“Alright, I may have been avoiding going home.”
“Because of the brother and his mistress or because of my brother?”
I flushed bright red and scurried out of the shop to avoid answering her question. The last thing I wanted to discuss with Alyssa was her brother or why I had to avoid him.
“Did you get breakfast?”
“Not yet,” she sighed. “I am hungry, but I was too busy staring at the mountains and the rising sun. It’s really beautiful around here.”
“It is, if you can handle the weather.”
I pointed us in the direction of the diner, walking at a cool pace to match hers.
“I take it my brother can’t handle the weather.”
“Well, he wasn’t exactly thrilled the first time it snowed when he was here,” I laughed. “Did you both grow up in Tennessee?”
“Yep. I was actually born in Kentucky, but I don’t remember much from there. I went to live with my step-dad when I was three, and then I was put in foster care at five.”
“Wow, so young. What happened?”
She shrugged. “He wasn’t a very good father. CPS took me from him, and then I just kind of bounced around from house to house.”
It sounded horrible, and even though I knew what it was like to have a messed-up childhood, at least my parents loved me. Yes, Mom had been sick on and off for years before she was diagnosed with cancer, but they always did everything they could for us.
“So, are you thinking of sticking around now?”
“Maybe. It could be fun. The town seems really nice, and everyone has been great so far. Not that I’ve really met a whole lot of people, but come on! Look at the street lights and the cute garbage cans on the sidewalks! How could anyone not fall in love with this place?”
“Well, I love it. Cold weather and all.”
The lights of the diner shone bright, but only a few customers were in at this hour. Come summer, the place would be bustling at five in the morning. Tugging my coat off, I found an open booth and slid in, immediately wrapping my hands around the coffee mug, even though I refused to drink coffee.
But I needed something to warm me up, and this diner had the best hot chocolate.
“What’s good here?” Alyssa asked, perusing the menu.
“Pretty much everything. I would recommend the omelette if you’re going for something healthy, and the French toast if you want something mouthwatering.”
“What about the donuts?”
“They’re okay.”
“The cinnamon rolls?”
“To die for.”
“And my brother?”
Thrown from her question, I didn’t immediately answer. She peeked up at me, grinning as she set down her menu.
“Oh, come on. You have to tell me everything!”
“Um…” Flustered, my eyes darted back to the menu. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Do you really think I don’t know what’s going on with you two? I mean, it’s so obvious.”
“What is?”
