Free The Next Season (novella) by Rachael Johns Page B

please?’
    â€˜Sure.’ Zoe didn’t bother with a smile as she collected their menus and departed back to the kitchen to deliver the order to Toby. She expected to see Shaun still chatting with Hannah, but he and Mrs Elliot had found a tiny table in the corner and one of the other waitresses was already taking their order.
    An irrational stab of jealousy shot through her as the pretty teenager leaned in a little too close to Shaun to go over the menu with him. Zoe fought the urge to go and explain that Shaun, being Hannah’s sister, had already had a sneak preview of the delights on offer and didn’t need such assistance.
    â€˜One dipping platter,’ she called through to Toby and his kitchen hand.
    â€˜Whatever you say, bonita ,’ he returned, grinning at her with the smile the other waitresses had been whispering about amongst themselves. While Zoe recognised the appeal of Toby’s Latin looks, accent and practiced charm, none of these things made her girly bits even the slightest bit excited. She’d once have thought this because she was still damaged over Jasper, but her body’s reaction to Shaun showed how untrue that was.
    Simply being in the same room as him set her blood racing and her temperature skyrocketing. Not good when he was so obviously still cut up over his ex.
    She tried to summon a smile at Toby but ended up rolling her eyes instead. When she looked back to the corner table, Shaun was gone.
    Zoe tried her best to concentrate on her job for the rest of the day, but every time the bell over the door rang, she snapped her head towards it to see if he’d come back. It didn’t seem fair that Melissa had spent a couple of hours laughing with her friends and crowing over the food—they’d ordered more to follow the tasting platter—while Shaun had felt too uncomfortable in her presence to stay and enjoy Hannah’s grand opening.
    By the end of her shift, despite aching feet, Zoe felt all het up inside with anger for him. If she didn’t do something about it, she’d never get any sleep that night.
    ***
    Shaun ran like he’d never run before, pounding the hard, wet sand in an effort to ward off the migraine that had sparked right about the time he’d entered Hannah’s café. He felt bad about not sticking around to support her on the big day, and also about leaving his mum even before their orders had been delivered, but tried to console himself with the knowledge that the rest of his family would have turned up soon after. Once his nephews arrived, neither Hannah nor his mother would have missed him as they’d have been far too busy making sure Ned, Clancy and Banjo didn’t step out of line. And Hannah had Matt there in her corner, whereas he’d had…
    â€˜Two exes in one room. How unlucky can a man get?’ He glanced down at Eeyore, half-expecting his big dog to let out a bark of sympathy, but when the beast was in the throes of a good run nothing distracted him from his enjoyment. Besides, he was neutered and thus lived blissfully free of women problems.
    Shaun sighed, his pace starting to slow as he realised that all the running in the world wasn’t going to change the facts. Melissa and he had to learn to live together in the same town, at least until she found a job elsewhere as she said she planned, and he had to stop getting all green-eyed and aggro whenever Zoe talked to another bloke.
    Because as loath as he was to admit it, that’s what had happened today.
    He’d seen her smile and giggle as she called an order through to Toby, and of course Toby had responded with his usual flirtatious charm. Sitting in the corner with his mum, Shaun had to summon all his willpower not to leap out of his chair, head into the kitchen and punch Toby in the face. He shook his head at the insanity of his reaction. The events of the last couple of months were sending him mad. It was like he was fifteen again