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Baseball had become Casey’s new favorite obsession. Not only because of Drew, who of course had been the one tointroduce him to it, but because he enjoyed the repetition of throwing and catching, as well as the statistics and numbers. He could spend hours poring over them each day.
“I would love that, buddy. Let me know when the next game is you want to watch and I’ll come hang out.”
He nodded and set his drawing aside so he could eat his pancakes.
“Yes!” Baylee said. “Come by later tonight. Drew’s team is playing and I’m a hot mess. It’s super close to playoffs, and I literally watch Drew’s games through my fingers over my face. I swear every game takes a couple years off my life.”
“I’ll be there.”
“That way we can keep talking about you and how life is going and what people you might be interested in meeting or dating or…”
Meg rolled her eyes. “Okay, you arenotselling it, my friend. I don’t want to come over now.”
Casey looked up from his meal, a frown on his face.
Meg sighed heavily. “Fine. But only for Casey. Not for you and your nosy, busybody ways that drive me crazy.”
Baylee laughed. “You love me.”
“Some days, yes. Other days, I question my love for you quite strongly.”
With that, she turned and headed back behind the counter, fighting a smile. Baylee was her closest friend. And Casey was like a nephew to her. She’d take a bullet for that kid.
And yet everyone else, even those she was comfortable with, she kept at a distance. She’d grown up in Silver Bay so she knew exactly what a small town is like. There was a level of endearment to having everyone know your business—most people meant well—but now she kept things close to the vest. The less she shared, the less others knew or had anything to talkabout, right? Baylee was trustworthy and knew how hard Meg had worked to guard her heart.
As she moved around behind the counter, refilling coffee and taking orders for patrons who’d sat down, she let her mind wander to the past. Her dad had built Meg’s Diner from the ground up when she was a little girl. It was as much a part of her as her hair color. Ninety percent of her childhood memories had the diner in them. Without the mother who left them when Meg was about four, she and her brother, Myles, spent most of their days either playing at the diner or helping their father with age-appropriate chores. Two years older than her, her brother was her hero. She’d followed him anywhere and everywhere. Even into fire.
A shiver ran through her body while memories made her stomach clench.
“Maureen. I need a minute.”
“Sure, honey. You okay?”
Meg recovered enough to smile. “Yeah. Just need a little break.” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder toward the back of the diner.
Once in the restroom, she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths until her heart rate settled and her stomach began to relax. She turned on the faucet and dampened a paper towel. As she ran it over the back of her neck, she looked in the mirror. Dark eyes stared back at her, ones filled with sadness and pain and regret. Eyes the same color as her brother’s.
She shook her head and blinked. No. Now was not the time. She had a diner full of customers and more work to do than she had hours. Running the diner kept her busy, and that was exactly how she wanted it. Too much time to think and remember was dangerous.
The past couldn’t hurt her if that’s where she left it. That mindset had kept her going this long. There was no need to lookback. She patted her face with the wet cloth, then tossed it into the trash. One more glance in the mirror assured her she was back to her normal self, and with a nod, she pulled open the restroom door and went back to work, the past behind her, the present where she lived.
Chapter Three
Chet finished hisrun and went home to shower. It had been a good idea to drop Dottie off at the fire station and hit the pavement. Running always helped him clear his head, or at least prioritize things that might be mentally scattered for him. However, bumping into Meg earlier that morning had made his mind wander. He was thinking about her more these days rather than less.
Having moved to Silver Bay a few years ago, he was considered a newbie in town. There were many people who had grown up in Silver Bay; some were part of generations of families who had lived here. Even with new people like himself continuing to move in, it still wasn’t a big town, and it had kept its welcoming charm.
The owner of the diner had caught his eye not long after moving though, and she remained an enigma to him. One that intrigued him, a puzzle he wanted very much to solve.
After his shower, he stopped by the fire station to get Dottie. He found her lounging on her back on a large sofa in the main office area located beside the sleeping quarters. At only a year old, she was already one hundred pounds and the length of her took up the entire couch. The sight of her with all four legs in the air, the front two dead straight toward the sky, never ceased to amaze him or make him chuckle. If only all the women in his life could be so relaxed.
Dottie gave him a lazy glance as he came into the room, followed by a yawn that sounded like a dragon whose sleep had been disrupted.
“Quiet, girl. You could wake the dead with that yawn.”
She smacked her chops, closed her eyes, and went back to sleep.
Chet shook his head.
