Page 29 of Healing You
Steve grunted, dropping his head. “Your dog really doesn't want me kissing you, does he?”
Panting and happy, Gatsby nuzzled his head beneath her hand. She bent and placed a kiss between his ears as his caramel eyes darted between looking at her and Steve. Was it possible for a dog to be so damn intuitive? Because if she didn't know better, she'd think that Gatsby was insinuating something with that simple expression of his. She scratched under his chin. “He and I are a lot alike, you know.” She eyed Steve before clipping the leash to Gatsby and whistling for Ruckus.
Steve collected Molly's leash as well, taking an extra moment to squeeze her hand before releasing it. “Lucky for me, you smell a lot better.”
1 5
its summery wrath. T uesday morning took forever to arrive. Steve pulled his car into a spot in front of his practice, hopping out with a quick time check to his phone. Though it wasn't yet nine a.m., the sun was already beating down and he quickly ducked under the maple trees to escape
He texted Amanda, letting her know he'd be there in a few, before he rushed down the street to Elsa's Diner, pushing through the front door. Her diner was connected to the one and only inn Maple Grove had—aptly named the Maple Grove Inn. Sitting in a corner booth, snuggled up against the window, were Joey and Gladys. Steve almost did a double take but forced his attention forward. The local librarian and owner of the nail salon? Together? He shook his head.
“What's so funny?” Elsa's smirk fit perfectly with her sassy stance. Even though she was his mother's age, she had enough spunk left in her to keep up with the twenty-somethings that dined here almost daily during summer vacation. She cocked a hip and propped one fisted hand there, a towel draping down from between her knuckles.
“Just... admiring all the lovebirds our little town is producing.”
She arched a brow and relaxed her stance. “Oh yeah. Pretty new from what I've heard,” she said in an exaggerated whisper. “But according to Connie, Gladys didn't go home all weekend.”
Good for them.
The front door jingled as it opened, and Elsa perked up looking behind him before slumping back to the counter. “Everything okay?” Steve asked.
“Lila is late. Again.” She flung the towel on the counter, wiping furiously at non-existent dirt, much like Ma did when she was upset. Then with a sigh, she pulled her attention back to Steve. “What can I get you?”
“Two iced coffees, please.”
She grabbed two plastic cups, filling them with ice. “How's Cam and Lydia's wedding planning going? Maddie was in here the other day—sweet kid. She's so excited about getting a stepmom.”
“I think it's going well. They're having trouble finding a venue I think, but I'm not really privy to the details,” he admitted, shrugging. “That's more in Ma and Lydia's wheelhouse. You're coming to the engagement party, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Wouldn't miss it,” she said, filling the cups. “Room for milk?”
Steve nodded as the door behind him flew open, nearly slamming against a table of diners. Lila rushed in, tying the apron around her waist. “Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry—”
Elsa's already thin lips nearly disappeared as she pursed them tightly together. “That's twice since Sunday you've been late.”
Aw, shit, Steve thought. I just want my damn coffee.
“I know, I know.” Lila rolled her eyes to Steve and he slipped her a quick smile before grabbing the coffees and moving to the cream and sugar station beside the counter. “I woke up late and then Benny took forever to go to the bathroom and I couldn't leave until he did...”
“I told you that you weren't ready for a dog!”
“I am ready. We are just in an adjustment period. Do I need to remind you I'm twenty-five years old?”
Elsa snorted and the conversation dropped—something Steve was pretty certain damn near everyone in the diner was happy for. He turned to leave and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Sophy sitting at a table on the far end of the room. Just his luck, she looked up, her gaze connecting with his before he could sneak out. Damn. So close.
Steve snaked his way through the tables, coming up to her. “I thought you left town already?”
Her once warm and bubbly personality now froze over like their lake in the winter. “I did. But I had to come back. Unfortunately for you, with this deal going through, I'll be back and forth a lot.” She took a sip from her coffee mug, looking at him from over the brim. Though most of her face was covered—masked—he could still see the pain resonating there. He'd never called her after their date last week. Granted, he never said he'd call her... in fact, he thought it had been pretty clear to both of them that the date had been disastrous. But judging from her closed demeanor, maybe he'd assumed wrong.
The iced coffees were already beginning to sweat against his hands and he set them onto the table before sliding into the seat across from her. “I'm sorry it didn't work out better with us, Sophy. It just didn't feel like we had that much in common.”
She gave an eye roll at that, pushing her uneaten eggs around on her plate. “Yeah. That's for sure. You see me as some kind of devil woman.”
“Hey, that's not true,” he said. But even as he spoke the words in an effort to make her feel better, he couldn't help but feel she was sort of right. He didn't love what she was planning for his town. And if his friends and family lost their jobs and businesses because of this project? Yeah, he would blame her for it.
She sighed heavily, that dimple of hers nowhere in sight. “There's just got to be a way that we can go forward with this development and still maintain the town you all love. If the locals hate what we're doing, it's not going to be successful anyway.”
“You're probably right. Tourism is great and all, but the locals here will determine its success.”
