Page 36 of Scoop Me Up
He nodded and placed a cup in front of me before grabbing a pot and pouring. “Anything else for now?”
I glanced at the menu quickly before ordering bacon, eggs over medium, and toast. Mickey took no time putting my orderin and bustling around the small diner to take care of the few other patrons seated around me. Eventually, he came back and delivered my breakfast to me—two beautifully cooked eggs, golden brown toast, and several slices of bacon in a red coffee mug, served like flowers. My stomach growled and my mouth watered as I dug in.
As I ate, Mickey lingered, striking up a conversation. “You’re new in town, right?”
“Yeah, I’m Ellie’s dad. Just here for the summer.” My stomach sank at the thought of the decision looming in my future.
“You’re staying at the inn?”
I shook my head, my stomach sinking further, my toast suddenly too dry in my mouth. “I’m staying with Sam Thatcher for a while. The inn didn’t have a room they could spare for the next six weeks.”
Mickey let out a low whistle. “Six weeks. That’s a long time to be crashing with someone. Sam’s a good one for it, though. They’re one of the kindest people that I’ve ever met.”
“Definitely. That’s pretty much how I ended up there—getting accidentally invited when I was in a pinch, and Sam was probably just too nice to say no.”
Mickey chuckled and shook his head. “Let me guess—Cooper?”
“How’d you know?” I took a bite of bacon that melted in my mouth and suppressed a groan. I did not need to be making obscene noises at the diner counter before nine in the morning on a Monday.
“Cooper’s a known troublemaker. How Sam puts up with him is anyone’s guess.” Mickey didn’t have any malice in his voice, though.
“He seems harmless. Maybe a little… intense.”
With a shrug, Mickey turned to a pair of newcomers and nodded. “I’ll be right with you,” he said before turning back tome. “He has to be. Sam would never come out of their shell if it weren’t for Coop. They’re good for each other.”
Something hit me, suddenly sitting like a brick in my stomach. “Are they—?”Is that why he turned me down?
“Oh, no,” Mickey said in a hurry. “They’re just friends. Have been for years. No chance of anything happening between them, trust me.”
I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or worse. “Got it.”
“Sam’s taking their time, but they deserve to be happy. That’ll come eventually. Hopefully sooner than later.”
With that, Mickey turned to the newcomers and took their order, leaving me to finish my breakfast in silence. As I ate, I pulled out my phone and texted Miles, the real estate agent, to see if he had some free time that morning. I needed to know if he could get me into a short-term rental and out of Sam’s place before Sam decided to kick me out for my clumsy attempt to kiss them.
By the time I was done eating and had paid my tab, Miles had responded that he was free that day. We agreed to meet at Special Blend and I took off for the coffee shop, begging the universe to help me out.
As I arrived at Special Blend, I spotted someone with their back toward me standing just outside. Their head was bowed as if they were texting, a messenger bag over one shoulder. “Miles?”
The person turned around and I recognized him immediately as the very same Miles I’d gone to high school with, the Miles I’d been close with in those last four years of school. “Gabe,” he said, a note of pleasant surprise in his tone. “I wondered if it was going to be you.”
“I had the same thought. Good to see you.” I reached out to shake his hand, but he brushed me away and pulled me in for a one-armed hug instead.
When he released me, he was grinning and shaking his head. “Don’t give me any of that handshake nonsense like we don’t even know each other.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s fair. How’ve you been?” We spent a few minutes catching up, giving each other the broad strokes of our lives the past several years. I told him about Jennifer and Ellie and my work as a business consultant. Miles told me he was still single, and mentioned that he’d been working in real estate since he’d finished undergrad. It felt good to make a connection with someone other than my ex-wife or the guy who’d rebuffed my advance. It felt good to feel like I had someone in my corner, like I had a friend.
“So what can I help you with? You said you’re looking for a rental?”
“Yeah. Short term, really. I’m in town for the next six weeks and I need somewhere to stay. And before you ask, the inn was booked. I tried a few of those short-term rental sites, too. Nothing.”
“Tourist season will do that,” he said with a little chuckle. “Let’s see what I can do for you.” Miles led the way into Special Blend and ordered coffee for each of us while I chose a table off to the side where we’d be able to chat. When he returned, he pulled a laptop out of his bag and opened it up. “To be honest, short-term rentals aren’t a huge market here. We have a few, but…”
“Tourist season?”
He nodded. “Now, if you want to rent long-term or buy something… that I can definitely help you with.”
“Nothing’s final yet. Why don’t you show me what you’ve got?”
