I feel attracted to the atmosphere here,she thought.Somehow announcing that I’m a movie star and insisting that I deserve special treatment feels as though it would disturb the hominess of this place.
“It’s okay, check-in can wait,” she said, smiling pleasantly at Carla. “Don’t you all smell that wonderful bacon? We need breakfast—why not get it now? I’m sure we’ll be able to put our suitcases in a corner somewhere in the restaurant.”
Carla shrugged. “I am hungry,” she admitted. “What do the rest of you say?”
The other members of their party agreed to get breakfast first, each of them glancing toward The Lighthouse Grill with an expression of interest. The delicious smells seemed to be stronger now, and Delilah got a whiff of pancakes and eggs.
“Wonderful,” she said breezily, as if she was a grade-school teacher leading a band of students on an adventure. “Let’s go in.”
She led the way inside the restaurant. As soon as they stepped through the doors, they were greeted by a cheerful kind of music—the sounds of people laughing and chatting excitedly and dishes clinking.
“It’s busy,” Carla said doubtfully.
“Not too busy, though,” Delilah said. “Look, there’s a table over there in the corner that’s empty. That’s perfect for us.”
“Hi there, would you like a table?” A smiling waitress approached them, and as soon as Delilah saw her, she had to do a double take. The waitress had a baby strapped to her back, and the baby was cooing and smiling like he was having the best morning of his life.
“Um, yes please,” Delilah said, unable to keep from beaming at the baby. “If we could have that table over there, that would be ideal. We need somewhere to put our suitcases that’s out of the way.”
“Sure thing,” said the waitress, whose nametag read “Alexis.” Her eyes lighted on Delilah and they lit up. “Come on and follow me.”
Delilah and her group followed Alexis, all of them gawking at the baby. Delilah was fascinated by the fact that Alexis was allowed to work with her baby on her back. It certainly gave the morning even more of a small-town feel, since such a thing would never have been allowed in a city. She felt delighted by the whole concept, and extremely impressed with the young mother, who seemed full of energy and enthusiasm for her work.
They sat down at the table and began to peruse the menu. Delilah was pleasantly surprised by the variety that she saw, and decided to order French toast and poached eggs, along with coffee, which she still felt that she desperately needed.
Alexis came back to take their order, and Delilah noticed that the waitress kept studying her face, as if she was trying to be sure of something.
“And you?” she said, when it was Delilah’s turn to give her order.
“I’ll take regular coffee with cream on the side, along with poached eggs and French toast.” Delilah smiled, holding eye contact with Alexis since she knew what question was on the tip of the other woman’s tongue.
“Great,” Alexis said, jotting it down. “You—you’re not—are you Delilah Bates, by any chance?”
Delilah and her teammates laughed good-naturedly as Delilah nodded and Alexis smiled, looking thrilled. Delilah appreciated the way Alexis wasn’t fan-girling or squealing or making a big thing out of it.
She’s so polite,she thought.She’s treating me like I’m an ordinary person who she admires, not like I’m some kind of other species.
“We’re so excited to have you here,” Alexis said, beaming. “Feel free to come to The Lighthouse Grill often.” She laughed. “We definitely hope you do. And I can promise you we’ve got some of the best food in town, so you won’t be disappointed.”
“Thanks for the invitation,” Delilah said, smiling. “It smells like it.”
Alexis grinned. “Well, I’ll run this order back to the kitchen and you’ll all get your food in no time.” She gestured to a large indoor window that looked into the kitchen, and Delilah noticed for the first time that she could see into the space where the cooks were hard at work whipping up customers’ orders.
Alexis disappeared and Delilah found herself watching the cooks more and more as they waited for their breakfast to be ready. One of them in particular kept catching her attention—a tall, sturdy-looking man about sixty years old with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes that twinkled with kindness. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying his work, and the way his hands flew at almost lightning speed was truly impressive. It seemed to be only a few seconds between every plate of finished breakfast food being set down on the counter, and she found herself starting to enjoy the way he hollered, “Order up!” with gusto.
Her gaze lingered on him for a few moments as she admired his swiftness and the way he seemed to have an unbreakable focus on his work. He had the serene composure of someone who was a master at their craft and enjoyed doing what they knew how to do well.
She watched as another cook leaned toward him and said something with a sly smile on her face. Although Delilah couldn’t hear what the cooks were saying, it was clear that some kind of joke had just been made. She couldn’t help smiling slightly as she watched him throw his head back with a laugh. There was an expression of total joy on his face which stirred her heart somehow. She wasn’t used to seeing people treat each other in such a genuine way, and she liked the cook’s buoyant energy.
Everything about this place is friendly,she thought, her smile widening.Even though it’s quiet and unglamorous, I think I’m going to enjoy my time in this sweet little town.
“Order up!” the cook called out again, and a few moments later Alexis returned to their table with a tray laden with steaming plates of food.
“Oh, this looks delicious,” Carla said, eyeing her plate of chocolate chip waffles with delight.
“Just let us know if you need anything,” Alexis said, smiling cheerfully.
Delilah took a bite of her French toast and nearly gasped. The taste was exquisite—sweet and slightly savory, with a hint of cinnamon and some other flavors she couldn’t quite place. The texture was the perfect blend of soft and syrup-soaked and crisp around the edges.
