Like Arrows (Cedar Tree #6) by Freya Barker Page B

we're an overwhelming bunch. I slip her coat off her shoulders and hang it up on the hook at the side of the booth. Of course Emma immediately takes the lead when she motions for Kim to sit next to her.
    "Hi there. So good to meet you, Kim. Ignore the mass of assembled muscle. We can use another gorgeous woman to balance the scales." She wraps her arm around Kim's shoulders, giving her a sideways hug.
    "Emma's right," Gus rumbles, "always room for another pretty face."
    Kim tilts her head down but not before I catch the slight blush on her cheeks. Having been left no other choice, I slide in opposite her, next to Gus.
    "Let's order some breakfast, shall we?" Gus says beside me and I don't miss the hint of panic in her eyes when she flicks her gaze up at me. She's completely startled when Gus bellows through the diner. "Arlene! Get your ass in here. Some of us are hungry!"
    Emma leans over the table and slaps him upside the head. "Gus! Are you insane? It's not like we're the only diners here."
    With a big smile on her face he grabs his wife's hand before she can pull it back and kisses her palm. I notice Kim observing this interaction with a hint of shock and no small amount of interest. She'll get used to us . Not sure where that thought came from. I'm happy for the distraction when Arlene comes barreling out of the kitchen, a scowl on her face. She marches over ignoring all the other patrons and stops right in front of our table, setting her fists on the table and leaning in front of me until she is facing off with Gus.
    "Will you quit hollering down the place already? And you," she says, turning to Emma, "you're supposed to keep his caveman antics under control. Do your job." With that she straightens up and looks at me and then Kim, her face softening with a look of recognition. "Hey there, good to see you back here. Are you gonna try the food this time?"
    It was said in a teasing manner, but the reaction from Kim was immediate. Her spine seemed to collapse on itself and she looks like she’s trying to disappear into the upholstery.
    "Just coffee, please." If the rest of us hadn’t been looking at her, we might've missed the softly whispered response.
    Damn. It’s a bit unnerving to see all the starch leave her so quickly. This woman obviously has some issues with food. Well—not on my watch.
    "Actually, I'll have a ham cheese omelet, and she'll have the same," I tell Arlene firmly, ignoring the small gasp from the other side of the table.
    "I will not."
    I look at her to find the blush on her cheeks has deepened to a dark red and her eyes are shooting fire. There she is, the little spark plug.
    "You've gotta eat. Can't live on coffee."
    "I'm not hungry," she insists quietly, seemingly intent on not making a scene.
    "Bullshit. I could hear your stomach growling when we walked in," I throw back.
    It's then I notice the silence surrounding us and almost every eye in the place watching our exchange. Unfortunately, Kim notices too, and with a quietly whispered "Excuse me," she slips out of the booth and runs to the bathroom. Well, fuck.
    "Seriously?" Emma spits out, "First you put her on the spot in front of what are virtual strangers to her"—she glares at Arlene before turning to me—"and next you stomp all over that uncomfortable moment and embarrass her even further? What is wrong with you people?"
    With angry jerking motions she pulls herself from the booth, grabs her cane and hobbles in the same direction Kim disappeared, leaving me at the table with a startled Arlene, and a widely grinning Gus.
    "Well, she told you," he points out.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    K im
    Oh my God. I've never been so embarrassed in my life.
    I'm leaning against the sink in the bathroom, grabbing hand fulls of paper towel to try and blot the steady stream of tears that have started running down my face. When the door behind me opens, I duck my head down, toss the ball of paper on the sink and pretend to wash my hands. A hand lands in the middle of my