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“He came by the diner and shocked the heck out of me, for starters. I stopped breathing for a minute or two.”
“I’m so sorry. He surprised me when he checked in this morning. The reservation was made under his company name, so I had no idea.” She slowed her steps, causing me to do the same. “Well? How did seeing him again make you feel?”
I didn’t answer right away.How had it made me feel?“It was like looking back into my memories. Like a lightning-fast slide show that brought to mind everything I’ve tried not to think about every day since Seth left.”
Sierra nodded. “That makes sense. I know the two of you had some great times together.”
I lifted a shoulder, trying to shrug it off. Great times and not-so-great times. “Such a long time ago, though.”
We entered Rutherford’s and headed toward our favorite table in the corner overlooking the nearly-empty restaurant.
“What can I get for y’all this evening?” Our frequent waiter, David, appeared as soon as we’d wrestled off our outerwear.
“Hey, David. I’ll have a chardonnay.” Sierra always had chardonnay.
“I’ll take a White Christmas cherry martini.” They’d started serving them last week. Made with cherry vodka, crème de cocoa, a splash of heavy crème, grenadine, and topped with a cherry (of course), it was my favorite cocktail. It was a tourist favorite as well. “Dessert menu?” David was already handing them to us. “I’ll get these drinks started.”
“Are you planning to see Seth again while he’s in town?” Sierra asked as we perused our dessert options.
“I’m assuming we’ll run into each other, but we didn’t plan anything.”
“You know, at some point, y’all will have to clear the air.”
I was hoping tonothave that conversation with him as it seemed irrelevant to the present. “But it’s so much to clear. I don’t think a rehashing necessary.”
“Is he single?”
I lifted my eyes from the menu and stared at her. “I have no idea.”
“You mean you haven’t looked him up on social media?”
“No. That would be pathetic.” Tempting but still kind of cringy.
“Um, no, it wouldn’t. I mean, I get that you would rather not know if he’s married with a few kiddos. But let’s be real; everybody looks up their exes.”
“So far, I haven’t.” I realized that was strange since it would be so easy. I guess I didn’t want to know. My memories had served me well over the years.
“Well, you should before somebody else does, and can’t wait to tell you all about it. Unless you would prefer an ambush, and I doubt that.”
“I guess you’re right. But what does it matter now?” Whether Seth was a husband and father shouldn’t bother me. But Sierra had planted the seed of curiosity, and I began to wonder what his life had been like over the last decade.
ChapterThree
Daddy handedme a small stack of books when he arrived for his shift Sunday morning. “I thought you might like some of these. I found them hidden in the back corner of the library. We’re disassembling the shelves and storing the books until after the renovation.
I was a voracious reader and loved old books. That was something Seth and I’d had in common as teens, which made us both a little odd back then. While most of our friends attended football games and parties, we were often searching the library for old tomes. We had friends, but mostly we'd had each other.
Once the after-church rush had cleared, Daddy said, “I’ll hang out here if you have any errands.” Daddy often gave me breaks during the week so I could have some semblance of a life beyond running the diner. He had mornings to get out and do things, so after the lunch rush, I did whatever needed doing outside the diner. Plus, I had some fantastic employees who could cover for me for a few hours if I needed to be away.
“Okay. I’m going to head over to The Market to get the turkeys and stuff for the sides.” Every year, we hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house and included any students who couldn’t travel home for the short holiday break. I’d continued the tradition with Daddy after Momma died. It was an open invitation to anyone in town with no family.
“You can drop the food off at the house if you want,” Daddy offered.
“I will. Thanks. I’ll use the garage fridge for the cold stuff, except maybe I’ll brine the turkeys here.” I could’ve stored it all in the oversized refrigerator in the diner’s kitchen, but Daddy had plenty of room at the house. And that way, I wouldn’t have to move things twice.
I grabbed my purse and the books Daddy brought home from CCA.
“You can take my truck if you want. It’s out front.” He fished the keys from his pocket and tossed them to me.
