It was probably ridiculous that she felt this way about an impromptu breakfast date with Simon, but Violet couldn’t help herself. Ever since she woke up to find the text message invite, she’d been humming a happy tune.
“Good morning!” Violet called out, waving at Mr. and Mrs. Brown as they strolled out of the diner, having just enjoyed their one-millionth breakfast together.
Okay, maybe they hadn’t had that many, but since they’d been married for almost fifty years, it was at least in the tens of thousands.
Hmm. Would she ever be able to claim that she’d had breakfast with someone thousands of times and it be true? Would Simon be that someone?
Her belly flipped with excitement.
With the Browns behind her, she swung the door open and resisted singing good morning to the entire restaurant. Somehow, she managed.
However, she was unable to erase the smile from her face.
“Mornin’, Sue. I’m meetin’ someone,” she told the waitress who started her way as the bells jingled overhead.
It took only a second to locate Simon sitting in a booth near the front windows overlooking the parking lot.
Good thing she didn’t skip. He would’ve seen her and likely thought she was a little looney.
As soon as he saw her, Simon got to his feet, a smile forming as she approached. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she replied, feeling somewhat shy. She hadn’t seen him since Sunday evening when he went back to the B and B, both of them mindful of how fast things seemed to be moving. She’d missed him enough that she found herself staring out the bookstore window to see if she could see him coming or going from the bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, she hadn’t.
Violet found herself staring up at him, not sure what to say next.
Thankfully, he filled in the silence. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“I’m glad you invited me.”
They stood there for another few heartbeats, probably looking like a couple of idiots. When he finally gestured for her to sit, she slid into the booth, surprised when he joined her on the same side.
“Are you expectin’ someone else?” she asked.
“Can’t a guy sit by his girl?”
His girl.
God, she liked the sound of that. More than she should.
“What can I get you?” the waitress asked, setting a glass of water down in front of her.
“Oatmeal with brown sugar,” Violet answered quickly. “And extra brown sugar.”
Sue laughed. “Got it. To drink?”
“An orange juice. Thanks.”
“And you?”
Simon looked up at the woman. “Two eggs, over hard, and a piece of toast. And coffee, please.”
After she jotted it down, she hurried off, stopping to refill coffee mugs with the pot she was carrying around.
“Oatmeal?” Simon prompted as he slid his arm across the back of the booth behind her. “You know the high today is ninety.”
Violet grinned. “I do know that. But it’s September, and I like oatmeal. If I put it off until it’s weather-appropriate, I won’t get any until January.”
His eyes glittered with amusement. “Fair enough.”
