He sits back, looking adorably smug. “Well, Sage McCallister, it’s good to know I can win you over with breakfast carbs and random facts.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to flirt right back and remind him I went home with him because of his ability to banter obscure knowledge with me, but I hold back. An older woman comes over, and I blink a few times to make sure I’m not seeing things. Nope, she’s wearing a bright purple poodle skirt, black poodle appliqué and all.
“Hi kids, I’m Dottie. Welcome. What can I get you this morning?”
Brady gestures at me to go first, doinga poor job of hiding his smile. I wonder if it’s because we were just called kids.
“Can I please have a decaf coffee and two chocolate chip pancakes, no whipped cream but sliced banana on the side?” I say, handing her the menu. “Thanks.”
When she turns to Brady, I look at him as well, only to find him staring at me in shock.
“I’ll have the same, but no coffee, thanks.” He doesn’t even look at Dottie as he passes her his menu.
“You bet, hon.”
As soon as she walks away, I ask, “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’ve never known someone else who likes banana and chocolate chip pancakes.”
I blush again. “Um, well, it’s kind of a new thing. Since I got pregnant.”
Now his cheeks darken, and that, combined with his dimples that I can’t stop staring at, is a lethal combo of hot cuteness.
“Guess that’s proof enough you’re carrying my kid,” he quips just as I take a sip of water, and I immediately start choking on it.
“Shit, Sage, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you had to prove anything.” He’s out of his seat and crouched beside me in an instant, his large hand rubbing my back. This close, I can smell his cologne, and it takes me right back to our night together.
“Trust me, it’s yours,” I manage to gasp out.
“I was just joking, honest.” He sounds so worried, and I know we’ve got to stop dancing around each other or things will never get any less awkward.
As much as I want him to keep rubbing my back, I turn so I’m facing him and take his hand loosely in mine. “I know. It’s okay, Brady. Sit down, let’s talk.”
Still looking uncertain, Brady stands up and moves back to his seat just as Dottie arrives with my decaf coffee. He watches silently as I pour in some cream and a packet of sugar, give it a stir, and take a sip.
Setting it back down, I lick my lips. “I haven’t been with anyone else since that night. There’s no question this is your baby.”
“I believe you. I never actually doubted it, I was just caught off guard with the pancake thing.”
We give each other a small smile, and that’s one hurdle down.
“Can I ask what you do for work?”
That’s an easy first question to answer, so I settle back in my seat and cradle the warm cup of coffee in my hands. “I’m a nurse. Right now I’m posted in the emergency department at Cedar Creek General, but they’ll move me to a medical floor or somewhere less intense when I get further along.”
Brady nods, his hands clasped on the table in front of him. “Is that what you were doing in Manitoba? Nursing?”
“Yeah, I’m a travel nurse, so I take on short contracts, normally three to six months, all over the country.”
Something flashes across his face, and I can tell he doesn’t love that answer. I wait to see if he’ll say something, the way one guy did who I went on a date with last year. He actually said that didn’t sound like a “real job” and I needed to stay in one place to have a proper careerand pension. Or something like that, I tuned him out part way through his lecture.
Needless to say, he didn’t get a second date.
But Brady doesn’t say anything like that. Instead, to my surprise, he asks, “Where has been your favourite place to work so far?”
“Probably Prince Edward Island. The province just has this wild sort of beauty to it that’s so captivating. But” —I laugh— “I was there over the summer. I’m guessing storm season isn’t quite as beautiful.”
Brady nods. “I’ve always wanted to visit the East Coast.”
