Bobbie chuckled. “Oh, no, you don’t. You are not gonna extract information from me. That is more than my job’s worth.”
“She is a private person, then,” he deduced.
“You could say that,” Bobbie laughed softly.
Mason grabbed a few hamburger patties and dumped them onto the grill before chopping fresh lettuce. As he worked, he could feel Bobbie’s eyes on him.
“This isn’t your first time in a kitchen, is it?”
He shook his head. “No way. I love cooking. I’m good at it too.”
“Maybe there’s hope for you with Lila yet.”
He beamed at her. “If you say so.”
“You’re a pro cook, aren’t you?” Bobbie asked.
Mason threw his head back with a laugh. “Yup.”
“And you let me go on and on about the grill?” She nodded in appreciation. “You know how to be respectful. I like it.”
“Maybe pass that along to Lila,” he suggested.
“You’re a cheeky bastard, but I might just do that.”
Mason grinned. “Nice. Any help I can get with her. She seems like a tough one to crack.”
“Ha! You got that right. But just know,” she dropped her voice low, “if you’re only gonna be here for a short while, don’t mess around with her. She’s been through enough. If you aren’t in Half Moon Key for the long haul, it would be best if you left Lila alone.”
Mason nodded and said, “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Bobbie.”
“That girl is loved around here.”
Mason wanted to point out that Lila wasn’t a girl, and she couldn’t be all that loved if the townspeople were totally okay with letting her run the diner all by herself with very little help. No one had stepped up to help her. Sure, it worked in his favor because nowhecould step in, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t disappointed in the folks of Half Moon Key.
“I promise to treat her better than the locals. How’sthat?”
Bobbie shrugged and waved him off. “Good luck with that. Lila is hardly the kind of woman to let someone swoop in.”
I’ll just have to swoop in really well, then. His wolf agreed even though there was no sign that Lila was their true and fated mate. That was fine. Not everyone found their mate, anyway. And if Mason could spend some time with Lila, well then, at least he would be happy for a little while. Maybe Lila Ford was the silver lining to his very, very dark present.
* * *
When the lunchrush was finally lulling enough for Mason to take a break. He was looking for Lila, and she wasn’t in the dining room. He found her outside, around the back.
Lila was sitting on an overturned margarine container that was higher and bigger than a toddler. She was staring off into space, completely unaware he was looking at her. Mason took another container and dragged it toward her. He sat beside Lila and sighed happily.
“There’s nothing like a job well done, is there?”
She turned to look at him, blinking in surprise. She was in a daze, almost as if she was just waking from a long and heavy sleep. “Mason,” she gasped, surprised by his sudden appearance.
“Lila,” he grinned. “You all right?”
“Fine.”
“You know, somehow, I don’t believe you. Maybe it’s because you’re frowning.” He reached up and brushed the back of his fingers against her forehead. He couldn’t help it. He shouldn’t be touching his new boss on his first day, but there was just so much sadness in Lila’s eyes. Mason wanted to erase it all, and he didn’t even know why. She wasn’t his mate, but he couldn’t let go of this pull toward Lila.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. You’re just some guy who rolled into town and bullied your way onto my staff.”