Heir to Scandal (Secrets of Eden 3)

He went inside and opted for a booth near the entrance. It was fairly warm in the diner, making him wish he’d chosen a polo shirt and khakis instead of the long-sleeved dress shirt and blazer he had on. He slipped out of his navy Armani jacket and hung it on the coat hook before he sat down on the red leather bench and tossed the book beside him.

The menus were clipped in a metal stand behind the ketchup and the napkin dispenser, so he reached over and started studying. Not much had changed since he’d been here aside from the prices. They still had milkshakes and his favorite bacon cheeseburger with barbecue sauce and crispy onion rings.

It was a heart attack on a platter, but tonight he wouldn’t worry about that. He never got to eat casual, home-cooked food like this in D.C. There it was nothing but expensive multicourse meals at gourmet restaurants. Quick lunches included fresh hand-rolled sushi or gyros and falafel from the carts on the street. But the common feature was always eating while working; talking legislation and deals with other political insiders over a meal was standard practice.

This diner made him feel as if he were seventeen all over again. The only thing missing was—

“Hey there, can I get you something to drink?”

Xander looked up and found himself lost in the wide brown eyes that headlined his teenage fantasies. Rosalyn Pierce, his first love, standing right in front of him after all this time, as though he were dreaming while he sat there.

“Xander?” she said, her jaw initially dropping in surprise before she tightened her lips into a stiff line of concern. She was real. His fantasy Rose would’ve climbed into his lap and nibbled on his ear as she used to.

“Rose,” he replied, his mouth suddenly dry. He’d come here specifically looking for her, yet finally coming face-to-face with her threw his entire body for a loop. “Wade mentioned I could find you at Daisy’s. I’m so glad you’re still working here....” His voice trailed off when he realized it sounded as if she hadn’t done much with her life in the past decade. Rose’s guarded expression was proof enough of that. Normally he would’ve phrased that better, but seeing Rose had robbed him of his usual polished poise. “I apologize—that didn’t come out right.”

She gave him a watery smile and shook her head. “Not to worry. Most people aren’t lucky enough to turn their after-school job into a full-time career like I did. If it helps at all, there was a five-year gap where I didn’t even step foot in the building, but they couldn’t keep me away forever.”

A million thoughts raced through Xander’s mind and he fought to put them in some sort of order. His heart began pounding in his chest as if he were in a live televised debate and had just been thrown a curveball question by the moderator. Fortunately, he performed best under pressure.

Rose was as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more so. In high school she’d been just a girl on the verge of becoming a woman. Now her familiar curves were more lush, making the little cotton uniform cling more deliciously than he recalled. Her long straight brown hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail that fell over her shoulder. The tip teased at the swell of her breasts, allowing his gaze to follow to her cleavage and, eventually, over to her name tag. It still read Rosalyn P., as it had in school.

Had no one snatched her off the market yet? He quickly glanced at her ring finger, which was as bare as his own. That was a crime. A woman like Rose should’ve been married years ago to a man who appreciated and worshipped her. Sometimes he wished that man had been him. He should’ve fought for her, asked her to marry him and not taken no for an answer, but how could he ask her to leave her mother when she was so ill?

Xander wanted to talk to her, to see what she’d been doing since the last time he saw her. She’d left Cornwall to go to Western Connecticut University when he went to Georgetown. The school had a teaching hospital where her mother was being treated and a great elementary education program. She loved kids and had wanted to teach. What had happened? Why was she back to waitressing when she had so much potential?

“I meant I was glad you’re still working here because it made you easier to find. Do you have time to chat with me and catch up some?”

She glanced around the restaurant, biting at her lip. He couldn’t tell if she thought she shouldn’t or she just didn’t want to talk to him. There was a hesitation in her that he didn’t quite understand. They’d parted well, hadn’t they? She’d broken up with him, so if anyone should be upset, it was him, right?

“Maybe in a little bit after this family finishes up. I’m the only server tonight, but they’re almost done. In the meantime, what can I get for you to eat?”