Page 19 of Turning the Page with My Grumpy Boss

As he went to the back office, he stared down at the desk where he had left the copy of Twilight by the desk lamp. He had finished it the day before. It wasn’t necessarily anything groundbreaking, in his opinion, but it hadn’t been as horrible as he had been expecting. He smiled as he picked it up, fanning the pages with his thumb.

It was silly, but as he had read through the book, he had wondered about Tessa’s reaction to certain plot points—he had imagined her smiling in delight or frowning in concern as she read through the unfolding storyline. It had felt like she was there in the room with him whenever he read.

Strangely, he saw the appeal of a vampire romance. There was something appealing about immortal love, fighting the odds to triumph. Tessa had a romantic spirit, and it made sense that she would fall for a story with those elements.

With a smile, he closed the book and reached for a sticky note on the desk. He took a moment to consider his words carefully before putting pen to paper. He wanted to hit the right notes. Eventually, his sweet note requesting a date was complete, and he stuck it to the cover of the book.

He slipped out of the shop quietly, locking him up behind him. With purpose, he strode toward Patty’s Boarding House. It was a little old school, slipping a note to ask Tessa out. But he felt like her romantic spirit would appreciate it.

Patty was nowhere to be seen in the parlor when he entered the establishment. Daniel figured she was still back at the town square, prepping for the Harvest Festival. Good, he didn’t want witnesses to his act of romantic subterfuge.

He recalled that Tessa had mentioned what room she was staying in, but it took him a moment to place it. Seeing a chalk-written sign outside the doorway with the name of the room inscribed, he grinned. Bending over, he slipped the book—complete with his date request—under the doorway of the room. Tessa would find it when she returned, and he hoped it would make her smile.

Taking the stairs two at a time as he descended, he couldn’t fight the whirl of excitement that coursed through him. He felt like a teenager again, passing notes to a pretty girl in hopes of a date. When had he become so spontaneous?

It was undoubtedly Tessa’s influence. She had moved him to take life as it came, just a little bit more. He wasn’t about to abandon all his rules and schedules, but theremightjust be room for a little spontaneity in his life.

When Daniel departed the boardinghouse, he tapped at his leg with nervous energy. This was so unlike him, causing him to feel some fluttery doubts. Scanning the main street, he let out a long breath and walked with purpose toward the diner. He needed some time to decompress and wait for Tessa’s response. It was likely she wouldn’t come upon the note for another hour or two once she finished up at the town square.

A cup of coffee to settle his nerves and some time to catch up with Lily sounded like exactly what he needed. Humming a tune to himself, he quickened his pace. Eventually, the neon sign that proclaimed Lily’s Diner open came into view, and he smiled slightly. A malted milkshake sounded particularly good right about now.

The place was in complete chaos when he entered. It was the middle of the lunch rush, and all hands were on deck. Both Lily and the other two waiters dashed from table to table with heavy trays, delivering orders. Amiable chatter filled the establishment as workers and regulars alike shared news of their day.

Daniel walked along the checkered floor tile toward a stool at the counter. He listened to the easy sixties music that filtered through the overhead speakers and found himself thinking of Tessa. He could picture her doing a little dance in her seat, mouthing the lyrics animatedly, and the image made him chuckle softly to himself.

“What’ll you have, sweetheart?” Lily walked behind the counter, looking a little worse for wear under the pressure of the lunch rush.

“Just a chocolate malted shake, I think.”

Lily fixed him with a look of motherly disapproval. “You’re getting a grilled cheese with that. You need actual food.”

Chagrinned, Daniel nodded in agreement. “Grilled cheese, it is. Take your time. I see you guys are pretty slammed.”

Lily shrugged as she began to walk away. “No rest for the service industry! That’ll be right out.”

Daniel observed the crush of patrons around him as he waited. It seemed like every face in the establishment was lit up with excitement. With the Harvest Festival—their most treasured tradition—just around the corner, the anticipation was palpable. Daniel couldn’t blame them. It truly was a spectacular show they were able to put on. Ever since he was a child, he had awaited the days the Harvest Festival would take over the town square.

“Here you go, sweetheart,” Lily returned with his shake and sandwich, placing both down before him. “Now eat up. You have been working so hard lately.”

Daniel pretended to be mildly annoyed with the mother-hen routine, but truthfully, he loved how much the town looked out for him. They were always insisting he eat—that he was too skinny. But he stood at a little over six feet tall and was fairly well built, so he thought it was just another excuse for them to fuss over him. It made him feel looked after, and it warmed his heart.

He dug into his shake and sandwich, pulling a battered paperback out of his jacket pocket. The pages were worn from so many rereads over the years, but it was always the book he returned to when he needed to calm his mind.

Before he knew it, several hours had passed, his sandwich and milkshake long since finished. He turned a page to reach the end of his chapter and dog-eared the page. Some book lovers would call that a crime, but he saw no reason why he couldn’t mar his own book if he wanted to.

Dropping some money on the counter to pay for his meal, he grabbed his jacket—shed after an hour or two at the diner—and headed toward the door. The sun was beginning to set, casting an amber glow over the town. He breathed in the scent of dying leaves and shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them warm from the nippy breeze.

He barely made it a block back to his apartment before he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Daniel’s heart skipped a beat as he retrieved the phone from his jeans pocket. One new message. He took a deep breath and opened it, only to smile down at the simple words written by Tessa.

Of course, Daniel. Name the time and place. Glad to see you have some appreciation for Twilight now. :)

He quickly typed back a response. He had been planning their prospective date since he had first slipped that note under her door. Satisfied with his reply, he hit send and grinned up at the sunset before him. She had said yes.

He rode that high all the way home, his heart leaping at the thought of taking her to the best restaurant in town, treating her to a lovely night. Daniel wasn’t quite sure when Tessa had cast this particular spell on him, but he was grateful for the change in him.

When he reached his apartment that night, he sat down at his writing desk, feeling inspired. Tessa had told him to write about what made him feel something. True, his dad’s lack of parenting skills fit the bill. But so did this. And the best part was, this didn’t have to hurt.

Chapter nine

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