It took him a few minutes, but he managed to find a small table set back in the corner of the restaurant. He was glad that the table’s location offered some privacy because he didn’t want to be interrupted. He looked forward to having Sylvie all to himself.
He enjoyed the atmosphere of the small-town cafe. The walls were adorned with landscapes that were clearly painted by amateurs, an eclectic assortment of items like stuffed fish, baseball caps and old tin cans, hung beside signed photos of celebrities Heath didn’t recognize.
The booths and tables were old but in good repair. Older men perched on stools at the counter, drinking coffee and talking politics.
A waitress with bleached helmet hair, wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt, sidled over to him and gave him a toothy smile. She winked and flirted and gave him a glass of water and a menu. Heath ordered some coffee and was relieved when one of the regulars called out to her and she left.
He watched the door with a devotion that would have put a lonely hound to shame. He didn’t bother looking at the menu and only drummed on it with his fingertips. He wasn’t hungry, despite the fact that he hadn’t eaten breakfast.
When Sylvie walked into the restaurant ten minutes later, he sat back in his chair to admire the view. She wore a light blue sweater dress that hugged her full hips, landing just above her shapely knees and setting off the deep color of her skin perfectly.
Her lips had the faintest dash of rose-colored sheen. Her hair curled and brushed against the tops of her shoulders, and he had an overwhelming desire to touch her. He squelched that desire and stood to greet her.
He smiled at her and felt a rush of pleasure when she smiled tentatively back at him.
“Sylvie, I’m so glad you came. It’s nice to see you again,” he said. He hoped his tone was as earnest as he meant it to be.
“It’s nice to see you, too.” Her voice was even and neutral, not quite what he was hoping for.
There’d been a small part of him that had hoped she’d jump into his arms and tell him how much she missed him. He recognized that was irrational, but Sylvie brought out that side of him.
Heath pulled out her seat for her and gently pushed it in as soon as she settled into it. He resumed his seat across from her and studied her face expectantly. When it became obvious she wasn’t going to say anything else, he felt the need to fill the air between them.
“I hope there’s something on the menu that you like. Lunch is on me.”
She frowned. Immediately, he reviewed his words and wondered what he’d said wrong.
“That’s not necessary,” she said. “I can pay my own way.”
Heath cursed himself. She was there less than a minute, and he already stumbled into a minefield.
He remembered then how sensitive she was when he offered her money in Chicago. He just wanted to make her comfortable with him, but he couldn’t seem to find the right thing to say. It was an awkward situation and he needed to do or say something to relieve the tension.
“You look lovely today,” he said. “Robin egg blue is my favorite color, although champagne is a close second.”
A brilliant smile crossed her face. “Thank you,” she said primly.
Heath wondered if she remembered that he had told her his favorite color during their game that night. If she did, there was a chance she wore the dress for him, which would be a promising signal.
Sylvie opened the menu, briefly studied it, then closed it. “So you said you were on your way to a business meeting in the area? Where? I might know it.”
Here again was another potential minefield. He’d come to Zeke’s Bend specifically to find Sylvie. Here he’d been congratulating himself for putting an end to the lies between them, and here was one popping up at a most inconvenient time.
He decided in a moment of clarity that it was best to finally tell her the truth. There was no way they could have any kind of relationship if they didn’t start sorting out the fact from fiction.
He set down his menu and dove in. “The truth of the matter, Sylvie, is that I came here —?”
The flirty waitress chose that moment to show up at the table.
“Hey Syl,” the waitress said, holding out a pot of coffee over the cup and saucer that was part of the table’s setting. “Yes?”
“Yes, please,” Sylvie said. “What are the specials today, Rita?”
Rita rapidly rattled off a mile long list of entrees, including a number of side dishes and a veritable smorgasbord of desserts.
“Umm,” Sylvie said, looking off into the distance with an adorable concentration, “I think I’ll have the chicken and dumplings. I shouldn’t, but … I can’t help it.”
“I know, darlin,” Rita said. “You want sweet tea with that?”
; “Duh,” Sylvie said, making Rita snort.
“And how about you, Mr. Sexy?”
Heath blinked. Was she talking to him? She was definitely looking at him.
“She means you,” Sylvie said with a sparkle in her big brown eyes.
“Right,” he said. “I’ll have what the lady’s having.”
“I bet you do,” Rita said, smirking.
Chapter Fourteen
SYLVIE STIFLED A LAUGH BEHIND her hand as Rita sashayed away.
“I don’t even know what the hell that meant,” Heath admitted.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just Rita,” Sylvie said, snatching up some creamer packets. “So, you were saying something about why you came here.”
“Right, right. So, I think I should be honest about it. I actually came to Zeke’s Bend to see you. Specifically to see you.”
Did her hand tremble slightly when she tore open the creamer packets? He thought it had and wondered what it meant.
“Okay …?” her voice trailed away. “Why?”
“I know that we left things in a way where we both could walk away and forget the night we shared.”
Sylvie’s gaze flicked around the cafe. “Shh! Keep your voice down.”
“I didn’t realize I was being loud.”
“You’re not, but these people in here all know me, and they’re all wondering what I’m doing here with you. Some of them have the hearing of a bat.”
“Bats are pretty much deaf, aren’t they?”
“No, they’re pretty much blind. They hear with echolocation.”
“Right. Okay, so the bat people are probably listening in.”
Sylvie grinned. “Exactly. So, shh.”
“Then I’ll keep my voice down when I say,” he leaned forward and said in low tones, “I couldn’t forget the night we spent together. It was one of the best nights of my life. Perhaps the best.”
Sylvie lost her grin and looked down at her napkin. She plucked at a corner.
Heath forged ahead. “I was truthful with you that morning when I said that I wanted to spend the day with you so I could get to know you better. You’re not like other women I’ve met. There’s something about you. I hoped you might feel the same about … me.” Damn, that last part had been hard to say, but he was relieved to get it out.