Zach ducked his head in acknowledgment.“Yes, ma’am.”
“Chelsea!”she reminded him, calling over her shoulder as she clipped away on her high heels.
“Got away with that one,” he murmured as he leaned against the wall.The guys at the station were aware of his firefighting heroics, the aftermath of it all, and his familial connections.They didn’t treat him any differently and Zach was glad about that.They were all cut from the same cloth, and they hadn’t joined the fire department for glory or notoriety.They’d joined to serve and keep the community, and surrounds, safe.The guys wouldn’t blab around the town about who he was and what he’d done.If they told their significant others, then they were keeping it quiet too.
Of course, all of that was speculation, and maybe all the residents were aware of his past.Either way, everyone he’d encountered in his short time had been respectful toward him and he’d done the same.
Another perk of living in a small town.After living in bustling LA all his life, he thought it might be stifling, with everyone seemingly knowing everyone else, but it wasn’t.
Straightening, he headed back out to his car, ready to go home, where he would sit alone, eat his dinner, and watch whatever appealed to him on TV—which was getting harder and harder to find.The other day he’d spent a good hour flicking through channels and streaming services before he’d given up and picked up his e-reader.
Instead of heading toward the quiet street he lived on, Zach took the turn that would lead him to the Main St.diner.It was a place he’d frequented only a couple of times, preferring to cook his own food.He wasn’t strict with his diet, but he tended to stay away from fatty foods as much as possible.Tonight, though, he didn’t want to go to his empty place.He wanted noise.And maybe he’d see the mysterious woman who’d danced with him and kissed his hand on top of the stairs.
Zach mentally scoffed at his fanciful thought.He wasn’t living in that cheesy Christmas movie he’d earlier thought about.This was reality, and the chances of him seeing her again were pretty slim, but he still couldn’t stop remembering their brief encounter.
Who was she?
Because of his job, his history with the opposite sex, and how he’d been used more times than he liked to remember, he tended to keep to himself now.He hadn’t fully immersed himself in Marietta life.He didn’t want to take the risk of someone recognizing him and then making a fuss.Or posting on social media about him.If that happened, someone from his mom’s office would tell her, and she’d seek him out for some other publicity opportunity.Before he’d cut off communication with her, he heard she was writing a book about her life, and he wanted nothing to do with that.
Zach found a parking space on the street just down from the diner.The air was crisp and he grabbed his jacket from the back seat.He wasn’t used to the Montana cold.He’d grown up in LA and, while it got cold, it didn’t get to freezing temperatures, like it did up here.
One upside of being here now was the snow.Ski season would be starting soon and Zach was looking forward to hitting the slopes and testing his rusty skiing skills.Pitting himself against the black runs when he’d gotten a few easier ones under his belt.Those were sure to give him the adrenaline rush he lived for.
Some of the married guys at the station had talked about taking their families to Miracle Lake for some ice-skating.He’d like to do that too.Although, would it be weird for a single guy to rock up there just to skate?What did it matter if it did look weird?The lake was open to everyone and he was sure there were probably plenty of single women who skated there.Not that he was looking for anything.
So why are you about to walk into the diner, hoping to see your mystery lady?
Zach ignored his inner voice.He was there for dinner, nothing else.The scent of fried food and the buzz of conversation hit him the second he walked through the door.The place was busy and there didn’t appear to be any seats available.
Flo, the manager, came up to him.“Hey, darlin’, what can I get you?”
“A seat, if you have it?”Maybe there was someone finalizing their check and about to leave.He’d be happy to share a table if it came to that.It might give him an opportunity to meet some of the locals.If he was going to make this place his home, he should at least try to make an effort.
With luck no one may have heard of Kathryn Lancaster and her talk show.
Flo looked around, her brows beetling in.“Sorry, you’re looking at a forty-five-minute wait.Unless you don’t mind sharing?Some of the locals are happy to do that, but I know you’re new and don’t know that many people, so it might not be something you’re keen on.A seat at the counter might open up quicker, but I can’t guarantee it.”
It was like the universe had heard his unspoken words.“It’s okay, I’m happy to share.It’s a good way to get to meet people.”
Flo smiled big as if he’d given the correct answer.“Excellent.Come this way.”
No one paid him any attention as Flo led him between the tables to a booth at the back.It looked empty to him, but as they got closer, he could see a woman with her head down and papers spread across the Formica top.
“Here you go.”Flo shuffled some of the papers and placed a menu, along with napkin-wrapped utensils, down.“Tilly, hope you don’t mind having some company.We’re full.”
Zach blinked twice, not believing what he was seeing.Sitting at the table was the woman who’d kissed his hand not even an hour ago.
“Sure, that’s fine, Flo.Oh, it’s you!”Tilly said as she looked up and found him standing next to the diner’s owner.
“Do you two know each other?”Flo’s gaze flitted between them.
“Not really,” Zach commented as he slid into the booth on the side opposite Tilly.He noted the papers she was working on looked like forms of some sort.
“I see.Well, here’s your chance to get acquainted.I’ll be back with some water.”Flo darted off before either one of them could say anything.
After a few beats of silence, where they both stared at each other, he held out his hand.“Zach Langley, nice to meet you.”
“Tilly Bloom.”She grasped his hand and, like the first time they touched, a sliver of electricity bounced up his arm.He found himself keeping ahold of her hand for longer than was really polite.Tilly didn’t seem to mind, as she wasn’t yanking her hand away.
