Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
With a quick look at my watch, I saw that Aiden was ten minutes late. When the waitress made her way back, she gave me a sweet grin.
“Would you still like to wait to order?”
“Yes, please, I’m sure he won’t be much longer.”
She nodded and pointed to my water. “Something other than water?”
“A Diet Coke if you have it.”
“One Diet Coke, coming up.”
The restaurant was beginning to clear out, since the Saturday lunch rush was pretty much over. I noticed a man walk into the restaurant. He looked around, spotted me sitting in the back corner all alone, and made his way toward me. My mouth nearly dropped open when I got a better look.
If Ryan Paevey had a twin, this man was him.
Dark hair, a body that screamed he worked out every day, and currently dressed in a Rocky Mountain National Park ranger uniform, and eyes that were light in color. At least from what I could tell. His gaze caught mine and he smiled politely. I returned the gesture.
My stomach did a little flop, and I silently chastised myself for letting a man make me feel butterflies. It had been a number of years since that had happened, and I guess my poor neglected body could no longer handle the sight of a handsome man.
Were they filming a Hallmark movie in town? If wishes were fishes!
He stopped at my table and pointed to the empty seat.
“I’m sorry, I’m waiting to meet someone,” I said before he could speak.
He chuckled. “Emma?”
Oh. My.
The man’s voice was deep. I squinted to study him closely.
Was this Ryan Paevey? No. No way.
“Ryan?” I asked, daring to hope that God was on my side today.
He frowned. “Um, no, Aiden. Aiden Bishop.”
I nearly choked on my own tongue.
Trying to stand, I remembered I was in a booth when my thighs knocked into the table. I made an embarrassing grunt sound, then slid out of the booth, all while trying to act like I didn’t just make a complete fool out of myself.
I managed to speak. “Aiden. It’s an, um…it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Extending my hand, I waited for him to shake it. Instead, he stared at me for the longest time, taking me in like I was a bug under a microscope. It made me feel a bit uneasy, like he was judging me. But then, I couldn’t blame him. I was the person he’d be entrusting with his child.
He tried not to act like he was looking me over, but he was, indeed, looking me over. My skin felt hot, and I was starting to sweat.
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t answer you. Yes, I’m Emma.”
He reached his hand out finally and asked, “Why did you ask if my name was Ryan?”
A nervous laugh slipped from my lips. “Oh, gosh, it’s sort of embarrassing, so…maybe we could back up three minutes and start all over?”
He smiled, and it was genuine.
“Okay, let’s try again. Is anyone sitting here?” he asked, pointing to the empty side of the booth.
Relief swept over me. Maybe I hadn’t ruined the interview after all.
“Are you Aiden Bishop?”
“Are you Emma Middleton?”
“I am, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
We shook hands, and I couldn’t ignore how his eyes seemed to sparkle in amusement. But not enough to outshine the lost look in his eyes that seemed to cloud over any potential happiness. I knew those eyes. I looked at them every day in the mirror.
“Well, then, Emma, mind if I sit?”
“No, please do,” I replied, motioning for him to take a seat.
We both slid into the booth and then the waitress was back at the table.
“Hey, Aiden, the usual?” she asked. She almost had a dreamy look in her eyes. I couldn’t blame her; the guy was good-looking. Beyond good-looking. Handsome. Yes…he was very handsome. Ryan Paevey, Hallmark Channel-dreamy kind of handsome.
Okay. Stow it away, Emma Middleton; this is your potential future boss.
“Yeah, thanks, Annie.”
Annie set my Diet Coke down and said she’d give me a few minutes to look over the menu.
“I’m really sorry I’m late. Hadley insisted on wearing hot pink wings with her ballet uniform. It was an argument I decided wasn’t worth having, so I let her wear them. I’ll have to deal with Mrs. Jones, her ballet teacher, after class.”
I smiled and took a sip of my drink.
“So, Rose told me a little about you, and mentioned she was highly impressed. That speaks volumes for me.”
“Thank you, I appreciate her kind words.”
“What made you move to Estes Park from Dallas?”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to decide how much information I wanted to pass along.
“Well, I needed to start my life over, and I wanted to do it somewhere far away from Dallas. I’ve always loved the mountains. I remember a few yearly summer trips to Estes Park fondly. When I was trying to decide where I wanted to start over, this town came to mind.”