She blinked. “I—yes, I think so.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you out.”
She looked around to make sure she hadn’t lost anything. Her mind, for instance. “Okay, I’m ready.”
She carried the plastic tote and Trent followed with her vacuum cleaner. They loaded them into her car and Trent closed the trunk. “The days are getting longer,” he commented, glancing at the cloudless sky.
She nodded, wondering if this was an attempt at making small talk—something he’d rarely bothered with before. When things get too intense, talk about the weather, she’d always heard. “It’s getting warmer, too,” she said a bit too brightly. “It will be summer soon.”
“You know how hot summers can get around here?”
Perhaps this was his way of finding out more about her without actually asking personal questions. “I grew up in Atlanta. I’m well familiar with summers in this area.”
He glanced at his watch. “You said you have a piano lesson at seven?”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t give you much time for dinner. Want to stop by Cora’s with me for a quick sandwich?”
Startled, she hesitated a moment before answering. Was he asking her out—or was this just a friendly gesture to repay her for the meals she had prepared for him? When she spoke, it was a lame, “Uh—you mean now?” Oh, great, Annie. Real intelligent comment.
“Yes, now. You’ve got about forty-five minutes and Cora’s is close by. You must be hungry—I know I am.”
She had planned to get a drive-through burger and eat in her car, which was undoubtedly the wisest course to take. Yet Trent’s offer sounded so much more interesting. She accepted before she had a chance to change her mind. “Okay, but I’ll have to hurry.”
“Then let’s go. I’ll follow you.”
She climbed into her car, wondering as she started the engine if she really had lost her mind.
“WELL, HEY, Trent. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”
Resisting an impulse to wince in response to the loud greeting, Trent merely nodded, instead, to the wide-hipped, frizzy-haired waitress who welcomed them to Cora’s Café. “Hey, Mindy. How have you been?”
“Same as always,” forty-something Mindy Hooper replied cheerfully. “Still pushing food for grouchy ol’ Cora. Been working here more than twenty years, and Cora still has trouble remembering my name.” Her hearty laugh indicated that she was only joking.
Aware that many of the diners in the always-crowded, long-established café were watching them with interest, Trent was reminded of why he hadn’t gone out in public much since his accident. Everyone always seemed to be staring at him, speculating about him, waiting for him to give them a clue to his thoughts or feelings. They wanted to know about the accident. About his current physical condition. About his plans for the future. They wanted to know what had happened to the Trent McBride they used to know. He had no answers for them.
If he hadn’t been so determined to make sure Annie took time to eat, he wouldn’t have subjected himself to this attention. It wasn’t a date, he assured himself. He just hadn’t liked the tired and drawn way she had looked when he’d caught her resting in Trevor’s office.
“We’ve only got a half hour or so, Mindy,” he said, focusing on her instead of the other patrons.
“Have you got some sandwiches made up or something?”
“I can do better than that. You two go sit down and I’ll have a couple of blue plate specials out in no time.”
“We appreciate it.” He motioned Annie toward one of the few empty tables, ignoring everyone else as he followed her across the room.
“What do you suppose is on the blue plate special?” she asked, sinking into her chair.
“Whatever it is, it will be hot and filling—just what you need.”
She laughed softly. “Now you sound like your mother.”
“Low blow, Annie.”
“I think it’s sweet that you’re suddenly concerned about whether I’m eating enough.”
He grimaced. She was calling him sweet again—even though he knew she was teasing him. He was going to have to try harder to resist these impulses to be nice to her before she formed an entirely wrong idea about his character. “I just want you to stay healthy so you can keep cleaning my house,” he muttered.