Nina, weaving her way out of the kitchen with what appeared to be the wrong order again, stopped Jess as she cruised by with a coffeepot.
“Jess, since it’s so slow, do you mind if I take the afternoon off?” Nina asked.
Jessica couldn’t resist ribbing the other woman. “Sure. Just tell me you’re not sneaking off to Charlie’s to apply for a job.”
Nina’s expression was horrified. “No, no! I need to get these glasses adjusted. They really are driving me nuts.”
“I can imagine.” Based on the number of order mix-ups they’d had over the past few days, Jess thought that the diner would probably benefit from Nina’s afternoon off, too.
Jess shooed at Nina with her coffeepot. “Go, go. I can cover. Wes will be here in a bit, and he can do his homework and eat dinner here.”
Nina started off and then stopped, suddenly remembering the plate in her hand. “Do you mind also giving this omelet to the guy at table nine?” she asked, apologetically, nodding toward the customer. Jess didn’t have the heart to tell Nina that she was nodding toward the wrong table. It was a good thing that the local optometrist was only a block or so away and Nina could walk. Jess would be nervous if her friend had planned on driving.
Nina squinted. “He’s the—yep, the blurry one?”
Jessica laughed. “I got it, hon.”
As Nina headed out, muttering about her useless glasses, Jessica hoisted the Denver omelet in one hand, the coffeepot in the other, and made her way over to deliver the food. She didn’t recognize the man sitting there from the back of his bowed head, and as she slowed beside the table, she couldn’t see his face. It was blocked by a dessert menu.
“Okay,” she said brightly, “here is your omelet.”
He lowered the menu. Jessica looked down to see Chase.
She almost dropped the plate.
“Chase?” She stood, stunned, and gaped at him for what seemed like an eternity. There was no explanation for how fast her heart started beating—well, except for the fact that he was even better looking now than he’d been as a teenager and even more so than he’d appeared on TV.
“Jessica!” He seemed to be at a loss, too, his eyes wide. “I…I didn’t know you…you still worked here.”
Jessica recovered, managing what she hoped was a breezy tone. “And I didn’t know you were back in town.” Another long moment passed before they both relaxed and then chuckled. Thank goodness Nina wasn’t here. Jess didn’t need an audience for the awkward exchange.
“How are you?” she asked him.
“I’m good. I’m really good. You?”
“Great!” That was the only word she could pull from her still-shocked brain.
There was another awkward beat. They stared at each other some more. Goodness, he was everything that had attracted her in high school—and then some. She was suddenly self-conscious of her simple jeans and T-shirt, stained apron, and flyaway hair.
“Do you want to have a seat?” he gestured to the empty booth across from him.
Jessica said, “Oh, no. No, no, no, no. The dinner rush will be here any second.”
Outside in the parking lot, a loud car alarm went off, making Jess jump slightly. Grateful for the interruption and a chance to catch her breath, she turned to look out the window. “For goodness’ sake. Who sets their car alarm in Parker Falls?”
Chase reached for his keys and started to rise out of his seat. “That would be me,” he said sheepishly.
As she turned back to Chase, ready to slide his plate in front of him and make her escape, they collided. The Denver omelet she’d been holding careened off its plate right onto Chase. It hit the table and exploded into his lap.
Jessica was instantly mortified. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry!”
Chase brushed off omelet, laughing. “It’s all good. I’m okay.”
“No! Don’t touch it! I got it.” She whipped a towel from her apron, put her coffeepot down, and began brushing at the food that now decorated the table. “I am so sorry.”
Welcome back, she thought. Here’s a bunch of gooey cheese and eggs in your lap!
“No, please, come on,” he protested, using a menu to scoop up piles of eggs. She was so focused on the mess and her own embarrassment that she didn’t notice Chase watching her—at first.
“Well, now you kind of have to sit down, right?” His tone had changed. His voice had lowered, and Jess looked up to see that wide, warm smile—another thing that had grown exasperatingly more attractive about him.
“Oh, gosh. Such a mess,” she said, grimacing. Ignoring the way Chase regarded her from underneath his lashes, she slid into the booth and swept the last of the omelet catastrophe onto the plate she held, holding the platter up to him. “Would you like some hash browns?”
At least he was still laughing. As she set the plate aside, Chase flipped an empty mug that sat beside Jess right side up and poured her a coffee. “So you’re running your grandpa’s place now?” he asked her.
Jessica felt the frown forming between her eyebrows. “More like it’s running me. My folks moved to Florida and left me here to manage the circus.”
Chase glanced around. “Well, not much changes around here, huh?”
Jessica bristled inside at his implication. Her life was radically different from the last time he’d strolled out of town toward fame and glory. She said, “Oh yeah? Well, actually, I’ve got myself a new fella. And he is pretty amazing.” She deliberately kept her reference to Wesley vague, waiting to see how Chase reacted. It was a little juvenile, but when would she get another chance to needle him?
Chase looked a little surprised. “Oh really?”
Jessica nodded to a photo on the wall. In it, she embraced Wesley from behind. Wes was smiling—a genuine smile, not his mom-you’re-embarrassing-me grimace.
Chase smiled. “Cute kid.”
“His name is Wesley. And he’s my world.” She sipped her coffee as they sat. The awkwardness returned. What in the world could she say to him? It had been fifteen years. They were different people now.
“Want more?” Chase asked.
“Kids?” she asked. Well, this conversation got personal really quick. Her brain scrambled a bit at the question.
“Coffee,” he corrected, holding up the pot.
Jessica, blanching a bit, said, “Right! No, I’m fine. I’m over-caffeinated as it is. It’s called single parenting.”
Chase avoided her gaze as he said, “I’m really sorry about you and David.”
Jessica narrowed her eyes. Davis and Chase hadn’t gotten along much when they were younger, but she doubted that Chase would have forgotten his name. “Davis,” she corrected, smirking.
Chase said, “Oh, I’m sorry. Davis.”
“Well, it’s been almost two years, and Wesley and I are doing fine,” she assured him.
Chase nodded seriously, but Jess could still see a spark of amusement in his eyes and the slight lift of one corner of his mouth. He’s always been a little bit of a rabble-rouser.
“So what brings you back?” she asked. “I can’t imagine it’s for Spring Fling.” Or for an old fling.
Chase leaned