Page 157 of Banter & Blushes

“Spoken like a true pastor’s daughter.” Damon grinned. “Such wisdom!”

Shelby rolled her eyes. “Or too muchFrozen.”

“There’s never too muchFrozen!”Isla insisted.

A quick glance at the adults, their lips twitching like mine, confirmed that they’d all seen more than their fair share of the popular movie. Zaki and I stayed to chat for a few moments until more campers began to arrive. We hugged thegirls goodbye and strolled hand-in-hand back to the main lodge. We had a breakfast date planned at the Cliffside Diner.

At the reception desk, the assistant manager, Jordan, handed Zaki a set of keys. “The golf carts are parked around the side. Yours is pale blue with a white awning.”

We thanked him, and a few moments later, we were cruising leisurely down Cliff Walk Lane toward the main road and the ocean. I held on to my hat and basked in the early morning sunshine. The air still held a bit of the crisp overnight chill to it, but the sun was warm on my skin.

When the traffic cleared, Zaki crossed and turned left. The diner, a refurbished train car, was just up on the right. We pulled into the parking lot and found a parking spot. Zaki ran around to help me down, and I let him.

I loved his chivalry.

His hand guided the small of my back as we walked to the entrance. He pulled the door open, and the inside was just as I imagined. A long counter featuring a baked goods display and vinyl stools cut a third of the car in two. Booths lined the front windows and the built-on extension that ran at a right angle toward the back of the property.

“Reserved for Officer Saunders,” I read on one of the stools. “Aw. Damon has his own seat.”

“That man’s a hero!” Two booths down from the door, a little old lady with a pouf of white hair grinned at us. Across from her, a woman a few years older than me hid a smile behind her hand. “And he’s my grandson.”

“We just met him and his family at camp drop-off,” I said, walking up to the booth and extending my hand. “I’m Arwyn. You can call me Wynnie. And this is my fiancé, Zaki.”

“Daisy Mae Saunders. Call me Meemaw. I know all aboutyou,”she said, waggling her eyebrows at him. “And your team. Your goalie is from Georgia and will be here later this week. I’m going to meet him.”

This time, the woman across from her couldn’t hold in her laugh. “I’m Lanie. Meemaw here is obsessed with Jason Dexter. And his sister, Bailey. It’s kind of my fault. I might have gotten her into hockey.”

Meemawraised her brows and turned back to Lanie.“Might have?”

Lanie threw her hands up. “Okay, okay! I take full responsibility.” She looked back to us. “I’m a physical therapist at the sportsplex outside Boston. My best friend, Sarah, is a trainer for the professional team that’s based there.”

“And let’s not leave out the fact you dated Alexei Kriz before he was traded to Palmer City.” Meemaw smirked.

“No way,” Zaki said. “Small world. He’s a great guy.”

Lanie’s face flamed. “Very small.” She took a sip of her iced tea. I noticed blueberries floating in it. How interesting.

“And now she’s married to my grandson, Matt. They have two beautiful children and?—”

“Daisy Mae!” Zaki and I turned toward the source of the voice.Behind the counter, a woman with curly gray hair piled high on her head shook a pen in Meemaw’s direction. “I will not have you scaring away new customers!”

Meemaw waved her off. “Sadie, if they scare that easily, they need a faintin’ couch and a fan.”

Zaki snorted, and I did a terrible job holding in my laughter.

Sadie shook her head. “Sit wherever you like. I’ll be right over.”

“It was great meeting you both,” I said.

“We’ll see you again.” Meemaw winked. “It’s a small town and a short week.”

“Gotta love the small-town grapevine,” I said to Zaki as we settled into a booth around the corner. The window offered a view of the lighthouse in the cove. “I wonder what she knows about everyone else coming in for the wedding.”

“That’s something I loved about living in Palmer City,” he said. “That feeling that everyone knows you and has your back. You’ll miss that in Quebec.” He stretched out his arm over the tabletop to take my hand. “Remember, if I sign with Montreal, you can fly back to Colorado whenever you miss it. And we’ll spend a month there every summer with the girls.”

“Zaki,” I said gently. It was time to truth-bomb him. I knew he worried about me adjusting to city life. “Home is wherever you and the girls are. My house in Palmer City is just a dwelling now. It’ll be empty with you three and the pups not in it. Going back won’t ever be like it was before you were there.”

He squeezed my hand. “You say that now, but…” He looked out the window, and it became clear to me what was really bothering him.

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