There at a corner table, the old couple—what were their names?Dan and Sherri?No, Cheryl—were holding the babies, cooing and smiling at them.
A half dozen other people of varying ages were standing around, too, talking, smiling, reaching over Dan and Cheryl to make funny faces at the twins.
It was like something out of a television show.Not even a show from this decade.Something from forty years ago.
It definitely wasn’t something she’d ever been a part of herself.Emotions weren’t easy for her on any given day.But this?She had no idea how to react to this scenario.
“Hey, honey.”Cheryl smiled up at her, a noncrying Christian in her arms.“Are you feeling better?We weren’t sure if you needed a doctor but finally figured maybe you just needed a little break from these two.Babies can be so exhausting.”
“Um, yes.I guess I did.”
Dan smiled at her, standing and handing Beth over.“Thanks for letting us hold your young’uns.”His Southern accent was more pronounced than Cheryl’s.“We haven’t had babies to hold in a long time.Hope you don’t mind.”
Bree just shook her head, still feeling like she was in some black-and-white television show.As if someone would tell John Boy good-night at any moment.
“No, I don’t mind.Thank you.I’m not sure what happened, but I feel a lot better.”
Dan patted her shoulder.“Why don’t you sit down with everyone and I’ll go make you something to eat in the back.”
Bree looked at the group, teeth grinding.She didn’t have anything against people sitting around chatting, she just didn’t think she was capable of joining them.Didn’t knowhow.
Dan smiled gently at her.“Or, if gabbing like a bunch of squawking ducks doesn’t suit your fancy, you’re welcome to come in the back with me.Bring the baby, or I’m positive they’ll all fight to the death for the chance to hold her.”
Bree wasn’t quite sure what to do, so she kept Beth in her arms as she followed Dan into the kitchen, using the baby almost as a shield.Not that she thought the older man would do her any physical harm, but from all the questions she knew would have to be coming.
But the only question Dan asked was if she would prefer the breakfast sampler or Cheryl’s famous meat loaf.
Bree would much rather have the breakfast food, but she didn’t want to make a social faux pas by insulting the famous meat loaf in this sitcom she was currently starring in.
“The breakfast sampler does come with pancakes, so I can’t blame you if that’s the route you’d rather go.”Dan winked at her.
“I do like pancakes,” she whispered, pulling Beth a little closer.
“Then pancakes it is.”
She offered to help, but Dan would hear nothing of it as he made her food.When Cheryl stuck her head through the window and told him someone wanted the daily, Dan didn’t even bat an eye, just immediately started fixing the meat loaf platter.
He never asked Bree any questions about where she was from, what she was doing or why she’d fallen asleep in the middle of his restaurant.Just whistled, working contentedly in a kitchen he obviously was very familiar with.He passed the daily special order out to Cheryl, then added a couple more pancakes to the griddle, putting them on Bree’s plate as soon as she’d finished the first ones.
“Oh, I don’t know if I should...”She trailed off.It wasn’t that she wasn’t hungry enough to eat them, she just didn’t want to be completely greedy.
“Might as well finish them now,” he said.“I hate to waste food if I don’t need to.”
That was all the invitation she needed.He even reached out and took Beth from her so she could more easily cut and engulf the pancakes.
She took Beth back when she was finished.She was pretty amazed how a couple hours of sleep and a full meal made her almost feel like she could handle the situation she found herself in.
Although that was just as much fiction as any sitcom.Except not as funny.
Because what was she going to do once she left here?
“Thank you.”She took the plate back to the dishwashing sink and began washing it off.
“It’s my pleasure.I enjoy seeing someone partaking in my food with such exuberance—”
Cheryl came rushing back through the kitchen door, Christian sleeping in one carrier, the empty one in her other hand.“We just had a bus full of tourists pull up.I sent Judy home an hour ago because her husband’s been so sick.I didn’t think we’d have much business tonight.”
Dan began setting out items of food he’d need for the group.“By the time you call her and she gets back here, it’ll be too late.”
