Page 5 of Falling Again
Ginny nodded, but Natalie could tell she wasn’t convinced. “Let me know if there’s anything I can help with. Max gets up early for the diner, so I’m happy to swing by and help if you ever need it.”
The offer shouldn’t have surprised Natalie, but it did. Buckeye Falls was known for its neighborly residents, for people that truly wanted to help each other. But Natalie had always been the helper. She didn’t know how to ask for help whensheneeded it. Sitting with Ginny now, Natalie had to fight back tears at the genuine offer of support.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Natalie nodded. “Will do. Thanks, Ginny.”
The rest of the morning went by in a flash of meetings, calls, and texts. Natalie didn’t realize it was lunch time until there was a knock on her door.
“You hungry?” Ginny asked.
Natalie glanced at the clock and grimaced. “How is it after one o’clock already?”
Ginny shrugged. “Because you haven’t come up for air yet. Come on, let’s run over to the diner. I can text Max our orders so we don’t have to wait.” Looking around at all the work she still had to do, Natalie debated skipping lunch and working through the hour. Picking up on her intentions, Ginny reached over the desk and pulled Natalie’s iPad out of reach.
“I can see the gears turning up there,” she said, pointing to Natalie’s head. “You need a break. We both do.”
“Fine. But only if that yummy corn chowder is on the menu.”
Ginny walked into the hall to retrieve her purse. “What do you think I’m ordering?” she teased.
Twenty minutes later they walked into the diner as the last of the lunch crowd finished up their meals. Max met them at the door and pulled Ginny into a kiss meant for train station goodbyes in black and white movies. Natalie’s heart swelled when she saw how happy the couple was, especially after everything they went through. It gave Natalie a sense of hope that she and Anthony could turn their relationship around.
“How are my favorite ladies doing?” Max asked, ushering them to the counter where two cups of coffee waited.
“If you two weren’t happily remarried, I’d try to steal you,” Natalie said, winking at Max. She saw that Max had already added her sweetener and cream. He truly was the best.
Ginny laughed and playfully elbowed her friend. “Nice try, but I’m not making the same mistake twice.”
“Here we go,” said Helen, one of the waitstaff, setting down two steaming bowls of corn chowder. “Eat up.” Leaning closer, Helen whispered in Natalie’s ear. “Thought I’d save you from another round of PDA.” She winked and disappeared into the kitchen.
“I heard that,” Ginny said, laughing as Max blew a kiss and followed Helen.
Natalie dug right into the soup, savoring a few moments of peace before she had to get back to work. She loved what she did, but she also felt a little burnt out. When she had pushed to start N&G Planners Natalie wasn’t thinking of all it would entail. She and Ginny handled the bulk of the work at the firm, but eventually they would need to hire more staff.
“Am I a control freak?” Natalie asked in between bites.
Her question caught Ginny off guard, and she nearly choked on her coffee. “Geez. Where is this coming from?”
Natalie looked down at her bowl and frowned. “I don’t know. Just thinking.”
“I don’t think you’re a control freak. You just like to have your ducks in a row,” Ginny said. Natalie could have kissed her friend for her diplomacy.
“You can be honest. This isn’t a trap.”
“What’s not a trap?” CeCe asked, emerging from the kitchen with a plate of sweets. CeCe was one of Natalie’s best friends and had worked at the diner for years as a pastry chef whose sole mission in life was to fatten up the residents of Buckeye Falls.
Ginny didn’t even wait until the plate was on the counter to snag a cookie. “Please tell me this is the double-toffee-crunch cookie that Max has been salivating over all week.” Without waiting for a reply, Ginny took a huge bite and covered her mouth as she groaned in delight, a trail of crumbs falling onto her lap with every mouthful.
Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Natalie took a cookie. A flash of her flabby belly appeared in her eyes, but Natalie quashed the thought and bit into her treat. Her post-pregnancy and pre-N&G Planner weight gain was a concern that would have to wait in line with all the others. Right now, it was cookie time.
Like everything CeCe baked, the cookie was perfection. The still-warm confection melted in her mouth, the savory toffee adding a perfect crunch.
“I know I’m married and you’re taken, but I would file for divorce if it meant getting to eat these cookies every day.”
CeCe waved off the praise from her friends and perched on the counter. “I think I need to work on the vanilla to toffee ratio. They’re not quite perfect.”
“Like hell they aren’t,” Evan, CeCe’s boyfriend and another cook at the diner, said as he joined them. He looped his arm around CeCe’s waist and kissed her cheek. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Turning his attention to Ginny and Natalie, Evan greeted them with a wave. “Let me get you some more coffee, ladies.” He scooted around CeCe and refilled their cups.
Once again, Natalie was struck by how affectionate her friends’ partners were. Natalie knew it wasn’t reasonable to compare relationships––so much happened behind closed doors––but today she wasn’t feeling reasonable. Her chest ached to have a tender moment with Anthony like that. A stolen kiss, or a few encouraging words. Hell, even a hip-check on the way to the bathroom would be a welcome interaction.
