Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas by Sarah Robinson

Author:Sarah Robinson [ROBINSON, SARAH]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2022-09-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

“Mattie?” Tanner waved a hand toward the waitress at the Black Sheep Diner after almost twenty minutes had gone by without service. “Can I grab a coffee?”

Mattie turned to him, a frazzled look in her eyes. “Uh, yeah. I will. One second.”

She disappeared into the kitchen and was quickly replaced by Felecia, one of the co-owners. She and her twin brother, Felix, owned the diner together, and it was well known that the two hardly ever got along. Despite their constant arguments, they ran a mean business and there was nothing better than bacon and eggs at the counter.

“Dean!” Felecia greeted him by his last name, and he noticed that she had the same frenzied look in her eyes. “If you want to complain, I’m going to put in a suggestion box at the front.”

“What?” Tanner knit his brows. “No, I just want coffee.”

She looked relieved. “Thank Christ. I can’t handle one more goddamn complaint about this avocado toast.”

“Avocado toast?” Tanner gratefully accepted the mug of black coffee she poured him. “Is that new?”

“Brand spanking,” Felecia confirmed. “That Bennett girl is a business consultant now. She told me it was a must-have item on the menu, along with a few other hippie-dippie selections that are just taking up inventory space. No one in Heart Lake wants a fancy toast. They want bacon and eggs. Extra greasy.”

Tanner chuckled, because that was certainly the truth and exactly what he was about to order. “So, Nola’s giving you business advice?”

“It was a one-time free consultation,” Felecia replied. “Don’t worry. I’ll be giving her my feedback.”

He grimaced as he thought about that conversation. “Well, I can try it if you’ve got inventory to burn.”

Felecia’s brows rose. “You want avocado toast? You know that’s what young city folk eat, right?”

“I mean, I like guacamole and chips. How different can it be?” Tanner shrugged, but Felecia just laughed and told him his order would be right up.

“Eat your words, Dean,” Felecia teased as she walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later with a plate of green mush. “Enjoy the latest trending menu item in the Midwest.”

Tanner examined the plate as she put it down in front of him. On it were long oval pieces of bread topped with mashed avocado and sesame seeds. There was a sauce drizzled on them as well, but he wasn’t sure what it was.

“I can add a fried egg on top if you want, though Bennett suggested they be ‘poached,’” Felecia explained, using air quotes. “Who wants runny boiled eggs? I swear, I don’t understand the city.”

He didn’t respond but took a bite of the toast. His mother had often made her own version of eggs Benedict when they were kids, so he was partial to poached eggs in that dish at least, but he certainly wasn’t going to tell Felecia that. He swallowed his first bite, and admittedly, the toast wasn’t awful, but it was pretty tasteless. It just seemed bland, and he wondered what the attraction was to unflavored guacamole on a piece of limp bread.

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