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Each person in the Miles for Mental Health Run had to give their phone number and email, so Chet was able to text Meg and ask when they could meet about a running schedule. She’d been one tap away from sending a text back that said, “never” but guilt over not seeing through her commitment, along with having zero reason to bail, had her agreeing to coffee at Baylee’s. Something about having Baylee nearby, along with as many pastries as she might need, gave Meg a sense of calm. Albeit, a rather small sense of calm, but at this point she’d take all the help she could get.
It had been a few days since the meeting at the Community Center and the diner had been busy, which had helped keep Meg’s mind off running with Chet, but then she’d gotten Chet’s text about getting together. If it were up to her, they could just text what they wanted to say, run together without talking, and check the box on the whole thing, but Baylee reminded her thatshe was a much nicer person than that, and darn it all, if her friend wasn’t right.
Just because she didn’t date firemen didn’t mean she had to be awful or even rude to Chet. She sighed and took a sip of coffee. She wouldn’t go as far as to say she’d been rude with Chet already when they’d seen each other, but had to own that she went out of her way to avoid him when he came into the diner or if she saw him around town.
Baylee had also pointed out that Meg didn’t avoid other firemen nearly as much. Until then, Meg had thought she’d been pretty good about avoiding dating all together, let alone giving any firemen in town a vibe that she wanted to go out, but after Baylee had said it, she agreed there might be some small element of truth to Baylee’s words. And in true Baylee fashion, she hadn’t held back from implying that Meg did so because she was actually attracted to Chet.
The door to Baylee’s Bakery opened and Chet stepped through. Meg’s coffee flip-flopped in her stomach, and with one look at the smile he gave her, she knew exactly why she avoided him more than any other guy, fireman or not.
Tamping down Baylee’s “I told you so” that popped into her mind, she smiled back and gave a small wave. The dark-blue pants and T-shirt he wore told her that he’d come from work. She knew the uniform well, having worn it herself. Nothing about it was designed to look sexy, and yet on Chet, it was that and then some.
“Hey.” He took the seat across from her. “I’m so glad we were able to get together.”
She nodded, not trusting her words just yet.
“I’m going to grab a coffee. Can I get you another?” He pointed to her mug, now almost empty.
“Yes. Thank you.”
There. She’d been civil. Baylee would be proud.
He paused before moving to the counter. “I’ll be right back.”
He said it as if making sure she wouldn’t flee while he was gone, which was fair enough since her eyes did wander to the door as he spoke.
It didn’t take long for him to return to the table, two mugs of hot coffee in hand. He set one down in front of her. “Do you need cream or sugar?”
“No, thanks. I like it black.”
“Me, too.” He took the seat across from her again, his knee bumping a table leg. He shifted to the side to accommodate his tall frame.
She wrapped her hands around the mug and lifted it to her mouth, as much to hide behind it as to take a sip of coffee.
There was a moment of silence between them, one that should have felt awkward, and yet didn’t. In the few times she’d seen Chet or exchanged a few words, she’d been so intent on how to keep going and not talk, frazzled by the way he looked at her or the smile that weakened her knees. Sitting with him now, she took a breath to get centered and found that his presence had a calming effect.
Not only was that unexpected, but something she hadn’t felt in a really long time.
“Would you like a pastry or anything?”
She wanted about five but would go to her grave admitting it. Instead, she shook her head.
As if on cue, a woman who worked at the bakery—Eva was her name, Meg recalled—brought over a plate and set it down in front of Chet. On it was an almond croissant the size of a tire.
“Here you go, brother.” She smiled and turned to Meg. “What can I bring you? It’s on the house. Baylee says so.” Her head tilted toward the back of the bakery where Meg knew Baylee was busy working despite keeping one eye on Meg’s table.
“Well, in that case, tell Baylee I’d love one of her peanut butter cookies.”
“You got it.” Eva smiled at Chet and left.
“Brother?”
“Eva’s my kid sister. Well, one of them.” He took a massive bite of croissant.
Now that he said it, she vaguely recalled Baylee mentioning one of her employees was related to Chet. “You have lots of siblings?”
He finished chewing then took a sip of coffee. Where Meg tended to be in a perpetual state of wanting to get to the next thing, Chet seemed to have no problem with a pace that showed his comfort being in the present. “I have a twin brother and one more sister besides Eva.”
“There’s two of you?” The words went from her brain to her mouth before she could stop them. She felt her face flush, so she attempted to hide behind her coffee mug again.
