AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Really, why?”
“I don’t know. I guess because I thought yours would include something bigger, like surfing or yachting.”
“Those are fun things for the weekend,” he says. “But now it’s your turn. What’s your perfect day?”
“You already described it. I would add to it that the kids get along and do their homework without me having to nag them. And I’d swap out writing for a really great day at the diner,” I tell him.
“You must like your work then,” he says.
“I really do. I’m lucky to have terrific staff, and for the most part, the regulars are good to me, with some exceptions,” I tell him, turning over and shutting off my bedside lamp. “The recipes we use were my Grandma Adele’s, so sharing her creations with people makes me feel like she’s still with us.”
“You must miss her.”
“Every day. Yet, she’s still with us in a lot of ways. Ash has her smile. The way his mouth curves a little more on the left than the right when he finds something amusing is pure Grandma,” I say. “She would have loved you. She was a real sucker for a handsome gentleman.”And so am I.
“Is that how you’d describe me?” he asks, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
“It is.”
We talk for another half hour or so, and Ethan tells me a little about his childhood and college life. The entire time I fight to stay awake just to hear more, but eventually I give in. The last thing I hear before I drift off is Ethan’s voice.
“Close your eyes and rest. I’ll be right here next to you.”
I have never in my life felt so cherished and cared for. I can’t comprehend that a man like Ethan has come into my life only to leave it. It makes my heart ache, while at the same time it makes me want to get to know every little thing about him before he does.
I hear his breath on the pillow next to mine, and it lulls me to sleep. Something happened today that has changed me. It’s deep and profound, yet I can’t quite seem to define it further. All I know is that Ethan Caplan is a treasure and I’m going to enjoy every moment that I get to spend with him.
Chapter20
Ethan
“How’d you sleep?” I ask Moira as soon as she makes her way over to my table with the coffee pot and a mug.
“Really well.” She smiles flirtatiously. “It usually takes me forever to fall asleep.”
“I bored you to death with all that talk about my childhood, didn’t I?”
She pours my coffee, then shakes her head. “No, what you did was help me think about something nice for a change. Usually, I’m awake going over my ever-growing to-do list.”
“Good. You look beautiful, by the way,” I tell her, while looking down at my menu so my infatuated expression doesn’t give us away. I don’t know how we’re going to keep up the act of being just friends in public because it’s all I can do to tear my eyes away from her.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.”
The door opens and four elderly folks walk in. “You want oatmeal today?” Moira asks while eyeing the newcomers. By the looks of it, she has another few minutes before they get to their booth.
“Whenever you have a chance. I’m not in a rush.”
Over the next hour, the diner gets busy while I fall into the zone. I write quickly, cruising through a particularly tense scene in which Stacey Simpson sits in her car outside the bakery watching the heroine mop the floors before locking up. Every few minutes I look up from the screen and spot Moira. Happiness fills my body.
When things finally slow down, Moira drops what I’m guessing is my bill on the table, but instead of my check it’s a note. On it is written,meet me in the supply closet in two minutes. A grin spreads across my face. Hello! I pretend to keep working, but there’s no way I can concentrate.
I hear Moira tell Abigail that she’s going to the ladies’ room. She glides by me, flashing a covert smile. After a moment, I stretch my legs and follow. As I near the closet, she reaches an arm out and yanks me inside with her, then she kicks the door shut with her foot.
Wrapping her arms around my neck, she tentatively touches her lips to mine. Placing my hands on her hips, I pull her close, and we spend the next several minutes like this. We kiss each other senseless and I’m seriously considering telling her that I’m no longer in this relationship as a temporary thing. But before I can say anything, she says, “That was fun, but I’d better get back to work.”
“If you’re not doing anything tonight, maybe I can pop over after the kids are in bed and we could watch a movie or something?”
She grins up at me. “Is watching a movie code for making out on my couch? ’Cause if it is, I’m in.”
