Pierce My Heart (Women of Willowbrook Book 1) (27 page)

“This is Melissa, Aunt Gail,” he says.

My eyebrows raise with question and confusion, but a gasp has me swinging my head to look at Gail.

Her entire face blanches as she sputters, trying to correct her mistake. “Oh fudge, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how I could’ve confused the names. You know how people get in their old age, all confused. Maybe I need to get my hearing checked.”

All this is directed at me, like she’s trying to convince me.

Peeking at Jake, I see his shoulders shaking with silent laughter and mentally roll my eyes.

I swat at Jake’s leg but he merely sidesteps my swing as he continues to laugh.

“Gail, can I call you Gail?” I ask, waiting for her to shake off her shock at my swat. When she gives me a nod, I continue. “My name
is
Annie, Anna, actually, but Jake calls me Annie.”

Her cheeks, tinged with pink from her supposed blunder, get darker as she turns her eyes to Jake.

“Just because you’re grown doesn’t mean I won’t chase you down with my rolling pin, Jacob Taylor,” she threatens, shaking a shimmery gold tipped finger at him.

Jacob?

I mean, Jake could obviously be short for Jacob, but I figure he would’ve told me his actual name.

When I feel Gail’s hand leave my arm, I shrug off my thoughts and focus on the two.

Jake pulled Gail into a hug, his lips at her forehead murmuring something I couldn’t hear and I feel my heart skip at the tender way he’s treating his aunt.

When they separate, she turns to me. “Well, now that my nephew is done with his comedy routine, how about you two grab a booth and look over the menu?”

She winds her arm around my elbow and starts walking towards a booth in the back, left corner. It's a booth I’d noticed already, only because it’s the booth with the most photographs hanging around it.

The photo that immediately draws my attention is of a stunning dark haired woman in a beautiful lace wedding gown and an equally stunning man in a fitted tux holding her in his arms. Her smile is toothy (likely from laughing), but her eyes are so full of love for the man who’s smirking down at her, his eyes reflecting the same love back at her.

My heart trips again from seeing the love the two obviously had for each other. A love I hope they still have.

It’s the kind of love my parents look at each other with.

The kind of love Maddy and Robby have for one another.

And the kind of love I’ve always wanted.

Insanely, I have to fight back the tears that start welling up. I manage to clear my face by the time I scoot to the middle of the seat, expecting Jake to slide in the seat across from me. Instead, I see an empty seat as I feel him drop down next to me.

Quickly, I move the rest of the way over and give him a weird look, wondering why he sat there.

“I’ve got to get back to the kitchen to check on some things. I’ll send Joanna over to take care of you two,” Gail says, interrupting my musings.

I smile at her in return.

“Thanks, Aunt Gail,” Jake says as he reaches out to give her hand a squeeze.

She returns his squeeze and replies, “Anything for you, my sweet boy.”

She gives me another smile and then she's gone, waving her acknowledgment to customers on her way to the back.

Jake turns back to the table and flips open the menu, skimming it.

“Um, Jacob?” I voice my question and his eyes slice to me.

“Not a fan of the name, babe. Jake, J.T, Jay, even Taylor. Not Jacob,” he replies a little tersely and then goes back to his menu like that’s it.

Okay, so there’s a lot there.

Well, maybe not a lot, but there’s definitely something. I just don’t know what.

My stomach grumbles, so instead of dwelling and letting my mind wander in the outrageous ways it does, I decide to check out the menu.

While the look on the inside wasn’t your typical diner, the menu definitely is. It's all burgers, fried foods, pies, and all the breakfast foods.

In fact, half the menu
is
breakfast food.

I quirk my lips and look at Jake. “Your aunt a big fan of breakfast or something?”

I lose the quirk when I see his shoulders tense a second before they relax.

“Yeah, we all were,” he mumbles, not taking his eyes off the menu.

Were?

Before I can question it further, a woman who looks slightly younger than Gail with red, frizzy hair comes swaying over. She’s thin in the way that says she spends all day running around and was lucky to get a couple bites in before she had to keep moving, but the curves she does have say exactly what food she chooses to partake in when she has the time. Dressed much like Gail in a white tee, jeans, and boots except her tee bares more cleavage, and her cardigan is all green with an added apron tied around her waist. Upon closer inspection her hair is less frizzy and more perm on a bad day.

Having had a few perms in my life, I'm well aware of the bad side and can't help but feel a little sympathy for the woman—some days it just did
not
want to cooperate, no matter what you tried.

Her eyes are a bright blue lined in black, same as her lashes, with little lines radiating out the side of her eyes that said she spent most of her life laughing (or glaring). Just like Gail, I immediately like her. And when she greets Jake, it only cements the fact.

“Well, looky what the cat dragged in. Jakey boy, it’s been
ages
since I’ve seen your cute butt in here. Where you been, sugar?” she asks, giving me a quick wink before proceeding to bust his balls some more. “Oh, I see! You got yourself hooked to a gorgeous girl and you forget all about Miss Jojo. Boy, you break my heart,” she announces dramatically, hand over her heart and everything.

I have to cover my mouth to keep from busting up.

Jake takes it all in stride with a wide smile and a hearty chuckle before getting up to give Joanna a tight hug. When he resumes his position in the booth he makes introductions.

Or, attempts to.

“Joanna, this is—”

“Shoot, boy. I know
exactly
who this is. Gail can’t keep her mouth shut. What, with Grace, and then you, talking all about her,” Joanna supplies as a blush hit my cheeks

I'm by no means surprised Grace said something. She reminds me of a quieter Evan and that isn't exactly a safe thing. At least with Evan I almost always know what the girl is thinking about—something inappropriate and outlandish or sweet and mama bear-ish (there wasn’t much in-between those two). The few times I’d been around Grace I had no clue.

