Page 34 of Catching Coy
He turned to kiss the side of her forehead before he spoke. “I’m not wasting a minute of today. I want to sit right next to you every second, Bells.”
She leaned her head into him, drawing in a deep breath. “Whatever cologne, or deodorant you’re wearing, I love it. It makes my head spin in the best way whenever I smell it.”
“Good morning, Bellamy. What can I get for you two?” The waitress—Bellamy had called her Addy—set two water cups in front of them. Bellamy lifted her head.
“Morning, Addy. Thanks for having everyone in line.” She grinned.
Addy, who Coy recognized as the waitress that served the night he’d brought a team date here, put a hand on her hip and huffed out a laugh. “You’d think these people could act normal around someone famous. They don’t all pause their meals when Tag walks in here.”
“Most of them knew Tag when he was in diapers and first learned to walk, so there’s that.” Bellamy snickered. “Addy, this is Coy Jones. Coy, this is Addy. She dated Nash Roberts back in high school and he dated Roxy right before she married Tag.”
Coy had to swallow back a laugh at that introduction. Bellamy had already told him of herHe Spies She Spiesaddiction and hanging out with Nash. He’d put that on his list of things to do with her: binge a TV show. Hopefully notThe Catchand hopefully without Nash.
Addy leaned against the opposite side of the booth, unbothered by Bellamy’s dating history run-down for the residents of Little River. “What’s that, two degrees of separation from dating Tag himself? Not many closer.” She wiggled her eyebrows. This time, Coy did laugh.
“Small towns?” he offered.
“Nothing better,” Addy said. “The pancakes here are wonderful, and we’ve got some fresh peaches in.” She held up her notebook.
“Better than Bellamy’s?” He glanced down at his menu while he waited for Addy’s response.
She turned to Bellamy instead. “He’s already had your pancakes?” She wiggled her eyebrows again.
“Quiet, Addy. You don’t have to make it sound like that.” Bellamy was laughing, but her cheeks had turned a bright shade of pink. “You know I was cooking for the show before I joined.” She turned to Coy. “They’re good. Their recipe has a little more vanilla, a little more eggs, so they’re a touch richer than mine. Just different is all.”
Coy shared a look with Addy, who still grinned. “Yep, her and her mother know everything in every single item on that menu without me even breathing a word. Drives Jerry crazy.” She jabbed a thumb back toward the kitchen.
“You can do that?” Coy asked, turning back to Bellamy. “Figure out what’s in something just by tasting it?”
The pink flamed back up in her cheeks as she stared down at her menu. “Um, usually. Yeah.”
“Want to see her in action?” Addy asked. “Jerry has a new omelet he wants to try on you.” She lowered her voice to a stage whisper, “That’s Bellamy and Jerry speak for he thinks he can stump her this time. It’s a thing.”
Bellamy handed over her menu. “Send it out. And Coy wants the ham, egg, and cheese crepe.”
“Crepe?” Coy followed suit and handed over his as well.
“It seems weird at first to have savory stuff in a crepe, but it’s awesome. Trust me.”
He leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her lips. “Always.”
Bellamy slid her arms around his waist and leaned into him, begging for more kisses by tilting her lips up toward him. He obliged, barely noticing Addy moving away from their table. “I’m starting to wish we’d rented out the place again.”
“Yeah, I didn’t really think through my idea of you meeting people in town in just the day-to-day stuff here.” She pulled away to put some distance between their lips, which in a crowded place like this, was a good idea. Her gaze flitted around the room, smiling as she met the eye of various people and then even giving a wave to a little girl peering at them over the back of a seat a few booths away. “I can’t picture leaving here, Coy,” she said softly before turning back to him. “But … I would. I could.”
“I like Little River,” he said. “And we’re not all that far from Denver.”
“About six hours.” She laughed at how quickly it came out. “I looked it up before Agnes took my phone away.” She traced her fingers along the table. “Roxy had a hard time coming to terms with leaving here for Tag’s career. I love my hometown but not the same way she’s connected to this place. I’d be happy wherever … well.” She waved a hand, getting embarrassed again. “You know. Wherever my family is.”
He took the hand she waved around her and kissed the tips of every finger. “Same.”
A few groups of people stopped by their table as they left or came in, taking up the rest of the time before their meals came out with introductions and short conversations. Coy kept his arm around Bellamy for all of it, sitting close, enjoying their time. He had another date this week, which would require some honest conversation about where his heart was. He was willing to fake some stuff for the cameras, but not when it came to Charlotte and Gillian’s hearts.
Coy’s crepe was just as good as she said it would be, and she did indeed best Jerry once again, to cheers from the entire restaurant.
The next few hours contained a lot of meandering down the cozy sidewalks of Little River and meeting the everyday people who had made a difference in Bellamy’s life here. They stopped for homemade ice cream at a small desert shop, browsed a bookstore, and even got a tour of the fire station.
To his pleasure, the night ended on the porch of Roxy’s house. A small café table with two chairs had been set out for them to eat dinner, but even though they both wore fancier clothes for the evening “out,” both grabbed their plates and snuggled on the front porch swing as they ate.
