When he leaves to refill the coffee of a woman two booths over, I stick my straw through the ice and take a sip. “Yep, that’s cold enough to wake up my brain.”
“This place is a kick.” Asher gestures to the walls, which are covered in black and white photos of the town’s history. “It’s like stepping back in time.”
I study the photos, searching for my parents. One with my mom catches my eye. She’s with a group of teenagers standing in front of the diner, all smiles and summer tan. It looks like it was taken in the nineties.
The two of us examine every detail in that photo until the kitchen door swings open, and a tall, handsome man emerges carrying two plates. He’s probably in his late-forties, with wheat-blond hair and an easy smile. His chef’s apron is splattered with grease stains, and he moves with the confident grace of someone who knows exactly what he’s doing.
He approaches our table and sets down the plates with a flourish. “Two burgers, medium rare, with?—”
He stops mid-sentence, his eyes locking onto mine. The color drains from his face, and for a moment, he just stares. Then his expression shifts to something between wonder and disbelief.
He presses a hand against his chest, and light glimmers off his wedding band. “Oh, my… You’ve got to be one of Zoe’s beautiful girls. You look exactly like her when she was your age.”
My heart skips. “You knew my mom?”
“Yeah, I grew up with her.” He grabs a chair from the table opposite us and spins it to straddle the seat. “I’m Tanner. My family has owned and operated Biscuits for generations. Your mom used to wait tables with me when we were teenagers. You look exactly like her, except for the hair.”
I pull at a loose strand of red, remembering the dye I washed into it a few days ago. Man, was that only three days ago? “Oh, this was only for Halloween. It’ll wash out. I’m Poppy, and this is my best friend, Asher.”
“Pleasure.” Asher reaches across the table, and Tanner gives him a friendly nod and shakes his hand.
“Poppy Hallowind-Forrester.” Tanner’s expression grows somber as he takes a long moment to study me. “I always wondered what happened to you girls after the accident. Are your sisters here too? Are you back?”
“I’m back. My sisters and I were separated when my parents died. I’ve come back to find out exactly what happened and to track them down.”
His brow furrows. “Separated? How did that happen?”
I shrug. “I wish I knew. So, yeah, we’ve got a lot of questions.”
Tanner glances around the diner, and frowns. “Well, I’m genuinely sorry to hear that. The Hallowind family is one of the Emberwood Elites who founded this town. That makes you andyour sisters local royalty. You have roots here, Poppy, and I’m glad you found your way home.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I’ll be back often. This food smells amazing.”
He glances down at our plates and then shoots up to his feet. “Sorry, you kids enjoy your lunch while it’s hot. I need to get back to work anyway, but I’d love to talk more.”
“I’d like that.”
He turns to leave and then pauses. “It’s good to have a Hallowind back in Emberwood, Poppy. Welcome home. And if I can help you in any way, just let me know.”
As Tanner heads back to the kitchen, I’m riding an emotional high. Finally, a genuinely nice person who knew my mother. He worked with her and grew up with her. He can tell me stories about her life here. I bite my burger and moan. “Holy crapamoly, this is perfect.”
Tanner is watching me from behind the serving window in the back. “Is it good?”
I hold up my thumb, chewing.Best burger, evah!
Asher is digging into his lunch, too.
That’s when I notice him.
Against the back wall, a guy about my age sits at the end of a booth with a group of four others. His dark hair and sharp features could be considered attractive if he weren’t glaring at me like I just kicked his puppy into a culvert.
What the hell? The hostility of his stare sets off every alarm bell in my head.
He’s dangerous.My instincts are screaming at me to be wary, and they have never let me down yet.
My gaze drops to my plate, and I casually take another bite of my burger. “Asher, I think we have a problem. There’s a guy in the back booth who…” I slide my gaze toward the back, but the guy is gone. “Okay, never mind. S’all good.”
I take another bite of my burger and try not to let the hostility of the dark-haired guy’s glare ruin my lunch.
