“Okay, okay.” He waves a hand, laughter in his voice. “Actually, there’s not much to tell. He’s been coming in for a couple of weeks but never stays to drink his coffee. He doesn’t stop and talk to anyone, a bit of a loner.”
“Interesting.”
“Oh, yeah?” Will’s grin turns sly. “Interesting how?”
I wave him off with a laugh. “We’ve got work to do.”
I don’t understand my fascination with Kit, a relative stranger, let alone have the ability to explain it to someone else.
He holds his hands up in surrender, laughing as he gets back to work.
Pushingthroughthedoorsof Jake’s Tap, I’m assailed with memories. Friday nights spent hanging with friends listening to a band. Sunday afternoons watching the game or playing pool. Glancing around, it doesn’t look as if much has changed. There’s a game playing on the TV over the bar, regulars perched on the red vinyl barstools, and most of the tables are occupied. It smells of beer and fried food. Georgia waves me over from a booth at the back, the booth where we’ve spent countless hours chatting. She’s the one person who gets me, and she always knows the right thing to say to help me gain perspective when I’m mulling over any of life’s problems.
“There you are!” She grins broadly, a smile that I’m glad I get to see in person now. “I was beginning to think you’d stood me up.”
“Never.” I slide into the booth, snatching a fry from the basket in front of her.
“Hey!” she says in mock indignation, slapping my hand away. “Get your own.”
I pout. “I’m hungry.”
She pushes the basket toward me with a chuckle. “Poor baby.”
I grab another fry and pop it into my mouth with a wink. Georgia grins. God, I’ve missed her. Facetiming just isn’t the same. We relax into conversation and talk about our respective days. She entertains me with a story about one of the town locals, Geraldine, and her dog. As my laughter dies down, her expression grows serious.
She reaches across the table and puts a hand on mine. “Anyway, hon, how are you doing? I mean,reallydoing.”
Before I can say anything, the server comes by to take our order. We both ask for burgers and Collier’s Pale Ale. When he walks away, I turn back to Georgia. “Do you believe there’s one special person out there for us all?”
She pauses before she speaks. “I think if we open ourselves to love, we’ll find it. But is there only one person for each of us? No. I think we can love more than once.” She peers at me over the rim of her glass. “Is this about Aiden?”
Just hearing his name causes me to clench my fists. I take a slow breath, and unclench my hands before shrugging because, to be honest, I’m not sure where the question came from. But I can’t believe that destiny would provide someone like Aiden as my one chance at love. “Maybe.”
Her expression softens. “You deserve so much better, Felix, and I know you’ll find happiness again.”
“What about love at first sight, then? Do you believe in that?”
Georgia scoffs. “Lust at first sight maybe, but love, not really. Why?”
Our food arrives before I can answer, and I pounce on it like a ravenous animal. I devour three quarters of the burger before placing it back on my plate. “Mmm, that’s good. I forgot how delicious the burgers are here.”
“You must be starving.” She chuckles. “You just about inhaled the damn thing.”
“I didn’t think working in the coffee shop would be such hard work. I’m surrounded by food but hardly have any time to eat,” I groan. “I expected it to be busy at certain times during the day, but it’s constant.”
Georgia nods. “The store has picked up, too, but I’m not complaining about more business. I think we’re getting a lot more tourists in town.”
Kit immediately comes to mind. I assume he’s a tourist, although he doesn’t look like the typical guests we get at the cabins. Our guests are usually families visiting local ranches, or small groups looking for adventure. Apart from jogging this morning, Kit doesn’t look like he’s dressed for outdoor pursuits. Plus, I think he’s alone, and Collier’s Creek seems a strange place for a solo vacation. Maybe he just likes the solitude of the cabin—
“Hey, what’s going on in that brain of yours?”
My gaze flicks back to hers. “Just thinking of this guy I saw today.”
Her brows raise and she sits up straighter, pushing her plate away. “Oh, do tell.”
I run a hand through my hair, surprisingly reluctant to talk about Kit. He’s made this strange impression on me that I can’t figure out. He’s a stranger. I don’t know anything about the man, but I can’t stop thinking about him.
“There’s nothing to tell, really. Just this guy who’s come into the coffee shop a few times. He piqued my interest.”
