I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, too busy caught in the lower level of my brain. I was considering turning around when a building caught my eye. The windows were covered in paper, but the shape of the front door and the curve of the awning above the entrance were so familiar.
I stepped closer.
There, taped just to the right of the door, was a flyer with neat handwriting and a sketch of a coffee cup in the corner.
“COMING SOON — Mason’s Diner. Family-owned, community-rooted. Reopening Winter.”
My heart stumbled.
Mason’s Diner.
Landon’s family’s diner.
I blinked. Stepped back. Looked again.
New location but the same name. The same place we’d spent countless afternoons—me curled into the corner booth sketching, him wiping down tables or sneaking fries from the kitchen. I hadn’t heard a word about it reopening. Not from Macey, who was in the know on everything, not from town gossip, not fromhim.
Just as I was staring, the door creaked open and a woman stepped out. She wore a thick sweater and carried a half-empty mop bucket. Her dark hair was streaked with gray now, pulledback in the same no-nonsense bun I remembered from high school.
“Kira?” she asked, squinting.
My breath caught. “Mrs. Cole?”
A slow smile tugged at her lips. “Well, I’ll be damned. You’re grown now. Call me Aimee, please.”
“I—” I looked from her to the sign, then back again. “I didn’t know you were reopening the diner.”
“Not many do yet. We’re keeping it quiet for now.” She paused, tilting her head. Seeing Landon’s mom with her freckled cheeks, soft lines creasing the corners of her eyes, and that same calm, measured smile suddenly made me feel like I was a teenager again. “You okay, honey?”
“Yeah.” I nodded before I could stop myself, but the lie hung awkwardly in the space between us.
She must’ve seen right through it because she reached out and gave my arm a light squeeze. “Come inside for a second. It’s chilly out, and you look like you could use something warm.”
Even though part of me knew it was a terrible idea, I followed her inside.
I stepped through the worn door of the diner, the hinges creaking as they resisted the weight of the wood. The scent of fresh paint mixed with something more nostalgic, like old wood and years of spilled coffee. The floors were bare, the checkered tiles covered in dust and waiting for a fresh polish. It was clear that this place was still in the middle of being reborn.
A few mismatched tables and chairs were set up in the back. The moonlight from the half-open windows slanted through the dust motes in the air, giving the whole space a soft, dreamlike quality.
“Can I make you some coffee?” Aimee asked, her voice warm and welcoming, but with a slight edge of exhaustion, as though she were trying to make up for lost time.
I hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Sure, that sounds great.”
She smiled and gestured toward one of the few empty chairs by the counter. “You can sit if you like.”
I took a seat, my eyes wandering around the space again, taking in the details. The booth cushions were half-covered with sheets, the seats still waiting to be replaced. The long counter was a jumbled mix of mismatched chairs and boxes, and I saw a pile of sticky notes covered in Landon’s handwriting.
“Don’t tell me you got all dolled up just to come to the diner.” Aimee handed me a mug of steaming coffee. “Hot date?”
I internally cringed. The last time I saw her, I was dating her oldest son. “Not exactly,” I replied, then paused. “Well, there was supposed to be a hot date, but then he cancelled on me.”
“Who would cancel on a woman like you?” She sipped her coffee. “Sounds like an asshole.”
I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me. I had never heard Aimee curse before. Whenever Landon used to say a curse word as a kid, she made him run three laps around the diner.
“Yeah.” I sighed and admitted the truth. “It sucked. I didn’t want the night to go to waste, though.”
“Well, I’m sorry you stumbled upon this work-in-progress then.”