Well, unless she was around Rocco.
That’s
obvious.

“Jo, quit it,” Jake bites out with exactly zero heat behind his words.

“It’s the truth, ain’t it?” she asks as she brings her hand up to a cocked hip.

I feel Jake's fingers start making circles on my shoulder.

“You’re embarrassing Anna. Can’t you take our order like a normal waitress?”

“Nope,” she answers, popping the ‘p’.

He shakes his head, settling his arm more fully across my shoulders. “Didn’t think so,” he mumbles to the ceiling then looks down at me. “Anna, this is Joanna. She’s worked here as long as Gail’s had the place, but she’s been thick as thieves with Gail for as long as I can remember.”

I wave (like a dork) and smile. “Awesome to meet you, Joanna.”

She gives me a wide smile and another wink. “Pleasure’s all mine, doll face. Feel free to call me Joanna, Joann, Jo, Jojo, Joey, or just about anything else, except Double J. I am
not
a fan and I sure as shit won’t be yours either, you call me that,” she lays out, pointing her finger first at herself then at me.

I feel a small grin tug at my lips.

“Whatever you say, D.J,” I say with a wink, hoping my attempt at humor goes over well, otherwise I fear I might end up with my food on my lap “accidentally”.  

Jake let out something that's a cross between a cough and chuckle while Joanna just throws her head back and cackles.

“I like you, doll face. Keep her around, Jake,” she demands. “Now, what can I get you two to drink?”

Another blush colors my cheeks at her comment and tone, but Jake takes the lead and orders. “Diet Pepsi for her. I’ll have coffee.”

“Black, two sugars like always?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answers.

“I’ll grab those and drop ‘em off before I do another round. I’ll be back to get your order after that,” she says, turning on her last word.

“How’d you know I wanted a Diet Pepsi?” I ask, curiously.

It’s my drink of choice, but I don’t know how he knew I’d want that. Most people wanted coffee, milk, or juice early in the morning. Not a soda.

“Babe, I checked your kitchen for coffee this morning while you were putting shit on your face. The only caffeine I found was your huge ass stash of Diet Pepsi in the fridge. It wasn’t hard to guess.”

Well then.

Shrugging, I explain, “I’m not a big fan of coffee, or any hot drinks, really. Sometimes I’ll hit The Bean for a black and white mocha, but otherwise I stick to soda for my caffeine fix.”  

I’m weird, but that’s nothing new.

Mom always tsked at the amount of soda I drank while the men folk just looked at me like I was crazy. I’m a little surprised I get neither reaction from Jake.

Instead, he smiles; a smile that says he thinks I'm cute.

And maybe a little nutty.

“Whatever works for you, sweetheart.”

And that's the end of that topic.

Joanna swings by and drops our drinks off. “Be back in two shakes for your order,” she throws out before she walks away.

Crap.

“So, what’s good here?” I ask, looking at my menu.

“Everything,” he answers before taking a sip of his coffee.

I give him a squinty-eyed look.

A smirk crosses his lips. “Serious as shit. Gail’s an awesome cook. Everything she’s got on the menu is fucking good, whatever you pick will be too.”

“Alright J.T., what’ll it be today?”

I hadn’t noticed Joanna come up, so I jumped when I heard her voice.

“Sorry, doll face. Been doing this so long I could carry two loaded down trays while doing a jig and not wake a baby,” she apologizes, with one of the weirdest analogies I’ve ever heard.

I wave it off. “It’s no problem, my attention was elsewhere.”

She gives me a smile before turning to Jake.

“I’m gonna have the biscuits and gravy with an order of fried eggs, sausage, and hash browns.”

My eyes go a little wide at the amount of food he orders.

When Joanna finishes jotting it down—two point five seconds later—she turns to me.

“Um, I’ll have the Super Duper Waffle Duo. Eggs, fried also. But can the yolks be a little runny?” I ask a little sheepishly, feeling like I'm being picky

But runny eggs on a waffle with syrup and a little ketchup on top, or even just the runny eggs and syrup?
Way
yummy and
way
worth being picky.

Joanna and Jake both laugh at my look.

“A girl who knows what she wants,” she titters and looks to Jake while nodding at me with her head. “Better keep an eye on this one, sugar.”

Jake doesn't say anything. He just sits there, smiling, his eyes pinning me while I fidget from all the attention.

When he still doesn't look away, I bug my eyes out in a way he can't misinterpret and look at Joanna, who also has a huge smile on her face. The only difference is her eyes are pinging back and forth between the two of us only stopping to give me another wink when she catches my eyes.

“I see I got nothing to worry about here. I’ll go give your order to Gail since I know she won’t let anyone but her make your food. Need anything while I’m gone?” she asks, her question filled with unabashed amusement.

Ignoring Jake, I suck back a huge drink of my diet. “Probably another diet. I have a feeling I’m going to need lots of caffeine today,” I comment.

I feel Jake’s arm give me a squeeze.

Looking at him from the corner of my eye, I see him shaking his head with that annoying sexy smile still on his face.

Ugh.

“Don’t worry, doll face. I got you covered,” she assures me before twirling on her heel to do the check-ins on her way back to the kitchen.

My eyes flitter around the diner taking everything in, noting all the small pieces of Gail and what I suspect is Joanna’s personalities mingled in with the décor.  

I definitely have to bring Maddy, Evan, Mom, and even Gran here one day. They’d
love
the place. Especially Maddy if the food is as good as Jake mentioned.

“You gonna look at me or keep risking giving yourself whiplash?”

My eyes, which had been drawn back in by the wedding photo above our table, turned, along with my head, to look at Jake.