Page 6 of Hello Handsome
“Why not date casually? Why not have a friendship and see where it goes? It’s not all or nothing, you know.” She shook Parmesan over her pasta like a little snowstorm. “Asking someone out to dinner isn’t the same as asking them to marry you.”
I frowned because she had a point. Iwasjumping ahead. Who knew if my heart could even love like that after losing Maya. So I decided to humor her. “Who do you propose I date?”
Now both she and Jack gave me annoyed looks.
“What?” I asked, surprised at their reactions.
Maya shook her head with an exasperated smile. “He’s helpless,” she muttered to Jack. He swallowed down a lump of spaghetti and said, “Agatha, you dumbass.”
My gut dropped to the woven rug on the floor below thinking of my friend. “She’s twenty years younger than me,” I reminded them as much as myself. No matter how pretty Aggie was or how much I enjoyed her company, I couldn’t be with someone so young. It wouldn’t be appropriate.
Jack waggled his eyebrows. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
Deidre shot him a look. “Dirty old man.”
I had to laugh at the exchange, but Deidre said, “It’s not like she’s twenty anymore. You’re both adults and have been for some time. At our age, it really is just a number.”
“Tell that to everyone else in town,” I mumbled. “She’s just a few years older than Fletcher.”
“She has grown children of her own,” Deidre argued. “Your kids would understand.”
I swung my gaze to Jack, silently begging for help. But he tilted his head. “You know, it’s not a bad idea to ease yourself into dating. You see each other at the diner all the time. Why not just see her somewhere else too?”
I opened my mouth to argue, but... I couldn’t. “Okay,” I finally said. “I’ll ask her to spend some time together away from the diner. That’s all.”
Deidre shimmied happily in her seat, and Jack gave her a look. “Happy now?” he said.
She grinned. “Overjoyed.”
3
AGGIE
I dipped a rag in hot,soapy water and ran it over the counter, weaving in and out of the stools to make sure the bar would be nice and clean for the dinner rush here in a couple of hours.
The bell over the door rang, and I glanced up to see Deidre Griffen coming into the diner. She was one of the best teachers my kids had at Cottonwood Falls Elementary. So caring and understanding but also disciplined and fair. Exactly what they both needed at that time in their lives. I gave her a genuine smile and a wave. “Hi there.”
“Agatha, great to see you,” she said, sidling up to the counter and putting her purse on the swivel stood beside her.
I put my wet rag back in the bucket and said, “Let me dry that off for you.” I wiped it off quickly with a dry rag, and she uttered her thanks, reaching for a menu.
“What’s good today?” she asked.
“Fresh cinnamon rolls,” I replied, gesturing at the glass display tower nearby. The cook had made them this morning, and they weredelicious. “I had one for lunch,” I whispered even though Owen’s son, Max, and the cook, Jalen, were outside smoking. Some things never changed.
She smiled back at me. “I’ll have that heated up and a coffee.”
“Perfect afternoon snack,” I replied, turning to take care of her order. A burst of purpose mixed with contentment washed through me like it always did when a customer put in a request. I liked taking care of people, making their day a little better with a smile and some good food. Plus, getting to talk to so many different people throughout the day meant I rarely felt lonely.
A couple minutes later, I had the cinnamon roll with soft cream cheese frosting sitting in front of her alongside a steaming mug of coffee. The smell made my mouth water at the memory of how good it tasted.
I made to give her space for her meal, but Deidre asked, “Have a few minutes to chat?”
It was just us in here, so I shrugged. “Sure.” I poured myself a mug of coffee and walked around the counter to sit with her. “How have you been?” I asked.
She smiled. “Great. Rhett’s high school girlfriend moved back to town, and I’m so happy for him. She was the one who got away, you know.”
I nodded, remembering the two of them on dates at the diner. “They were inseparable back then.” I hadn’t seen them in the diner here lately though. Maybe soon.
