SAGE: Love them.
BRADY: See you at 9?
SAGE: Okay
I’ve been staringat my phone for the entire bus ride from Dogwood Cove to Cedar Creek. It’s stupid, I know, but I can’t help it. I need to reread the messages to convince myself they’re real. That Brady is following through on hispromises.
I’m not sure how long it will take for me to stop expecting him to let me down, or worse, disappear. But today, he’s here.
As soon as I step off the bus and turn in the direction of the fifties-style diner where he suggested we meet, I see him. Standing tall, his hair is tucked under a backward baseball cap. The hoodie he’s wearing is layered under a puffy vest, and his jeans fit his strong legs and cup his butt in the most perfect way.
He hasn’t seen me yet, so I give in to temptation and ogle him for a minute longer. He truly is the hottest man I’ve ever been with.
Fiona’s comment about us making really cute kids comes to mind, and I hold back a laugh. She’s not wrong…not wrong at all.
He turns and catches sight of me, and the smile that breaks across his face is full and genuine. When was the last time a man was that happy to see me?
Never. That’s when.
I walk over to him.
“Morning,” he says, dipping his head in a nod and stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me.”
He’s nervous, too, and realizing that is both endearing and calming.
“I love pancakes,” I blurt out, feeling my cheeks heat. “I mean, hi. I’m glad we’re doing this.”
“Me too. I was thinking a lot about what you said back when we ran into each other at the store. About us not knowing each other. And I realized I still don’t knowyour last name.” He chuckles. “You’re in my phone as Sage Baby Mama.”
I snort out a laugh of my own, remembering that’s what I typed in when I gave him my number. “Yeah, sorry about that. I?—”
“You wanted to be careful,” he interrupts. “I get it, you don’t have to apologize.” He hesitates, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down before lifting my gaze to meet his. “I’m hoping you’ll trust me soon enough.”
The crazy thing is, I can’t remember why I didn’t trust him enough to know something as simple as my last name in the first place. I tilt my head toward the door of the diner. “I’ll tell you over a stack of pancakes.”
His grin comes easily, and is so eager and wide, I’m yet again charmed. He reaches over to pull open the door to the diner, and I step through, feeling his hand come to my lower back to guide me to the side as someone else walks out at the same time.
“Sorry.” He drops his hand like I burned him.
Glancing over my shoulder, I say softly, “It’s okay.” And it really is. I like the feeling of him protecting me, being there, even for something silly like guiding me past other people. It’s such a small thing, completely unnecessary, and not something I’m used to. But I like it.
The interior of the diner makes me pause, in a good way. A classic black-and-white checkerboard floor immediately pulls my attention, but then it’s the colourful booths, chrome stools, and all-out fifties-style decor that has me smiling.
“Wow, talk about a theme,” I murmur, mostly tomyself, but given Brady’s chuckle, he hears me well enough.
We’re quickly seated in a teal-coloured booth and given menus. But I don’t bother looking at it, already knowing what I want.
“Did you know the world’s largest pancake was over 15 meters in diameter?” I say when Brady puts down his menu as well.
He grins. “Yep, did you know the highest pancake toss ever was over thirty-one feet?”
Did he just…
“McCallister,” I blurt out. “My last name. It’s McCallister.”
Brady blinks once, twice, then places his forearms on the table and leans forward. “I thought you weren’t gonna tell me until you had pancakes in front of you.”
I let out a weak laugh. “You charmed me with your pancake fact.”
