Nick had a few hours to kill before he had to be at the brewery, so he decided to treat himself to brunch at The Happy Apple. He’d been working hard and hadn’t had a good meal in a long time, choosing to grab things while on the road.
When he’d moved back after his dad had gotten sick, he’d spent a lot of time in this place, grabbing takeout and unwinding after a trying day of doctor appointments and hospital stays. It became almost a salvation.
Terry, the owner, treated him like family, as she did with most people. She had a kind soul with a heart bigger than her personality, which was larger than life to begin with. She was a woman who danced to her own beat and didn’t give a crap about what anybody else thought. He regarded her with the utmost respect. It also didn’t hurt that she made some of the most delicious meals he’d ever had. He had been dreaming about her apple pie pancakes and waffles, her apple cider glazed porkchops and her apple cheddar turkey burger. It was a lot of apple, but the way she mixed them in with the different ingredients made each meal unique and delicious.
He walked in and was immediately greeted by the buxom redhead. “Look who decided to grace me with his presence,” Terry said as she pointed to her cheek. “Come on, give me some sugar.”
Nick gave her a kiss on the cheek hello, avoiding her marking him with her bright red lips. Whatever lipstick she wore was a bitch to get off.
“Where have you been?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and making him feel like he was a kid being interrogated by a school principal.
“Busy with work, he said but when that answered didn’t seem to be enough, he added, “Been out of town a lot.”
She smacked his shoulder with a menu. “You must be craving a real meal then.”
“How’d you know?”
She popped her hip out to the side and rested her hand on it. “Because if it’s not my cooking, it’s no good.” She glanced to the window, and quickly turned him toward the dining room. “Why don’t you go grab yourself a seat, and I’ll bring you over a big plate of my apple pie pancakes, a couple eggs, and bacon.”
“That sounds like a little piece of heaven.”
“Because it is. My pancakes will make the angels sing,” she said.
“I have no doubts. Can I get some coffee, too?”
“Can you get some coffee, too?’ she mocked him. “You know where it is,” she called over her shoulder as she hurried away.
Terry treated the regulars like family in her own kitchen. She liked them to feel comfortable and serve themselves if they liked. Some people liked to be catered to, and Terry knew that, but Nick wasn’t one of those people. He didn’t mind grabbing his own coffee.
“Pour two cups while you’re at it,” Terry said from behind him. “I’ll join you so we can catch up.”
“Sure thing.”
Terry disappeared into the back and within seconds he heard her and her husband, Walt, arguing over who makes the pancakes better. Nick laughed and took a seat at a table by the window. When his dad’s hospital stays grew longer and the house grew quieter, he loved coming here because the delicious smells coming from the kitchen, the arguments between Terry and Walt, and the overall warmth and love that spilled out the doors and windows reminded him of a time when his dad was healthy and his family wasn’t slowly falling apart.
He took a sip of his coffee when he heard the door open and Terry’s voice call out from the kitchen that she was coming. He didn’t bother looking, too busy enjoying his coffee and the view of Main Street.
“I have the perfect seat for you,” he heard Terry say, and he finally looked up only for his eyes to lock on two familiar blue gems. Daisy’s hair was its usual mess of beautiful blonde curls, tucked behind her ears. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were red from the cold, and when she saw him sitting alone by the window, a spark in her blue eyes ignited, even if it was only for a second.
Terry ushered Daisy toward his table. “I was going to join Nick, but Walt needs help in the kitchen so take my seat while I go get your order started.”
Daisy went to speak, but Terry waved her off and teetered away on her red high heels.
“Hi,” Daisy said, tugging on a curl. “Why do I have this strange feeling that we were set up?”
“Probably because we were. Did she know you were coming?”
“She cornered me outside of Kate’s place.”
“I should’ve picked up on it when she told me to pour her a cup of coffee. She never drinks coffee past noon.”
“I don’t have to sit with you,” Daisy said. She was wearing a fancy black ski coat that was more practical for a runway than the ski slopes. It was cinched at the waist, revealing her petite frame beneath. Her designer scarf poked out the top. She was dressed with confidence but right now that confidence stopped there. She shifted from one foot to the other, hands shoved in her pockets, “There are plenty of other tables.”
He had no idea what had changed since the other day but he didn’t like her unease. “It’s fine. There’s a fresh cup of coffee with your name on it.”
“If you don’t mind…”
“Daisy.” Those big blue eyes stared at him. “Sit down.”
She slid onto the chair, and he passed her the small ceramic apple that held the sugar.
“Do you still drink it with more sugar than coffee?” he asked.
“I’ve cut down a lot.” She took the top off and dropped four and a half teaspoons into her ten-ounce mug.
Nick arched an eyebrow and laughed. “That’s cutting down a lot?”
“Baby steps. I started out with half a teaspoon less and went from there, adding another half once I got used to it, and now it’s much less than the eight I used to put in it. Besides not everybody likes to start their day with motor oil.”
“Coffee is delicious on its own. It doesn’t need all that extra crap.”
“That’s your opinion.”
She brought the mug to her mouth, took a sip then placed the mug down, but his eyes were still focused on her lips, the way her tongue slipped out and dabbed at the plump bottom curve before slowly swiping across the rest of her lip.
The unintentional movement stirred desire inside him. He swallowed down the need to reach out and run his finger across the slick path.
He yanked at the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat. “How’s Betty doing?” he asked, desperate to focus his attention on something other than her mouth and all the glorious things she once did with it.
“Good. I went up to see her again last night, and she’s doing better than when we saw her right after surgery. She’s not nearly as loopy.”
“That’s great to hear. I’ll have to stop by again before they transfer her to the nursing home.”
“She’d like that I’m sure.” She tilted the mug to her lips, taking a generous sip. “Have you thought anymore about your house and what you want to do?”
Nick leaned back in his chair and looked out the window overlooking Main Street. After Daisy left, he did the one thing he thought he would never do—he left, too. He liked living somewhere else more than he ever thought he would, but when he came back, it just felt right. Red Maple Falls was home and he didn’t want to leave again.
“I haven’t,” he said. “I love my job and this town, Daze. It’s home.”
“No one is saying you have to leave. You can always sell the house and buy something else in the area. Or maybe rent something for a while, like a bachelor pad like Caleb had before he moved in with Kate.”
“That was a pretty cool place,” Nick said, remembering the few times he had been for poker night with the guys. It was masculine and had Caleb’s own spin. There weren’t doilies on the headrest of wing chairs or flowered wall paper in the bathroom. No quilt racks or decorative pillow for each corner of every couch and chair.
Nick hadn’t changed anything in the house, mainly because he thought his mom would be back, but even now, knowing she was staying in South Caroline, he still hadn’t removed a single doily.
Maybe if he chipped away slowly instead of all at once, the changes wouldn’t seem so overwhelming and such a huge kick in the ass to his childhood and his parents who created the home over years of hard work and love for their family.
“Something to definitely think about.”
This was nice spending time with Daisy, talking to her without the built-up animosity that he’d held onto for so long, but he refused to get his hopes up. It was only a matter of time before she left again.