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“Oh, girl. I’ma make sure I get you that food, pronto. I’ll bring you some cheddar biscuits too so your stomach can stop cursing me out,” Chancellor joked. His quick response and comedic spirit made Myla and Dante burst into laughter.

“What about you, sir? What can I get…Oh my God, Mr. Dante! How are you?” Chancellor was so excited at the sight of Dante that he couldn’t complete his original sentence. His long teeth and wide smile made him look animated and cartoonish.

Dante tilted his head and squinted his eyes as if that would help him recognize the young man in front of him. Normally, the tilted head, squinty-eyed routine failed to work. But in this case, it worked like a charm.

“Chance? Is that you?” Dante asked.

“Yes sir, it’s me,” Chancellor answered proudly as if Dante remembering who he was had become the highlight of his day.

“Man, you’ve grown up. The last time I saw you, you were about eight years old. How’ve you been?”

“I’m doing well. I was working at Timmons Grocery, but I left after the bag boy went on a killing spree. My mother thought it was best to leave that job. I started working here part-time while attending Blakely Jones Community College. I’m majoring in accounting with a minor in computer science. After we moved, I never thought I’d see you again. It’s really good to see you, Mr. Dante,” Chance added.

“I remember how you used to run around with a calculator and notepad. Now you’re a grown man. I’m really proud of you, Chance,” Dante smiled sincerely.

Chance’s fair skin turned beet red. As a child, he held Dante’s opinions in high regard; he had been the only father figure he had. Had he known the things that Dante had put his mother through, he would not have given him any form of conversation.

“What can I get for you, Mr. Dante?”

“I’ll have the brisket and cauliflower omelet with an Arnold Palmer.”

“Coming right up,” Chancellor said before turning to place the order with the kitchen.

“Well, who was that? It was almost as if he saw his favorite celebrity. And before you say it’s a long story, give me the sixty-second version,” Myla joked.

Dante threw his head back and laughed.

“Many years ago, I was engaged to his mother. She didn’t want to work. She wanted to party and go out every day rather than be a mother and fiancée. I ended the engagement when Chance was eight years old,” Dante lied.

“It’s obvious you made a profound impact on his life. He was over here glowing.”

Four minutes from the time Chancellor took their order, he was coming back to the table with their food.

“Here you go!” Chance sang jovially. “I brought you two orders of cheddar cheese biscuits also. ’Cause girl, your stomach is not happy with you,” Chancellor joked as he placed the food in front of Myla.

Her mouth watered. Myla’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head when the seafood gravy and grits hit her tongue. She had eaten shrimp and grits several times in her life, but this seafood medley of shrimp, crabmeat, lobster, and crawfish was something different. Myla instantly knew she’d be leaving a huge tip.

“Damn, you are scraping the fuck out of that plate. You know you can order seconds, right?” Dante joked.

He still had half of the brisket and cauliflower omelet on his plate, while Myla’s plate looked as if no food was ever on it. Myla was slightly embarrassed. She was so engrossed in her plate that she hadn’t even seen when Dante received his.

“This food is so good. You know what’s crazy?” Myla asked. She didn’t really want an answer, so she continued speaking.

“There’s a Sunnyside Up Café in Meyers, and I’ve never eaten there. That’s why I asked if you’d be driving, because I didn’t know which location you preferred. I normally eat a light breakfast at home. Now that I know how good the food is, I’ll be coming more often. Thank you, Dante. You ran into me and instantly made things better,” Myla admitted as she drank her peach lemonade.

“I can’t apologize enough for that. I remember my grandmother telling me that she met my grandfather when he knocked her down in the public park.”

Surprise covered Myla’s face. “Knocked her down. Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” Dante chuckled. “My grandfather used to play baseball in the park where my grandmother used to read. When she was walking to her favorite reading bench, he ran to catch a ball and ran into her. She said they were married a year later.”

Myla watched Dante’s face glow every time he spoke of his grandmother. It was as if she had been the only bright spot in his life. Myla was genuinely enjoying herself. This was the first time in years that she’d been out with anyone other than her mother, Miranda, or Heaven. Sharing jokes and laughs with Dante made her forget all about the monkey wrench Terry had thrown at her earlier.

“History has a funny way of repeating itself. You said you’re the last Helgard, so I’m assuming you don’t have any kids. Do you want any?” Myla asked.

She was not opposed to dating a man who already had kids. However, her preference would be to date a man with older children who could take care of themselves. Altering her life to attend PTAs, kiss boo-boos, or get off work to make a home-cooked meal was not anything she ever planned to do.

“I would love to have kids someday. Not right now, because work and my clients are so demanding. But I am open to the idea of a son or daughter. After my brother died, I used to spend a lot of time with my niece and nephew, but their mom moved back to California, so I don’t get to see them anymore,” Dante admitted.