“What are you hungry for?” I asked once we were seated and the waitress brought over menus.
“Just some toast,” she said, not looking up at me.
“We can leave if you don’t want to be here,” I offered.
Her eyes met mine. “I’m okay. I just…it’s…”
“You don’t need to explain.”
I perused the menu, and when I raised my head, Mila was looking out the window. The way the sun hit her blonde hair, she looked like an angel.
The waitress approached the table, and Mila turned her head, breaking the spell she’d had me under.
“Are you okay?” she asked when the waitress left the table.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
She cocked her head briefly and then looked back out the window. Neither of us spoke again until after our food arrived.
“How long have you lived in Boston?” I asked between forkfuls of pancakes.
“Since college, so almost eight years.”
“You like it there?”
Mila shrugged. “Better than here.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Sorry. No offense.”
“None taken. Were you born in Texas?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered, exaggerating her accent and rolling her eyes. “I’m Texan through and through.” She shook her head. “Sorry. Again. I just…”
I wiped my mouth with my napkin and sat back. I liked that she was being playful. “Just what?”
“I wanted a change.”
Change was understandable, but why Boston? “Not all that uncommon. Boston is a big one.”
“You’ve been?” she asked, picking up her last piece of toast.
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered, smiling at her slight and handing it right back to her. “Every once in a while, they let us good ol’ boys out explorin’.”
The smile left her face. “You must think I’m a raving bitch.”
“Nothing wrong with wanting a change. Nothing wrong with wanting to start your life over.” I’d certainly wanted to when I was younger, much younger than she was when she left Texas, though.
“Are you from Texas originally?”
I caught my flinch, hoping Mila didn’t pick up on it. “New Mexico, actually, but I only lived there a couple of years.”
“Then your family moved to Texas?”
“Something like that.”
“Sorry. I’m prying.”
I looked at her empty plate and the way she was eyeing my last pancake. “You still hungry?”
“I’ll be okay.”