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Zach glanced at his watch. "Once I get our pizza, I have to get my daughter. The guy at the pizza parlour said it would be a good fifty minutes. Did you want to grab a coffee while you wait?"
I glanced around at the people passing by. I’d never had coffee with a stranger, especially one who had treated me the way Zach had earlier. However, he seemed to have a lot going on, and he seemed to be a little calmer at the moment. I glanced at my watch. "I guess it won't hurt. I’ll go pay for this and then go order the pizza, and I'll meet you at The Crispy Biscuit."
“Sounds good. While you order your pizza, I’ll grab us a table.”
Ten minutes later, butterflies in my stomach, I met up with Zach outside of The Crispy Biscuit. It took no time for us to get a table and a cup of coffee.
“I don’t normally do this,” I said, shrugging out of my sweater.
“Do what?” Zach questioned.
“Meet up with complete strangers for coffee.”
Zach chuckled. “I wouldn’t call us strangers. We are on a first-name basis.” He winked. “And you know I have a daughter.”
I smiled. "So your daughter, you said she was eleven?"
"Grace. She is a handful. She spent most of the summer with her mother, and to say she has become a little spoiled is an understatement. We just moved here. My mother and I bought the old Willow Valley Bed and Breakfast. We are in the process of fixing it up. There is a lot of work to be done before the place is operational again."
"Wow, so you bought John and Bessy's old place. It used to be quite the place when I was younger. I’ve heard over the years it fell into disrepair."
"It has. So, you are from around here?"
I shook my head as I dropped two teaspoons of sugar into my coffee. "No, well, I grew up here when I was little. I moved away after college, got married, and had two boys. We just moved back at the beginning of summer."
"Ah, so you are married?” Zach asked.
“Was…” I paused, leaving it at that.
“How old are they?"
"Dylan is ten and Noah is seven. They are my life, and while they love to be boys, I wouldn't change it for the world. Is Grace your only child?"
Zach nodded and took a mouthful of coffee. "She is. She is enough, to be honest. I don't think I could handle another one of her. Eleven going on seventeen. She's a little spitfire."
"Most girls are." I smiled.
I looked over at him and, for the first time, noticed just how blue his eyes were against his tanned skin. He had striking features, and the mop of dark brown hair looked a tad messy, but sexy at the same time. I hadn't noticed how broad his shoulders were or how his shirt had pulled across his biceps either when I'd first encountered him this morning. However, he wasn't yelling now, so it made it a little easier to concentrate on other things.
"So, you're doing renovations to the inn?"
Zach nodded. "Yes, I left my job when I left the city. Divorce has a way of changing people, as I’m sure you know. I packed everything in. My mom caught sight of the place, so she bought the old place, and since I am backing the renovations, we set roots down here. I do not know if we'll be good at running the place or if we'll end up selling it. All I know is that I needed a change. So, I took a leap."
"Wow, that is really brave of you."
"Many of my friends would say stupid. Especially with a little one to look after. What about you? You are divorced as well?"
I took a drink of my coffee and shook my head as I met his eyes. "No, I'm afraid my husband, Lucas, passed away three years ago. He had cancer and had been in remission for about a year. By the time we found out the cancer had returned, it had spread, and it was too late to do anything about it."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thanks, life has a way of throwing you curve balls. It’s been an adjustment, but we are getting along okay." I smiled. "The boys and I moved back here, and we are making things work."
"So, you’re working at the bookstore?"
I nodded. "Yes, I’m running the young reader’s program. I love working with kids, so there is that. Plus, it gives me something to do when the boys are at school and helps me provide for them."
"Grace loves that program. If only she'd remember to tell me when the books were due. I’m sorry for this morning, by the way."
