Most Eligible Baby Daddy Read Online Free PDF Page A

table were definitely boys, this guy was all man. His arms were thick and muscular, each muscle perfectly defined as if it had been chiseled. His skin was tanned as if he lived near the beach. His eyes were deep, with just a hint of fine lines around the corners, showing that he smiled a lot. He seemed thoughtful too. Elle was good at reading people, and in this man she saw a depth that was rarely apparent on the face of a man his age. He looked back at Elle and without saying a word, took her cue and found himself a seat in her section.
    He walked slowly but purposefully. He was a man who knew where he was going, even when he was unfamiliar with the place. And he was new to this place. Elle was sure of that much. The way he looked around, taking in all the salient details of the diner as if he might need them later. He was the kind of guy who liked to know where all the exits in a room were before he let himself get comfortable.
    Takes one to know one, Elle thought to herself.
    She suddenly felt as if the diner was empty, as if the four troublemakers were no longer there, as if Kelly and Grace were no longer there, and the only people in the room were her and the new guy. Forgetting to be subtle, she allowed her gaze to follow him to his seat. Then she almost tripped up, hurrying to grab him a menu before Kelly took him.
    Kelly stopped her at the counter.
    “Who’s that?” Elle hissed.
    Kelly shrugged. “I’ve never seen him before.”
    “He’s not a regular?”
    “He’s new.”
    Elle looked to Grace. “I don’t know either, but he’s caught your eye, hasn’t he?” Grace said.
    “No he hasn’t,” Elle protested.
    Grace smiled knowingly. “Sure he hasn’t.”
    “I was just wondering if you knew him.”
    Gracie looked over and squinted. Something inside her recognized something about the man, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “I’m not sure,” she said at last.
    Elle grabbed a menu and some cutlery.
    “Just be careful,” Kelly whispered.
    “Careful?”
    “He looks, dangerous .”
    “He does not look dangerous ,” Elle responded, but as she walked over to the man’s table, she could feel her heart thumping in her chest. There was definitely something about him. Danger was one word. Smoldering was another. Knee-weakening might be another, if that was a word.
    She cleared her throat as she reached his table. “How are you tonight?” she said, placing the menu in front of him.
    He was sitting still, looking at a crumpled letter in his hands. He looked up at her as if she’d startled him out of his thoughts.
    “Oh,” he said.
    There was a moment’s awkward silence as Elle waited for him to answer the question before realizing that he hadn’t really heard it.
    “You want something to drink? Coffee, beer, soda?”
    “Coffee would be fine,” he said.
    “Yeah,” Elle said. “Warm you up on a night like this.”
    He smiled. She turned and ran, escaping from her own idiotic chit chat as much as from his presence. As she poured his coffee and got the cream and sugar she noticed that the diner had grown silent. At first she thought it was just in her head, but then she looked around her and realized. Kelly was standing behind the counter, surreptitiously watching the new guy as she pretended to roll cutlery in napkins. Gracie was letting onions burn as she watched him through the order window. Even the four troublemakers had shut up.
    The place was silent, and the man was completely oblivious to the effect he’d had on the room.
    Elle returned and put his mug down in front of him, followed by a spoon, some sugar packets, and a small jug of cream.
    “You just get into town?” she said.
    He nodded. She was holding the coffee pot in her hand and should have been pouring but something stopped her. She knew that as soon as she poured his coffee, she’d have no reason to stand there, next to him, and she wanted to stand there. She wanted to talk to him. She couldn’t have explained