Page 13 of Scoop Me Up
He reached for the diner door. “You’re being a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
“We’ll see.” I followed him inside and as we stepped in, several people glanced in our direction. Before I could tell him we’d need to wait to be seated, Ingrid spotted me.
Ingrid’s brow furrowed and they scowled at me. “Sam? What are you doing here? Recon for Sparky’s?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Hardly. Just introducing Gabe here to the second-best diner in town. He’s new. Here for the summer. Gabe, this is Ingrid.”
Ingrid rolled her eyes, grinning at the same time. “Second-best? Sure, if you say so. Have a seat there and I’ll be with you in a sec.”
As Ingrid walked away, I couldn’t help myself. I murmured at Gabe under my breath. “What were you saying about me being dramatic?”
He shook his head slowly. “You really weren’t kidding.”
I smirked at him. “Nope.” With that, we took our seats. As we slid into either side of a booth, our feet bumped into each other’s and once again, my heart jumped into my throat. I sighed quietly. It was going to be alongsummer if I couldn’t get myself together.
Chapter 6
Gabe
We settled into the booth and I flipped open the menu while Sam continued to sit and smirk. I frowned. “What?”
They shrugged. “Nothing. What are you eating? It’s no Sparky’s, but I hear the burgers are good.”
All I’d eaten all day was ice cream. Even though I’d managed to get real food into Ellie, I’d forgotten about myself. “A burger sounds amazing.” The server who’d met us at the door came over just then.
“Sam, who’s your new friend? Are you finally on a date?”
Sam flushed red and swallowed hard, their Adam’s apple bobbing as they did. “Not a date. This is Gabe. He’s the parent of one of my students. You know Ellie Winslow? Her mom is Jennifer.”
“Oh, right. You’re Ellie’s dad? Are you moving to Maplewood?”
I cleared my throat and shook my head. “I’m visiting for the summer, that’s all.”
Ingrid nodded slowly. “We’ll see about that.” She paused a moment before continuing. “Visitors always say that, and then we draw them in for good.”
With a little laugh, I shrugged. “Maybe. I work in the city though, and have an apartment there.”
She quirked an eyebrow and nodded again. “Sure, of course. What can I get you two?”
I ordered my burger with a glass of water alongside it, and Sam requested a club sandwich and a soda before Ingrid bustled away to put our orders in. Alone again—well, as alone as we could be, considering the half-full diner—I picked back up on the conversation that had been flowing so naturally between the two of us earlier.
“So, you’re from Maplewood, huh?”
Sam gave me a warm smile and I was struck by how nice their smile was. It lit up their whole face, even brightening their eyes. “I am. Born and raised.”
“And you like it here?”
“I love it.”
“Have you always wanted to be a second-grade teacher?”
They hesitated a moment before leaning forward a little. “Not exactly,” they said, voice a little quieter, as if they were sharing a secret. “I’ve always wanted to open an ice cream shop.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
They leaned back again and shrugged a little. “My grandma—it was her dream, you know? When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like her, and I grew up wanting to open one up. And when she passed away without seeing her dream become a reality, I promised myself I’d make it happen, no matter what.”
“That’s a really nice way to honor her memory. But… What happened? How did you get into teaching instead?”
