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“Do you need help?” I ask before thinking. It’s been many years since I’ve waited, but it’s probably like riding a bike. Muscle memory will take over and I’ll be fine. At least, I hope so. I really like Sally and want to help her.
There’s something about her that makes me feel like we’d be friends if I lived here. I don’t know if she’d get along with Georgia, who’s even more high-maintenance than me and wouldn’t be caught dead waiting tables again, but I like her laid-back demeanor.
“Really? You would do that?”
“Of course! Only if you promise to be patient with me because it’s been a long time since I’ve waited tables.”
“You got it, sister. Once the breakfast and lunch rush are over I should be okay. Does that work?”
“Whatever you need!”
Grabbing my purse and coat from the booth, I put them behind the counter. Sally briefs me on the table numbers, gives me an apron and pad of paper to write down orders, and I get to work.
The next few hours pass in a blur, and I work until my feet ache. These boots are warm, but they don’t have the proper support to be on my feet for hours.
Each time the door to the diner opens, I silently hope that it’s Brent coming in to eat. But he never does.
When lunch is over, Sally finds me to let me know it’ll be slow until closing.
“You saved me today, Penelope!” she says “I don’t even know how I can thank you enough.”
“I enjoyed myself! I got to meet so many people and everyone was so nice. This town is something else.”
“You can say that again. Have time for a cup of coffee?”
“I do! I have to get the car back to the inn soon, but Suzanne said she’ll be busy all day so no rush.”
“Great! Don’t you just love Suzanne?” she asks as she makes us coffee. “She’s like a mother figure to so many people in this town.”
I sit at the booth closest to the counter and wait for her to join me.
“She is so sweet. I love staying at the inn, it’s the coziest place I’ve ever been.”
“It’s so beautiful there. That’s why the Christmas Eve Ball is held there every year. There’s no place better.” She slides into the seat across from me. “So, tell me, what brought you to Winterberry?”
I blow on my coffee and take a sip to delay. “It’s a long story but I’ll give you the abbreviated version. I found out my fiancé was cheating on me, so I decided to drive until I wanted to stop or ran out of gas. Little did I know, my car would break down. Now, here I am.” I laugh because I realize just how crazy it is.
“Wow. I’m so sorry Penelope. Does your family know where you are?”
“Actually, I don’t have any family. It’s just me. And, believe it or not, I left my phone at home.”
“No way,” she says, shaking her head. “Well, I for one am glad you broke down here. And I think Brent feels the same way.” Her grin turns mischievous.
“Um, I have to disagree with you there,” I say. “That man has done nothing but scowl at me since he found me on Main Street.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. I’ve known him for a long time, and since his late wife Michelle, I haven’t seen him eye any other woman.”
Wow, so Brent is a widower. I wanted to ask him earlier but didn’t want to push my luck.
Now I know.
“If byeyeyou mean shoot daggers, then that I believe,” I tease. The thought of Brent being attracted to me makes my pulse quicken in the best way possible. And I am in no place to meet a man.
I’m supposed to be nursing a heartbreak.
“Do you have to get back home soon for work?” she asks, expertly changing the subject.
“I, um, work freelance so my work is flexible luckily because I don’t know when Ben will have my car ready.” The lie rolls off my tongue faster than I’m proud of.
