Miles let go of Stella and sheepishly gazed up at her. “I’m sorry. I was just so excited to see you.”
Luke understood where his nephew was coming from. It was pretty obvious Miles thought Stella was sheer perfection. Luke couldn’t say he blamed him. Some tool named Rafe had turned her world upside down, and it made him way angrier than it should. He didn’t know Stella all that well, even though they had grown up in the same small town, but he found himself feeling protective of her. And for the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what kind of a fool would leave a woman like her at the altar.
This Rafe character must have lost his mind. Not to mention the fact Rafe was a coward and a liar, two weaknesses Luke hated the most.
“It’s okay, Miles,” Stella said, still chuckling. She placed her hand on Miles’s shoulder. “Most of my students barely want to say hello once school ends, so this warm welcome is really special.”
“Can you eat with us?” Miles asked. He was tugging at Stella’s hand and slightly pulling her toward the table. Luke made a mental note to talk to his nephew later on about overstepping. He appreciated his enthusiasm, but he still needed to be mindful of boundaries as well as manners.
Miles sat back down in the booth and looked over at Stella with sad puppy dog eyes.He’s really working it.Luke wondered if this was how he got his way with Nick. Although he was in no position to judge, Luke sensed that Nick allowed his son way too much leeway. Now that he was living under their roof, Luke had seen his nephew getting his way more times than not. It was a delicate subject to broach with Nick, and Luke wasn’t even sure he had the right to do so.
“Oh, I really don’t want to intrude,” Stella hedged. “I just had a random hankering for waffles. It’s one of those things I never have time to make on a school day, so Miles isn’t the only one celebrating.”
Luke motioned for her to sit down. “Then you’re in the right place. I’m partial to the blueberry pancakes myself. Join us, Stella. You’ll save my nephew from having to hear me belt out another Prince song.”
Stella hesitated for a moment, then sat down in the booth next to Miles. “Well, there are far worse things than being exposed to one of the most brilliant musical geniuses the world has ever seen.”
“You’re a Prince fan too?” Luke asked, unable to mask his surprise. In his opinion, far too few people appreciated The Purple One.
Stella nodded. “When I was in college, a few friends and I took a road trip to New York City because we had second-row seats to his concert. To this day it’s one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done.” Stella’s eyes were bright with excitement and her mocha-colored skin appeared flushed. He couldn’t take his eyes off her if he tried.
Luke whistled. “That’s amazing. I saw him in concert three times. All of which were unforgettable.” He’d been in his early twenties, when his life was a bit more carefree. Sometimes when he thought back to those days, he wished he’d appreciated them more. Attending concerts was one of the things he was looking forward to now that he was no longer bound to the military.
“You really are a superfan,” Stella said with a nod of appreciation.
“Are we going to order?” Miles asked. “My stomach is making grumbly noises.” Luke and Stella laughed at his humorous delivery and the exaggerated way he rubbed his stomach. Luke had almost forgotten Miles was sitting there. He’d been wrapped up in his conversation with his nephew’s intriguing teacher. He still was having a hard time reconciling her cool demeanor with the quirky side of her he’d witnessed as her getaway driver. Two sides of a coin. He liked a woman who was a bit unpredictable.
Stella leaned in toward Miles and said, “Mine too.” Just watching her interaction with Miles told Luke a lot about her teaching style. She radiated kindness. He couldn’t help but think if she’d walked down the aisle, she might have a baby by now. Clearly she wanted kids since she’d brought up the stolen baby name. What kind of man hijacked his ex’s baby name? Luke might have a few choice words for Rafe if they ever happened to cross paths.
Just then their waitress arrived and took their order. Between the three of them they were going to keep the cooks in the kitchen busy. Waffles, blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage, grits, bacon. They’d ordered it all. As they waited for their food to arrive, Stella did hilarious impressions of a few town residents. None of the impressions were mean spirited, but they were spot on. Luke’s heart warmed at the sight of Miles being so lighthearted and joyful. He truly had a connection with Stella and it filled the air between them.
When the food came, Luke dug in with gusto. There really wasn’t much in life that could rob him of his appetite.
“Uncle Luke? Can I go over to Liam’s table for a minute?” Miles asked. “I just want to ask him if he’s going to be around this summer so we can plan some sleepovers.”
Luke nodded and said, “Sure, buddy. But only for a little while, okay? I think his family is eating.”
“Okay,” Miles agreed. “Excuse me, Miss Marshall. Can I please get by?”
“Of course you can.” Stella stood up, allowing Miles to pass by. Within seconds he was dashing toward his friend’s table and exchanging high fives with him. Luke shook his head. It was nice seeing Miles in such an exuberant mood. “It just dawned on me. I think he has a crush on you.”
Stella nodded her head as if she wasn’t the least bit surprised by his comment. “It’s not uncommon for young students to have those feelings towards their teachers,” she conceded. “It’s harmless. By the time fall arrives those feelings are long gone.” She reached for the carafe of syrup and poured a liberal amount on her waffles. He watched as she popped a forkful in her mouth, then let out a little moan of appreciation.
Suddenly, Luke realized that several diners were looking over at him and Stella. At first he hadn’t thought anything of it, but with more and more folks gaping and whispering, Luke knew something was up. Dean Granger, the diner’s owner, grinned at him from behind the counter as if he’d won the lottery. Dean’s gaze flitted back and forth between Luke and Stella, clueing him in to the fact that he was eyeballing them because they were enjoying a meal together.
Stella put her fork down and frowned at him. “Is something wrong? You keep looking behind me.”
He really didn’t have any choice now about telling her. It would be obvious once they left the diner and everyone’s attention was focused on them. She had a right to know that people were gawking.
Luke leaned forward across the table. “At the risk of ruining breakfast, it seems our table has captured the attention of many patrons of this fine establishment.”
“Seriously? Why?” she asked, turning to look behind her. As soon as she turned back around, Stella let out a huff of air. “Mayor Finch gave me a thumbs-up sign. And Saffron Jones gave me the stink eye.” Stella’s eyes went wide. “Is this about the rumor Patsy started?”
“It seems to be. I can’t think of another reason why their eyes would be bugging out of their heads.” Although the gossip linking him with Stella hadn’t bothered him one bit, the stares and the whispers were annoying. He didn’t want Stella to be the subject of flapping tongues. And Saffron was downright scary.
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I think the mayor just gave us her approval. I feel like I’ve entered an alternate universe.”
Luke snorted. “Or the Twilight Zone. Who would ever think a sleepy little town in Maine would be a hotspot for gossip?”
