I nodded. “He’s driving me crazy. I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

“I bet he’s a pretty boy with a sizeable package.” Jorge bit his lip, and I laughed as heat crept up my neck.

“Is it obvious I’m that shallow?”

Jorge made a face and waved his hand in my direction. “Darlin’, shallow has nothin’ to do with it. You don’t think we have all been bamboozled by a sexy bod, a pretty pair of eyes, and a totally delectable sausage.” He smiled wide, and I burst out laughing. “But Sugar, let me tell ya’ a little somethin’ I’ve learned over the years. Your happiness is worth more than all the complications in the world. If this boy is bringin’ your inner diva down, then it’s time to send him packin’. You feel me?”

The door jingled, and I pushed away from the counter. “Yeah, I do. Let me get this customer. There has to be at least one order tonight that I don’t screw up.”

“Have at it.”

Still smiling, I made my way over to the customer that was waiting quietly by the register. I really knew it was time to say goodbye to Peter when my first assessment of the stranger was that he was fit and tall, making my heart pound a little harder. The guy was looking down into his wallet as I stepped in front of the keyboard to place the order.

“Welcome to Mode. How can I help you this evening?” I said, but my smile slipped as he lifted his head.

The blue eyes I couldn’t forget were staring at me. The image of this man standing next to the tow truck raced through my mind like it was yesterday and not the night Peter and I were heading back from spring break. This man’s face haunted my dreams. I sucked in a sharp breath and held it as we stared at one another longer than was appropriate.

The corner of his mouth curled up with a half smile, and I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be sexy or unnerving, but to me, it was both. My pulse was racing through my body faster than if I’d run a marathon, and my hand shook slightly as it hovered over the cash register. His eyes moved slowly to my hand and then back up to my eyes, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to melt into a puddle of wanton desire or turn and run for the hills and never look back.

“Do I have something on me….” His voice was everything and more than I could’ve imagined. It was rich with a hint of gravel that was rubbing me in all the right ways. His eyes darted to my name tag, and it was only then I realized how hard my nipples were. I prayed he couldn’t see them. “Kirby?”