.
It’s what you need.
“Do you want a fry?” he asked, holding up a nice chunky piece of fried potato.
It looked so good. So tempting. She shook her head. That was the old Aria—the Aria who enjoyed food. The new Aria was going to enjoy the right kind of food.
“I’ve got my salad.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t ask for any.”
She laughed. “It’s good.”
“Yeah, because crunching on lettuce is fun.”
She rolled her eyes. “It truly is.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Nah, it’s not.” He shoved three fries into his mouth and closed his eyes, moaning. “So good.”
Her mouth watered, but that didn’t matter. She was on her diet. No, not diet. They never freaking worked. This was her new healthy eating plan. She shoved more leaves into her mouth, chewing. This was tasty.