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Slipping into the front seat, I started the car and let out a breath.
“To new beginnings…and wherever they take me.”
CHAPTER THREE
EMMA - THE MEETING
Mrs. Piper had wastedno time in setting up a meeting with me and Mr. Bishop. It had only taken three days, and I was on my way to meeting my potential future boss at a local café.
NotchTop Café was located in a plaza that held a few stores, and the town’s only large grocery store, Safeway. The second I walked into the restaurant, I was hit in the face with a case full of pies, cookies, and muffins that were the size of my head. The hostess sat me in a booth, and I told her I was waiting on another person to join me.
With a quick look at my watch, I saw that Aiden was ten minutes late. When the waitress made her way back, she gave me a sweet grin.
“Would you still like to wait to order?”
“Yes, please, I’m sure he won’t be much longer.”
She nodded and pointed to my water. “Something other than water?”
“A Diet Coke if you have it.”
“One Diet Coke, coming up.”
The restaurant was beginning to clear out, since the Saturday lunch rush was pretty much over. I noticed a man walk into the restaurant. He looked around, spotted me sitting in the back corner all alone, and made his way toward me. My mouth nearly dropped open when I got a better look.
If Ryan Paevey had a twin, this man was him.
Dark hair, a body that screamed he worked out every day, and currently dressed in a Rocky Mountain National Park ranger uniform, and eyes that were light in color. At least from what I could tell. His gaze caught mine and he smiled politely. I returned the gesture.
My stomach did a little flop, and I silently chastised myself for letting a man make me feel butterflies. It had been a number of years since that had happened, and I guess my poor neglected body could no longer handle the sight of a handsome man.
Were they filming a Hallmark movie in town? If wishes were fishes!
He stopped at my table and pointed to the empty seat.
“I’m sorry, I’m waiting to meet someone,” I said before he could speak.
He chuckled. “Emma?”
Oh. My.
The man’s voice was deep. I squinted to study him closely.
Wasthis Ryan Paevey?No. No way.
“Ryan?” I asked, daring to hope that God was on my side today.
He frowned. “Um, no, Aiden. Aiden Bishop.”
I nearly choked on my own tongue.
Trying to stand, I remembered I was in a booth when my thighs knocked into the table. I made an embarrassing grunt sound, then slid out of the booth, all while trying to act like I didn’t just make a complete fool out of myself.
I managed to speak. “Aiden. It’s an, um…it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Extending my hand, I waited for him to shake it. Instead, he stared at me for the longest time, taking me in like I was a bug under a microscope. It made me feel a bit uneasy, like he was judging me. But then, I couldn’t blame him. I was the person he’d be entrusting with his child.
He tried not to act like he was looking me over, but he was, indeed, looking me over. My skin felt hot, and I was starting to sweat.
