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down!” she ordered, a tray loaded with plates balanced on her shoulder.
    “Let the poor boys get settled in before you pester them to death. Shoo!” The women obeyed, switching direction and moving back toward their table, although they shot sour looks over their shoulders at Cindy’s oblivious back.
    “So sorry, boys,” Cindy said, setting overflowing plates in front of them. “Not a manner to be found among the lot of them. I had a word with Tina about her part in bringing them all here. The regulars are going to make a stink if these girls eat all the brisket.” She sighed, glancing down at their plates. “Anything else I can bring you?”
    “No thank you,” Pete said politely.
    “Well, it’s on the house today.” When Pete began to protest, she shook her head, her mouth an uncompromising line. “You should be able to eat your meal in peace. I’ll try to keep these girls in line but you’ve already been bothered too much. Enjoy!” She hurried off again, fixing a stern eye on a table of gigglers who looked about sixteen years old.
    “That was nice of her,” Pete said and Trevor nodded, taking a bite. His eyes widened as he chewed.
    Jamming another bite in his mouth, he said around it, “This is good!”
    Pete tried the brisket and almost groaned. It was good. Really good. Amazingly good. He took another mouthful.
    “That little girl can cook,” Trevor said between bites. Pete nodded, his mouth full. If he would be living in the same town as this place for seven months, he was going to get fat.
    * * * * *
    Thanks to Cindy, they ate their meal in relative peace. The noise in the diner had ramped up to a level where they could talk without worrying about being overheard, although they limited their conversation to satisfied grunts as they shoveled food in their mouths.
    “How was it?” Cindy asked as she cleared their plates.
    “Wonderful,” Pete told her.
    “Tina’s a great cook,” Trevor chimed in.
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    “Isn’t she?” Cindy beamed. “And she’s only a senior in high school. She’s going to culinary school in California next fall. I’ll miss her like crazy though. It’s been just the two of us at home for so long.”
    “Thanks for handling crowd control.” Pete tipped his head toward the other tables.
    “No problem,” she told him, waving off his gratitude. “Don’t worry. You’re new and interesting now but everyone’ll calm down soon. Won’t be long before you’re chasing after these girls instead of them running after you.”
    Pete cleared his throat and Cindy shook her head. “Of course you won’t be chasing them. Sorry about that—I just forgot for a second.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Pete told her with a grin.
    She blinked at him, silent long enough that his smile fell away. “Something wrong?” he asked.
    “Oh no,” she reassured him with a breathless laugh. “You are just the prettiest thing I’ve seen in a while. Don’t mind me.”
    Speechless, Pete felt his cheeks burn.
    “It’s almost sickening, isn’t it?” Trevor drawled, adding a flash of desire to top off Pete’s embarrassment.
    “As if you’re not just a doll yourself,” Cindy scoffed teasingly. “The two of you are quite the pair. Wouldn’t be surprised if the sight of you caused a few of the local men to switch sides.”
    Trevor choked on his drink of water and Pete laughed out loud. The sound brought the diner patrons’ heads around and he sobered quickly.
    “I like you, Cindy,” Trevor announced, giving her a sweet smile.
    “Feeling’s mutual, boys,” she said, giving him a pat on the arm. “Come back anytime.”
    They managed to escape the diner mostly unaccosted, although Pete was pretty sure he felt a hand patting his ass as they squeezed through a group of people waiting to eat who were milling around by the door. Once they were clear and headed toward their pickup, Trevor shook his head.
    “That was nuts,” he said. “That must be how a boy-band singer