Grandma Dolly had been fascinated by the original American diners, so much so that her life’s dream had been to open up her very own in Sunset Bay. There’d been no way on earth that she’d have been able to afford the premises herself as she’d only worked part-time in the newsagent’s, but little did Grandma know that Grandpa Robert had friends in quite a few places.
One night, as they’d been returning from a dance over in the next town with a bunch of friends, Grandpa Robert had stopped the car in the petrol station’s car park and switched off the engine. Grandma Dolly always laughed and said she’d readied herself to give him a swift slap if he’d gone there to try something ‘rude’ with her. Grandpa Robert had climbed out of the car, walked around to open the passenger door and held out his hand for her to take as she’d stepped out, in true gentlemanly fashion. He’d pulled a key from out of his pocket and slotted it into the keyhole. He’d pushed the door open wide and stepped inside, beckoning for Grandma Dolly to follow him. Inside, he’d got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. After she’d cried out a very emotional ‘yes’ in reply to his proposal, he had slipped the engagement ring onto her finger and slipped the key into the pocket of her cardigan. He’d bought the premises for her. It had taken a while for Grandma Dolly to transform the place into the vision she’d had in her mind, but she’d managed to get there with the help of her beloved. They’d married quickly and moved into Honeysuckle Cottage as soon as they’d been able to.
As Mia approached the diner now, she spotted the familiar figures standing outside talking among themselves happily. Her heart sang at the sight of them. Even if she’d been able to choose, she wouldn’t have been able to pick a better bunch of friends to work alongside. They each brought their own unique personalities to the diner and without them it wouldn’t be the same.
‘Morning, gang!’ she called cheerily with a little wave. They were all there. Marco and Cal, the cooks, and Pollyanna, the waitress. They were a small team but they worked brilliantly together and surprisingly slid through the busy periods with ease. ‘How are we this morning?’ Her fingertips were already touching the key in the pocket of her dress, eager to get inside. ‘Ready to rock and roll?’
‘Aren’t we always?’ Pollyanna giggled as she adjusted the mint-green bow nestled among her blonde curls. The bow matched the colour of their knee-length dresses perfectly. ‘Can I pick the first track on the jukebox?’ she asked sweetly, clapping her hands together in a prayer pose and pouting her rosebud lips. ‘Pretty, pretty please?’
‘Go on then.’ Mia laughed as she pushed open the door. ‘Are you both okay?’ She directed the question towards Marco and Cal as they passed her by.
They nodded. Cal offered her a grin which, even after being audience to it a billion times, made her knees go weak. The man was indescribably handsome, there was no denying it. If he’d worked out front rather than behind the scenes in the kitchen with Marco, she’d never be able to get a thing done, she was sure of it. His deep-green eyes, mocha hair and chiselled jaw formed a very attractive man, a man who could easily distract a woman just by merely being present. It wasn’t only his appearance that drew Mia in, though. Beneath the dreamy exterior, Cal was a genuinely nice man. He was caring, sincere, loyal and ridiculously childish sometimes, which made her laugh endlessly. She caught a whiff of his aftershave as he slipped by and managed to catch herself before audibly inhaling.
When Cal had first arrived in Sunset Bay, Mia had spotted him sitting in one of the booths on a miserable Monday morning. He’d been staring into a cup of cold coffee wordlessly. She’d approached with caution and asked quietly if he wanted a refill, instantly wanting to back away from the gloominess surrounding him. She had no idea of what to say to a complete stranger who looked so sad. When he’d glanced up at the sound of her voice, she’d swallowed quickly, taken aback by the intensity of his gaze, his unwavering line of sight, not forgetting his ridiculously good looks. A slow smile had crept onto his mouth and he’d nodded, inviting her to sit with him when she returned with the coffee jug. It hadn’t been busy, Monday mornings never saw the staff rushed off their feet, so she’d agreed and they’d got talking. He’d had his heart broken by his childhood sweetheart, who’d apparently told him, after being inseparable since their teens, that she wanted different things and didn’t want to be tied down. Cal had moved to Sunset Bay on the recommendation of his parents who had lived there for almost thirty years. Bizarrely, after just half an hour of chit-chat with Cal, Mia had been captivated by him. She’d barely taken her eyes off him throughout the entirety of their conversation, even when she’d sipped at her own coffee that he’d poured for her with amusement when she’d taken the seat opposite. He’d been in desperate need of a job, and the diner had been in need of an extra cook to give Marco some relief on the weekends. As fate would have it, Cal had worked in a few eateries beforehand and had some experience. Turned out he’d just been being modest because he was actually a dab-hand in the kitchen, almost putting Marco to shame. He’d been there ever since, now a part of the furniture as well as a part of Mia’s life, too.
As they’d grown closer and she’d seen the other sides to Cal, the more sensitive side being one of her favourites, she’d quickly became attracted to him. There was something that pulled her towards him. His easy charm, his winning smile, his sense of humour? She wasn’t sure. Perhaps it had been a combination of all of those things. She’d spent hours at home, wondering if Cal could possibly feel the same way about her, obsessed over it almost, questioning every smile he directed her way, every accidental touch. He was nothing like the other men she’d had in her life, childish and commitment-phobes. He genuinely cared about her, worried for her, and when Grandma Dolly had passed away, he’d comforted her, made her hot soup on the cold nights and held her whenever she’d cried. That was when Mia had fallen in love with him, she was sure of it. When he’d scooped her up and held her tightly until her broken pieces had slotted back together. She’d felt like they’d had a connection and was sure it would lead to them finally becoming a couple, but then the rug had been completely whipped from beneath her feet and Hannah had stepped onto the scene. Her hopes had disappeared immediately. She’d taken one glance at Hannah and known she didn’t stand a chance. So she’d backed off, refused to ponder any more on the subject, except her heart hadn’t refused to step away so quickly. Quite honestly she’d been gutted, but in truth, she supposed it was safer this way, because then she’d never be able to get let down. She’d been let down before and it had hurt, by someone she’d trusted infinitely. She couldn’t go there again. She still had deep feelings for Cal, would still sometimes find him watching her and wonder what was going through his mind. She’d tried to put the thoughts of him to rest but they refused to be silenced, and so every time she saw him those thoughts grew wild and frantic with excitement. She was glad she had the diner to keep her busy, to keep her mind on other things besides him.
Pollyanna arrived in front of the jukebox and bounced up and down as she nibbled her bottom lip in thought. Her fingers prodded the buttons and within seconds the tune of a jaunty track filled every corner of the diner. ‘I love this song so much!’ Her shoulders wiggled in time to the music and she turned round with a beatific smile in place.
Mia stood behind the bubble-gum-blue serving counter setting up the till for the day ahead and placing all of the napkin and straw holders in a line, ready to be filled once the till had been dealt with. The sound of deep laughter travelled through from behind the kitchen doors as the men got to work inside, preparing the breakfast menu. Pollyanna, still jiggling about, bopped round the counter to arrive beside Mia and began refilling the waiting containers as she sang along to the catchy tune in a honey-sweet voice.
‘Ready for another day?’ Mia asked good-naturedly. She nudged Pollyanna with her shoulder, making the waitress smile. Despite Pollyanna being quite a bit younger than her, Mia adored the waitress’s company and found it difficult to be anything but cheerful