Page 23 of Since the Day We Left

Just as he turned to leave, Wendi hurried up the sidewalk, cheeks flushed and slightly breathless.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, sweeping stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Max wasn’t having it when he saw me getting ready. Hid under the bed until I bribed him with treats—then made a break for it the second I opened the door.”

She’d changed into a green dress, fitted just enough to make him aware of her figure, while her hair tumbled in loose red waves around her shoulders. Wendi wasn’t just beautiful. She was the kind of beautiful that made a man forget whatever he’d been thinking a second ago.

And here I am, looking like I just came off a three-day camping trip. Great.

Miles opened his mouth, then stopped.

Cute? Too casual.

Pretty? Maybe.

Gorgeous? Definitely too much.

He cleared his throat. “You clean up good.”

“Thanks.” She looked downward. “I don’t usually dress up much these days.”

Miles glanced at his flannel and jeans, then shrugged. “It’s the fanciest outfit I packed.”

“Flannel works.” Her smile did something weird to his collar—tightened it, somehow.

They stood there for a moment—that split second of not being sure whether to hug, shake hands, or go inside. Miles chose to open the door.

Inside, Phil’s Diner delivered what the name promised—checkered floors, red vinyl booths, and a vintage jukebox spinning the latest Taylor Swift hit. The walls were lined with photos showing Hadley Cove throughout the decades.

Miles’s attention drifted to a picture from the early 2000s—an old storefront, now a hardware store, draped with banners for a town fair. Another captured a community fundraiser, a row of wagging tails barely peeking into the frame. A third showed a school field day: kids in oversized T-shirts, mid-laugh as they dodged water balloons, while parents stood nearby with plates of food. Off to the side, a burly man worked the grill, dishing out burgers from a steaming tray.

“Red!” A mountain of a man in a white apron approached, arms outstretched and a wide smile on his face. “Well, look at you—mighty fancy tonight.”

“Something like that,” Wendi said with a grin. “Phil, this is Miles.”

Phil shook Miles’s hand with a firm grip. “Any friend of Wendi’s is welcome here.” He led them to a corner booth, wiping the table, before his eyes landed on Wendi. “The usual?”

“Actually, let’s do the Beyond Burger instead of the Impossible one. And I’ll swap the Dr. Pepper for a vanilla oat milkshake.”

“Switching it up on me, I see.” Phil turned to Miles. “And for you, son?”

Miles scanned the menu, his eyes darting from one item to the next.

“Ah, you’re looking at the breakfast-for-dinner specials?” Phil asked. “Well, if you’re gonna do it, you might as well go all in. Try the pumpkin spice pancakes. They come with a seasonal syrup and a coffee to match. It’s the Fall favorite.”

Miles nodded, smiling. “That sounds great.”

“Good to see Wendi Parker finally letting a man take her out,” Phil called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Wendi rolled her eyes. “He’s been on a mission to find me a man ever since I moved back.”

“Any luck?”

“Not yet,” she said with a smirk, leaning back in the booth.

Miles smiled and tilted his head. “So, ‘Red?’”

“Had the hair since birth, so people got lazy with nicknames around here.”

Phil returned with their drinks. “How’s the little troublemaker doing? When do we get to see him again?”

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