I see Beth walking toward us. She looks between me and Jordan. A frown mars her pretty face.
She doesn’t look happy to see him here with me, and I start to wonder if they’re more than just friends. I also don’t like how the thought of them together is making me feel.
Jealous.
Uneasy.
Jealous.
“Hey you.” She ruffles his hair.
“Watch the hair!” He bats her hand away, laughing.
She gives his shoulder a shove. “Don’t worry, you still look pretty.” Her eyes dart to me, then back to him.
“Beth, how many times do I have to tell you that men are not pretty. We’re hot. Gorgeous. Fuckin’ awesome. But not pretty.”
Looking at me, she rolls her eyes. I can’t help but laugh.
Jordan grins at me.
I feel that as well. Mainly in my southern region.
“Beth, you’ve already met Mia.” He gestures to me.
“I have.” She smiles. It appears genuine which helps a little with my concern.
“Thanks again for the hotel recommendation,” I say.
She looks at Jordan again, but he’s looking at me. Her eyes come back to me. And I notice curiosity and possibly a little humor in them.
It makes me curious.
“No probs.” She smiles again. “I didn’t expect to see you in here today,” she says to Jordan.
His face shifts to a sullen expression. “Some fucknut hit Dozer with their car.”
“Oh my god!” She claps her hand over her mouth. Sitting down next to Jordan, she forces him to shift over. “Is he okay?”
Jordan nods in my direction. “Thanks to Mia he is.”
I can feel my cheeks heating. “I didn’t do anything, not really.”
“Yes, you did.” He gives me a look, before turning to Beth. “She checked him over for injuries and saw that his leg was broken, so she tore up her shirt and strapped up his leg. Mia’s training to be a doctor,” he informs her.
“Wow,” Beth says, looking at me.
I shift uneasily in my seat. I’m not really comfortable with this conversation or attention. I don’t like the focus being on me.
“Guess that explains why you’re wearing one of Jordan’s shirts,” she adds with a grin.
My face instantly fires. “Oh, yes.” I look down at it, fidgeting with the buttons and trying to hide my face.
“We good to get some food? Mia hasn’t eaten anything since last night,” Jordan says, changing the subject. I’m guessing he can sense my discomfort at the whole shirt conversation. “She missed breakfast helping with Dozer, so I brought her out for lunch while I wait to go pick him up.”
She nods. “Absolutely. So Dozer’s gonna be okay?”
“Yeah. He’s gonna be fine.”
“Good.” She pats his shoulder and gets to her feet. “Let me get you both something to eat. Sounds like y’all need it. Your usual, Jordan?”
“Yeah.”
“Mia, what can I get you?” She looks at me.
I grab the menu off the table and quickly scan it. “I’ll have a chicken salad sandwich and a diet coke, please.”
She smiles. “Cool. Won’t be long.”
I watch her walk away to the kitchen. Jordan shifts across the bench, so he’s back opposite me, putting him directly in my eye line.
He rests his hands on the table, tilting his head, and stares at me. It’s then I realize I’m pulling on my lip again. I set my hands in my lap.
“You do that when you’re nervous.” It’s not a question.
I nod.
“You’re nervous now. Why?”
I lift my shoulders, looking anywhere but him. “I’m not really sure.”
He leans forward, clasping his hands together. “You don’t need to be nervous around me, Mia.”
I meet his warm gaze. “I know.” I nod.
“Good.” He smiles and relaxes back. “I’ve been thinking about finding your mom, and how to go about it.” He picks up a pack of sugar from the holder and starts playing with it. “I thought we’d be best starting with the basics like Google, White Pages, Public Records, that kind of thing.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
Of course it does. Any plan would sound good to me because I have no clue how to search for my absent mother.
Putting the sugar down, he pulls his cell from his pocket. “Okay, let’s get started.”
“Now?” My gaze snaps up to his.
“No time like the present … unless you’d rather I wait?”
“No. Now is fine.” I force a smile, knowing how stilted my voice sounds.
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” I’m pretty certain my voice sounds harsher than I mean it to. I’m just afraid. I want to find my mother, but fear of the unknown is suddenly clouding that.