More Than A Favor

Chapter 5

ASHER

THE BELL CHIMES SIGNALING SOMEONE WAS ENTERING THE DINER.

Directly north of where I'm sitting, Riley walks in. She looks refreshed so I'm assuming she slept well. Michigan doesn't forgive anyone and continues to remind us that winter is near so I'm not surprise that her cheeks are rosy. Or it's makeup? I seriously can't tell. Her dark hair sways in a high ponytail and the eyeliner she's wearing does that... that thing again.

A black puffer jacket swallows her frame.

Heads turn in her direction but she doesn't make eye contact with anybody. Her eyes are roaming the tables for someone. Me. The moment our eyes meet, she begins walking in my direction. The way she moves like she owns the place, the stares linger when she passes the tables as her boot slaps the tile floor.

"Riley!" Tommy exclaims excitedly the moment he sees her. He met the girl last night and the first time he ever saw her, he barely said a word. Now he's best friends with her.

"Hi Tommy." Riley greets just as cheerfully, pulling out a wooden chair from underneath the table. She's got a certain warmth to her when she looks at him. I guess she's not completely heartless, or grumpy. Not with children which is always a good sign.

"Hi." Tommy pops out a sweet grin.

At what age do kids have innocent crushes? One day he's going to tell me that he likes someone or I'm going to see it and I'm not ready for him to grow up.

The thought vanishes when Riley pulls her arms out of her puffer jacket. She's wearing a white crop top hoodie, exposing a bit of flesh about two inches below her breast which isn't much because her high waisted leggings nearly meets. Her body twists so that her back is facing me for a little moment and then she hang the item around the chair. Riley Becker is a breath of fresh air.

I know what you're thinking. Maybe I have the crush. But no. She's just an attractive girl. I can't tell the last time I had a crush. The sixth grade maybe. I don't feel those juvenile feelings anymore. Crushes make people nervous, afraid, daydream and admire or stalk and obsess from afar. I partake in none of those things. I'm neither nervous nor afraid.

Anyone would look at her though and I'm allowed to look. Riley herself checked me out last night I just wasn't on the type of time to expose her. She'd deny it. Or not. I'm not sure what she'd do.

It brings me to the next thing. Do I want to get to know her? Hell yeah. The fact that I know her brother and I don't know much about her, that alone is intriguing. There's a gigantic question mark around her and I want to figure her out. But I have a feeling in my gut that she won't make it easy to have access to her. I don't know where she's playing at.

"You guys didn't start eating without me?" She asks, confusion weave her dark eyebrows at the empty table top in front of her when she sits her ass down on the chair.

My hand taps the menu closest to me. "That would not be commendable, would it?"

I flip the menu and my regular order lingers in the back of mind. "We're having breakfast together. That's the plan. So that means we wait until you arrive. I didn't think you would really show up though. Have you ever been here before?"

"No. It's my first time."

Pride swirls in my chest. I don't know why but it feels good to be the first one to invite her to a place known for foodgasm. I can't believe Cole never told her or at least raved about the food because if the motherfucker loves one thing other than fucking, it's his stomach.

I could bring up the fact that the whole team tags along sometimes but I settle with something more simple. "Tommy loves the place." And he does so that wasn't a lie. He's at the age where he knows what he wants and how to ask which blows my mind.