803 Wishing Lane by Shaw Hart

Eight

Heath

Walkinginto the Virgin Street Diner the next day feels so different. This time, when I walked into the diner, Caroline smiled at me, her cheeks heating slightly and I wonder if she was thinking about our kiss from last night.

I took my seat at the counter, grinning as Caroline set my usual glass of water down in front of me. I have to hold myself back from grabbing her, dragging her across the counter and kissing her, and I think she knows. She winks at me, turning and heading back into the kitchen to place my order and I watch her go.

Even though we went to the next town over for our date last night, I’m sure that at least half of the town has already heard about it. To be honest, I can’t wait for everyone to know about the two of us but I have a feeling that Caroline wants to talk to Charlotte about it before the gossip hits her. I’ve never really dated before but I imagine that adding a kid to the mix changes things.

“Hey, Heath,” Ken says.

He’s the town doctor and he must be on his lunch break.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I ask, taking in the dark circles under his eyes.

“Good, keeping busy,” he says, rubbing at his eyes. He looks like he’s about two seconds away from taking a nap on the counter.

“Hey, Heath,” Gracie says, smiling conspiratorially at me as she takes the seat on the other side of Ken.

“Hey, what can I get you two?” Caroline asks as she sets my food down in front of me and moves to take Ken and Gracie’s order.

“Coffee,” Ken croaks and I see Gracie shoot him a sympathetic look.

“I’ll take a BLT and a slice of that pie,” Gracie says, pointing over to the cherry pie in the case.

“That sounds good. Make it two,” Ken says, not even bothering to lift his head from the counter.

I eat my lunch, sharing looks across the diner with Caroline any chance I can. She stops to talk to me whenever she gets the chance, too, but it’s not enough. Ken and Gracie both left and I need to get back to the Trading Post soon but I can’t go. Not yet. Not until I get another taste of my sweet girl.

When it looks like everyone is busy, I slip behind the counter and head down the hallway toward the back office I just saw Caroline head into.

I close the door behind me and smile as Caroline stands and makes her way around the desk.

“Hey,” I whisper and she giggles.

“Hey. Why are we whispering?”

“It just felt right,” I tell her, enjoying the sound of her laughter.

“You know what else would feel right?” she asks, her hands on my chest as she leans up on her toes.

“Uh huh,” I whisper back, my lips meeting hers in a gentle caress.

Her hands land on my shoulders, squeezing there before she reaches up, tangling her fingers in my hair and pulling me closer to her. I cup the back of her head, wanting us closer, too.

She moans into my mouth when my tongue slides across her lips. The kiss is soft, sweet, and unrushed, and I love it. I lick the seam of her mouth once more, asking her to let me come inside. She surrenders with a moan, parting for me and giving us what we both want.

“Caroline? The meat delivery is here!” Amelia calls and we break apart, both of us breathing heavy.

We don’t pull away immediately, but I know she has to get back to work, so I drop one last kiss on her lips before I step back.

“Have dinner with me again.”

“Okay. Later this week? Maybe Friday or Saturday?”

“Perfect,” I say, stealing one last kiss. “Why don’t I take you both out tomorrow though. I can’t last until Friday without seeing you.”

Caroline smiles wide at that and I love seeing her look so happy.

“Alright, if you insist.”

“I do,” I say as I take her hand and we head back out into the diner with her.

She waves goodbye at me as I head for the door, and I practically skip all the way across the street back to the Cherry Falls Trading Post.

I’m surprised to find my old friend Graham waiting for me outside of the Trading Post when I get back from lunch.

“Hey, man. I didn’t know that you were in town,” I say as we hug and clap each other on the back.

“Just passing through and thought I would stop in and say hi, see if you wanted to grab lunch or something.”

“Oh, I just ate, but I can grab a cup of coffee or something with you if you want.”

“Nah, let’s just head inside and catch up. I can grab something when I head out of town.”

I unlock the shop’s door and lead him inside.

“Do you need anything?” I ask him as he looks around the place.

Graham lives up in the mountains on Fallen Peak. I don’t know much about his past but he stops by town every few months and we always catch up.

“Maybe. I’ll have to look around. I’ve got to stock up before winter hits and we all get snowed in up there.”

“We got some new camping gear in. There’s some cool gas griddles that we just got in.”

Graham nods as he leans over, resting on the front counter.

“How are things going with you? Did you ever make a move on your diner dream girl?” he asks with a smile.

“As a matter of fact, yes I did. We just had our first date and we’re going out again in a few days.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks, what about you? Any special lady in your life?” I ask and he snorts out a laugh as he shakes his head.

“No, there’s not a lot of eligible bachelorettes in Fallen Peak.”

“Maybe you’ll find someone down here,” I suggest.

“Maybe,” he says but I can tell he doesn’t really believe it.

Some tourists come in then, and Graham wanders off to check out some of the camping gear. I move over to help them, and seeing the hiking boots gives me an idea for my next date with Caroline.

I check them out and then help Graham check out and haul his supplies out to his Jeep.

“I’ll see you next time you’re in town,” I say as I shake his hand and he nods.

“See you then. You can catch me up on diner girl.”

“Sounds good.”

I wave as he drives away. It only takes a second for me to get distracted when I spot Caroline through the front windows of the diner. She waves at me, grinning, and I wave back before I head back inside my shop.

I think about Caroline for the rest of the afternoon. I grab some hiking boots that I think will fit her and Charlotte and stack them behind the counter for later. I can’t wait to spend more time with her.

It feels so right being with her. It’s effortless and that’s how I know that we were meant to be.

Now I just need to convince her of that.