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He nods his head. “Pushing boundaries is a kid’s job. It’s one of the basic tenets of childhood.”
“I brought you a muffin,” I say, putting it down in front of him. “It’s on the house.”
He opens a new tab on his computer. “Thanks. Do you have PayPal or Venmo? I can transfer my first month’s rent to you now.”
After giving him my PayPal address, I say, “I feel kind of bad about taking your money.” Not so bad that I won’t take it, but still.
“Just wait until you see how much coffee I drink. You’ll be doubling my rent next month.”
I stare at him, quietly taking inventory of his features. Ethan Caplan is one good-looking man. Light sandy brown hair, green eyes that crinkle in the corners like he spends a lot of time smiling, and a jaw so chiseled you could probably cut bread with it. “I’m not looking for a relationship,” I blurt out. The heat of embarrassment immediately creeps from the base of my neck all the way up to my face.
He smiles kindly. “And you’re telling me this, why?”
“I’m just … I mean … It’s just that …” I want to crawl under the table and die.Why in the world did I say that?
He takes me off the hook by saying, “You’re a beautiful woman, Moira, but I’m not looking for a relationship, either. What do you say we keep things at the friend level?”
“Sure, that’s great.” I practically run away from him before he can respond. I must be the biggest idiot in a five-hundred-mile radius.
The lunch rush comes and goes, as I work hard to ignore Ethan’s occasional gaze. Suddenly, a thousand dollars a month doesn’t feel like enough to put up with his presence. The truth is that if I could go back in time and live my life over, Ethan is exactly the kind of guy I could see myself going for.
The landline rings, breaking into my reverie, and I reach over to pull the receiver off the wall. “The Diner, what can I do for you?”
“Is this THE diner? In Gamble, Alaska?” a semi-nasally female voice asks.
“It is,” I tell her. “We’re the only diner in town.”
“This is Rose Caplan,” she whispers like she doesn’t want to be overheard. “I think my son Ethan is working on his book there somewhere. He’s not picking up his phone.”
“Would you like me to get him?” I can’t help but wonder why Rose Caplan is tracking her son down. I hope there isn’t an emergency.
“Please just tell him that I expect him to answer the phone when I call. Oh, and you might want to mention that his father has finally lost his mind.”
“Should I tell him how?” It’s none of my business, but I kind of want to know.
“Harriet Eckle talked Isaac into taking swing dancing lessons with her and now he’s prancing around the house like some lothario of yore. It’s disgusting.”
“Oh …” I seriously don’t know what else to say.
“I’ve decided to take Ethan’s advice and book a trip for us to keep my husband from making a fool of himself.”
“I see …”
“Tell Ethan we’re coming up there to see him in Alaska. Isaac and I will stay with him for a while, and he can take us sight-seeing. I’ll let him know as soon as I book our tickets.”
“Um, okay …”
“I mean, honestly, that boy isn’t really writing a book, is he? He should be here at home working and finding a nice young thing to help him make me a grandmother. But is he? No.”
I have no idea what to say, so I settle on, “I’ll give him the message.”
“You do that, dear, and make sure to tell him that I want to see a bear. Not up close and personal, but close enough to get a good picture. I’ll show it to Harriet when I let her know she’d better keep her hands to herself.”
Suddenly, I’m looking forward to talking to Ethan again. I want to get the skinny on his mom. She sounds like a real character.
Chapter12
Ethan
