Read Online Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh - Free Book Online Page B

being witness to a Pickwick scrape, I’m relieved that, when it’s over, I can slip away with none the wiser. But to be certain, I tuck errant strands of red hair beneath my baseball cap.
    “I’ve been patient so far,” Seth says, “but I’m getting tired of waiting—”
    “Did I ask you to wait? I like you, although not much at the moment, but as I’ve told you repeatedly, I will never feel for you as you feel for me.”
    No one’s pretending not to listen anymore. Except me. Where is my waitress? Or any waitress? Zooming in on a lanky womanbearing two plates, I raise a hand and she meets my gaze. My breath stops. It’s Martha from Martha’s Meat and Three Eatery.
    I look away. Once more hunched over my plate, though my inner image consultant protests, I attack my breakfast and sigh when Martha passes without pause. All is well, until she sets the plates before my cousin and Seth and talks between them in a voice so hushed all I catch is her smoker’s rasp. Translatable, though, is her nod over her shoulder. At me. Fortunately, my napkin slips to the floor (with a little help).
    I duck under the table and make a show of straining to retrieve my napkin. All I wanted was to eat, and now I’m about to be pulled into my cousin’s public display of Pickwickery. Having exhausted my fumbling, I pinch the napkin.
    “It
is
you,” a voice says, and I startle so hard my head knocks the underside of the table.
    Wincing as the dishes clatter overhead, I look into Seth’s slightly unfocused face where he’s down on his haunches beside the table.
    “Welcome home, Piper.”
    I frown a little, transition to surprise, and break into a smile, the intensity of which almost hurts considering the effort required. “Why, if it isn’t—”
    Should I forget his name?
Petty, Piper
.
    “—Seth Peterson. How are you?”
    “Good. Are you coming out from under there?”
    Do I have a choice? I whip my head from beneath the table, and my bangs slide into my eyes. I left my cap behind. I dip down to retrieve it; however, it’s not on the floor but stuck to the underside of the table. Yuck!
    I tug it free, and several inches of gum follow before snapping. Looks like another proper burial is in order.
    “My mom always told me not to play under tables.” Seth rises. “Nasty stuff down there.”
    “Yeah.” I push a hand through my hair and stand. I peer neither left nor right, but I know I’ve become a curiosity. Whatever it takes, I will maintain my dignity. Will
never
again be cause for gossip and sly asides.
    “You know”—he shakes his head—“you got lots better lookin’ with age.”
    I stiffen. Though my thoughts earlier ran the same course about him, it’s not something I would have voiced, and I certainly wouldn’t have used the qualifier “lots.” Hmm. This
is
the perfect opening—
    You’re being overly sensitive. It’s not as if he said, “Gosh, what happened to ugly?”
    Not in so many words, but he dumped me for Maggie. I hate that it still hurts, a little. “You’re very kind, Seth.”
    He hitches his chin over his shoulder. “Come over and say hi to Maggie.”
    “Sure. I haven’t seen her in ages.” To ensure that my cousin is my final stop on the way out, I remove my wallet and drop two fives on the table.
    Most of the other diners have returned to their food, but it’s a front for those who are longtime residents of Pickwick. So I make sure I’m in top form when I cross to the table where Martha stands alongside Maggie.
    The older woman’s mouth bows as she steps forward and liftsmy left hand from my side. “Piper, darlin’, look at you—all sophisticated and prettier than ever.”
    I’d forgotten how much I liked her. I peck her cheek. “It’s nice to see you again.”
    Her smile turns rueful as I pull back. “Bet you didn’t expect to find me waitin’ tables at a Cracker Barrel.”
    I can guess what happened, and had I paid closer attention, I would have noticed the absence of