Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
“Something else, or do you want your check?” I asked prettily.
My life depended on tips. No matter how I was feeling any given day, I checked any bad moods at the door and rained sunshine on the customers.
“More coffee,” he said.
His accent still stumped me. “Sure,” I said and hustled away.
The diner wasn’t big, and the staff was small. When I came in, the other server, Honey, usually took her break and came back for the lunch hour since she worked a split shift, leaving me to work alone for a time.
Honey claimed to be the hardest-working girl in Mountainside because she had three jobs to put herself through nursing school. She was a hoot, especially when the truckers came in trying to hit on her because the woman had curves for days. I admired her.
About midmorning, things had finally quieted down. That was when I noticed the attractive stranger in his booth with a laptop out typing furiously. I stopped over.
“More coffee?” That was about all he’d had since breakfast. With no one needing a table, Smiley hadn’t pushed me to get him out of the booth.
For me, however, it meant fewer tips. Though with no one else there to take his space, I hadn’t exactly lost anything. So I didn’t have to fake a smile.
He held out a hand, palm down in a gesture requesting a moment before using that hand to continue typing. I was giving him his moment and had just taken a step away when he said, “Check, please.”
I had it ready, but I held a tray in the other. “Sure thing.”
I brought food to my last customer before walking back to the handsome businessman. I reached in my apron and pulled out the printed receipt. In my head, I prayed he would pay in cash. Unlikely. His type usually paid with a card so they could expense it with their company. That would mean I’d have to wait for the payments to settle in Smiley’s account before I could get my tip. At least that was how he ran his diner.
To my surprise, Mr. Fancy Pants handed me cash, and a fifty at that. “I’ll get you change,” I said.
“No need.” The change was more than the bill and was more than I normally got tipped. And then he said, “I have to ask if you’ll go out with me.”
Those weren’t the words I wanted to hear. I’d been told all my life by my mother I was pretty enough to snag a man with money. Even though she saw that as a good thing, I didn’t.
“I’ll get your change,” I began. “I’m not for sale.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m giving you that tip because I’ve been in this booth for hours. You likely would have earned more than that if I’d eaten and gone.”
There was a sincerity in his gaze that made me want to believe him. “I really appreciate that, but I honestly can’t accept.”
“You can, and I insist, whether or not you go out with me.” He pulled out a business card. “I’m staying at the bed-and-breakfast in Mason Creek. If you change your mind—”
“I have a daughter,” I blurted for reasons I didn’t fully understand.
“Okay,” he said as heat crept up my cheeks. “I get migraines if I don’t have coffee first thing in the morning. Full disclosure.” Amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes and set me at ease.
“I don’t know why I said that.” Then I thought about it. “Yes, actually I do. If you are looking for some casual fun, I’m sure there are plenty of women in town or even in Mason Creek who will gladly help you with that. That’s not me. I have a daughter, which means responsibility. And hooking up with random men isn’t included.”
“Good to know. I’m in town for a while and didn’t expect to meet anyone I wanted to spend time with. I’d still love to take you out and see where things go. I won’t make promises because we don’t know each other.”
“I still have to say no. But thanks for the tip.”
I dropped his card into my apron pocket and went to check on my last customer. Only Mr. Fancy Pants wasn’t done with me yet.
TWO
“Tell me again why I did the right thing?” I asked Avery, my best friend in the entire world.
“You mean about the hottie at the diner?”
“Of course. I feel so dumb. He was totally hot, and why can’t I be that mom?” The mom who only thought of herself.
“Because your mom holds that title.”
Avery was right. And though I loved my mom, at times I hated her too. “After he left, I thought about Charlie.”
“Blast from the past,” she said.
“Right. I kept wondering if he hadn’t broken up with me, or if he’d been my first and not Mitch, would my life be any different? At the same time, I wouldn’t change a thing if it meant I didn’t have Zoe.”