Total pages in book: 296
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
Walking into the diner, I glance around and see Mrs. Betty shuffling behind the counter, so I take a seat in her section because I know she’s always been good at giving advice. The woman has been working here since I was a kid, and she’s good friends with Mama, plus she always has the latest town gossip to distract me with. Sometimes, when I’ve got a lot on my mind, I’ll come down to the diner and drink coffee for hours. I always leave full and with a grin on my face.
Mrs. Betty instantly greets me with a smile and a steaming cup of coffee.
“So, did you talk to your lady, yet?” is the first thing she asks me. After hearing Dylan and me talking about River one night over dinner, she stuck her nose right in and told me to stop being a foolish man and track my woman down. I left out the part about River and my no-strings-attached sex-only deal, so of course, she thinks I should go to the ends of the earth to find her.
“No ma’am,” I say, taking off my baseball cap and setting it on the bar. “I’m not going to contact her. I’ve decided that if she doesn’t want to talk to me, then I don’t want to talk to her either.” My mood is sour, but I can’t help it. It’s been controlling my life these past three months, and it’s driving me crazy. I can’t keep on living like this.
“That’s too bad, honey. Personally, I still think you should just go for it. What if she’s having the same conversation with herself at this moment? You don’t want to look back on your life when you’re old like me and realize you didn’t fight for love—real love—none of that made up stuff. I don’t care about distance; love always finds a way. Trust me on that, sweetie.” She flashes me a wink.
I give her a smile but don’t speak.
“What do you have to lose?” she adds.
“Apparently nothing but my mind.” I sigh as she hands me a menu even though I always order the same thing. I don’t bother opening it but give her my order instead.
“Good for you,” she says with a sweet smile when I add a slice of pecan pie to my order. She doesn’t press me on River again, which I’m grateful for.
Time passes and before long Mrs. Betty is sliding my food across the bar top toward me and refilling my coffee. The eggs practically melt in my mouth, and the bacon is cooked crunchy just like I like it. As Mrs. Betty refills my coffee again, she’s smiling, and there’s something telling about that smile of hers.
“So tell me again what your dream girl looks like,” she says, her smile still lingering.
I finish chewing, not talking with my mouth open, and tell her as I have before.
“She’s tall. Blonde. Has a cute button nose and a smile that’s so contagious, she could make a whole room smile along with her. She’s kind and passionate, and you can tell she really cares about others’ well-being just by hearing her speak about her job. When she laughs really hard, her eyes light up like emeralds. Mrs. Betty, she’s the most beautiful woman in the world. But don’t let her fool you, she’s as stubborn as a mule too,” I say, chuckling on the surface, but anger is burning through my veins. Angry that I let myself fall for her, something I never do with anyone, and angry that I was so duped into thinking the connection we had was mutual. And mostly, angry that I can’t seem to get over it.
I look up at Mrs. Betty and catch her glancing around, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. “Well, I have a good feeling things are going to change for you, sweetie.” She pats my hand before walking away.
Once I’ve finished, she gives me my pie in a to-go box and the check. I tell her thanks and that I’ll be seeing her soon before putting a twenty down on the counter. As I stand, I grab my coffee cup and finish the rest before placing my cap back on my head. I feel good about my decision. Fuck her for leaving things the way she did. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but she made that choice for me, so it’s time to let go. I need to move on.
“Bye, Mrs. Betty,” I call out, walking toward the exit.
“Bye, Alex.” She winks.
Pushing the door open, I barely get one foot out before I hear my name being called behind me.
“Alex.” I’d recognize that voice anywhere. My eyes widen, not willing to believe it’s actually her. Not after all this time. Not after I’d just convinced myself to let go.