Funny

I blinked.

Then blinked again.

And slowly, the kitchen came back into focus.

The grill.

The dish station.

The smell of bacon.

Dani.

Concern still painted across her face.

And somewhere beyond those swinging doors...

Coffee eyes.

My heart promptly attempted to file for divorce.

"I'm fine."

Dani's eyebrows shot toward Heaven.

"Girl, don't insult my intelligence."

"I'm serious."

"Ruby."

"I'm breathing."

"Barely."

I laughed weakly.

"That's fair."

She still looked worried.

"No, honey, I'm serious. You went white as a sheet."

"I just…"

I sighed.

"I don't know."

And that was the truth.

Because I didn't.

Whatever had happened...

Whatever that strange feeling under my skin was...

It wasn't painful.

But it sure wasn't normal.

Dani reached up and touched my forehead.

"No fever."

"Disappointed?"

"No."

She folded her arms.

"I'm closing early."

I blinked.

"What?"

"The bus."

"Dani—"

"The bus."

"I'm fine."

"The bus."

"Dani."

"The bus."

I snorted.

"The bus."

"Thank you."

She nodded proudly.

"You finally understand."

I laughed.

And just like that, some of the fear left her eyes.

"Seriously, Ruby."

Her voice softened.

"You almost died yesterday."

"Technically, I almost became public transportation décor."

She pointed.

"Exactly."

"And now today you've got that look."

"What look?"

"The one where I start wondering if I should call a priest."

I burst out laughing.

"Dani!"

"I'm serious."

She hugged me.

And just like always, the giant supermodel wrapped around me like an overprotective python.

"You're my best friend."

"I know."

"And if you die, I am going to be very inconvenienced."

I smiled.

"Love you too."

---

An hour later, the sign had been flipped to CLOSED.

The cooks had gone home.

The dishes were done.

And Dani was still eyeing me like I might explode.

"I can walk you home."

"No."

"Ruby."

"No."

"It's dark."

"It's town."

She frowned.

I sighed.

"Dani."

"What?"

"The rules around here…"

She went quiet.

And I hated that she understood.

People around town left me alone.

Not because they liked me.

Not because they respected me.

But because of who I belonged to.

Or who they thought I belonged to.

Trash had rules.

The wrong kind of men had rules.

And while they wouldn't bother me…

Those same unspoken courtesies didn't necessarily extend to Dani.

And I wasn't risking her.

"No."

She sighed.

"I hate this place."

"Me too."

She hugged me again.

"Call me when you get home."

"I will."

"And if you die—"

"Dani."

"Okay, I get it your fine," Dani chuckles as she walks away.

---

Halfway home, the buzzing started again.

I groaned.

"Oh, come on."

Maybe they changed dish soap.

That had to be it.

Maybe I was allergic.

People were allergic to weird things all the time.

I sniffed my sleeve.

Nope.

Still smelled like bacon and bad decisions.

"Wonderful."

Maybe I'd finally snapped.

Maybe Grandma and I had both been crazy.

Maybe—

Someone coughed.

Not loud.

Not threatening.

Just enough to make me jump.

I spun around.

And there he was.

Coffee eyes.

Dark curls.

Tall.

Beautiful.

And looking deeply uncomfortable.

For a second, neither of us spoke.

Then he raised both hands.

"I'm not trying to be rude."

I blinked.

"What?"

"Or scary."

"What?"

His mouth twitched.

"Or weird."

"What?"

He smiled.

"I just wanted to make sure I hadn't offended you."

"Offended me?"

"At the diner."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"You ran away."

Mortification swept over me.

"No!"

His eyebrows lifted.

"No?"

"No."

"Because honestly, I was beginning to think I had something in my teeth."

Despite myself, I laughed.

"No."

"Good."

His smile softened.

"Because I'd hate to discover I scare beautiful women."

I froze.

Beautiful?

Me?

Without thinking, I took a step toward him.

And instantly—

The buzzing changed.

Sweet mercy.

It wasn't buzzing anymore.

It felt…

Good.

Warm.

Like soft fingers brushing my arms.

Like sunlight after a long winter.

Like a caress up the back of my neck.

My eyes widened.

I took another step.

And it became stronger.

Warmer.

Pleasurable.

Not painful.

Not frightening.

Wonderful.

What in God's name—

I froze.

Then stepped back so fast I nearly tripped.

And in my panic, I blurted the first thing that came into my head.

"No, you just make me feel funny."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Sweet Jesus.

I had said that out loud.

His eyes widened.

And for one glorious second, the poor man looked completely stunned.

Like he couldn't decide whether I'd just propositioned him…

Or if he was witnessing the world's cutest nervous breakdown.

Then he chuckled.

Slowly.

Warmly.

"Well."

I covered my face.

"Oh no."

"I'm not gonna lie."

His grin widened.

"That answer doesn't upset me."

I wanted death.

"But I will admit…"

His coffee-colored eyes danced.

"It's considerably more forward than I expected."

I groaned.

"No."

He laughed.

"No really."

I covered my face with both hands.

"I'm having some sort of episode."

"Seems like a pleasant one."

I groaned louder.

"I hate everything."

And somewhere in the back of my mind…

Past the embarrassment.

Past the strange warmth.

Past the sound of his laughter…

One horrifying thought surfaced.

If Earl Ray had a problem yesterday…

Lord help me if anybody saw this.

Or worse.

Heard it.