Page 1 of Fragile Heart

CHAPTER1

Quinn

It’s onlyeight in the morning, and I already smell like maple syrup. It could be because of the half-dozen short stacks I’ve served this morning. It could be because I accidentally spilled a little syrup on my uniform when I was delivering one of said short stacks to table ten. Or it could be because I’ve been sneaking behind the counter to snack on French fries dipped in syrup all morning.

“Quinn Watson.” My best friend and fellow server at The Eatery on Main calls my name. I wince. I know I’ve been caught. I lift my head just enough over the counter to see Holly staring at me with her hands on her hips. “Please don’t tell me you’re eating fries and syrup for breakfast again.” I shove the rest of the fry I was eating into my mouth before standing up straight.

“Ok, I won’t tell you.” My best friend sighs at my response.

“You know that’s not good for you. Not to mention disgusting.” She crinkles her nose. I’m a sucker for sweet and salty things. Salted caramel. Chocolate-covered pretzels. Maple bacon. Fries and syrup. All classic combos, if you ask me.

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it, babe. Plus, I woke up late and didn’t have time to make anything before work. Danny had some fries lying around back there.” I shrug. Who am I to turn down fries?

“Oh, really? He just happened to have fries on a morning he knew you would be at work? What a coincidence.” I smile at her. She shakes her head, but I know she’s trying hard not to laugh. Danny is one of the cooks, and he’s always looking out for me. He knows how much I love French fries.

I look around the diner and notice most of my morning tables have already cleared out, probably on their way to work or school. I’ve only been at work for about an hour, but the first hour is always the busiest of the morning shift. People try to get in and eat a quick breakfast before the rest of their day. The Eatery on Main is one of the oldest restaurants in our little town and a family favorite. If you search the town of Blue Mountain, Georgia, on any travel website, this diner always comes up as the top place to eat. Granted, there aren’t too many choices, but still.

Holly joins me behind the counter and starts making more coffee. I sneak a few more bites while she’s busy fiddling with the giant coffee maker. She has on the same uniform as me—a little blue dress with a black apron tied around her waist—but she somehow makes it look good. Whereas I probably look like I’ve just rolled out of bed and grabbed the closest uniform I could find, not caring how wrinkled it was.

“What time are you here until today?” she asks.

“Four. You?”

“Six.” I grimace. That’s a long-ass day. I hate working seven to sixes, and luckily our boss, Martha, doesn’t make us do them often.

The front door opens just then, alerting us that someone is coming or going. Holly and I look up to see an unfamiliar man standing at the door. He’s staring at the sign that saysPlease Seat Yourselfand looks almost confused by it.

He finally lifts his head and looks around the diner. His eyes land on an empty booth by the window, and he makes his way over to it, sliding in over the glittery, dark-blue vinyl cushion.

“Is that…” Holly trails off. I look over at her, and her face is tilted sideways like she’s trying to get a better look.

“Who?” I ask. It’s hard to see who it is because the guy has on a ball cap pulled down low to cover his face. I can’t make out who he is, but I know he’s not one of our regulars.

“Doesn’t he look like Hudson Porter?”

I laugh. “What in the world would Hudson Porter be doing in Blue Mountain?”

Holly shrugs, still not taking her eyes off the new patron. “I don’t know. I mean, I heard they’re shooting a new movie up here soon. Maybe he’s part of it.”

“What?” I choke a little. There is no way Hudson Porter just walked into this diner. No way.

But the more I think about it, we have been seeing a lot of celebrities in town over the past year or two because of a new studio that opened about twenty minutes outside of town. There’s a lot of open land around us, so I guess some big Hollywood execs decided it would be a perfect place for a studio. We definitely don’t mind the extra tourism and money it brings into our little town.

“Yeah, I mean, it really looks like him,” Holly says slowly.

I squint at the man who is now reading through our menu. He does look a lot like Hudson, and I would know because he played the main character in one of my absolute favorite movie series growing up.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, the realization creeping up my spine. “Itishim. It’s Hudson Porter.” Holly grabs my hand and pulls us down behind the counter before I have a full-blown panic attack.

“Hey. Breathe. It’s no big deal. Ok?” She tries to calm me, but it doesn’t work.

“No big deal? That man played Sebastian from theChampions of Olympiaseries.”

“I know.” Holly nods.

“The same series that I’ve seen a hundred times and read the books just as many times.” It’s rare that a movie series and book series are equally good, but theChampions of Olympiaseries was amazing. I’m not the only one who thinks so. It’s one of the highest-grossing franchise series to date, and the books are constantly on bestseller lists. In my humble opinion, it’s a timeless story that resonates with all generations.

“I know. But remember, he’s just a person.” I suddenly realize why she’s trying to calm me down. She thinks I’m going to serve him.

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