Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Still, when have I ever backed down from a challenge?
Plus, it’s true that I need a vacation.
In Aqua Vista? Get real. There are prettier locations in California.
I shower, dress, and glance out the window toward the appealing foothills, imagining there must be some scenic lookouts.
I wave to the woman at the reception desk and head out. I decide to walk toward the town center, noting the businesses along the way. The Tie-Dye Diner, a store called Spellbound, another called Slice of Life, and then an apothecary. The Honeycomb General Store, and then other businesses I don’t focus on long enough to learn the names.
The diner is like something out of the seventies, with bright, trippy colors, and I smirk to myself because whimsical seems to be the going theme around here. The diner is full but not packed, and I find a seat at the counter.
“Coffee, hon?” asks a waitress with light-brown hair and a sleepy smile. “Freshly made.”
“Yes, please.” I flip over my cup, and as she pours it from the pot, I notice her nametag reads June.
She slides cream and sugar my way, and I doctor it the way I like. I take a hearty sip as I look over the menu and listen to the other customers’ chatter. Not much different than in other towns, except people seem to know each other more personally here. I hear the bell above the door, and June steps behind the counter. “Your order’s coming right up.”
I do a double take when I notice it’s Jack she’s speaking to.
Jack’s hazel-brown gaze travels to me. “I see you’re finding all the good spots. Best breakfast in town.”
I smile. “Good to know. What do you recommend?”
“Blueberry pancakes are my favorite unless you’re counting carbs,” he replies, holding my gaze. Heat blooms in my stomach. “Then I’d say the eggs and bacon. Can’t go wrong.”
“Pancakes it is,” I say, closing the menu.
“How do you two know each other?” June asks as she hands Jack a large bag and two coffees in a cup holder. The order must be for Frank and him.
“I was here a couple of months ago when my car broke down.”
“Suppose I didn’t see you then.” June seems to study me more closely. “It’s not every day a handsome stranger comes into town.”
“Okay, you can stop flirting,” Jack grumbles.
“I’m doing no such thing, Jackson McCoy.” She smirks. “Besides, seems he already has his eye on you, or is it the other way around?”
“Good God, June,” Jack mutters in a lower register. “You’re going to get the rumor mill whipped into a frenzy.”
I glance around the room, wondering if anyone is paying attention, but everyone seems to be digging into their food or conversation.
“Gotta keep them guessing,” she teases.
He rolls his eyes. “Well, I’m off. Catch you later.”
We watch as he makes his way out the door. “Don’t you mind us. My brother is a grump, and I like to tease him.”
“It’s what siblings do, or so I’m told.” I smile at June and now see the resemblance. “What makes him so grumpy?”
She looks off in the distance. “He’s sort of always been that way, but it got worse after the accident.”
She must mean the boating accident, which means she lost her husband too. “I was sorry to hear about that. So tragic.”
Her eyes widen. “Did Jack mention it?”
“Yeah, last time I was here.” I lean forward conspiratorially. “He could’ve changed the subject, so I’m glad he shared that with me.”
“Why is that?” She narrows her eyes. “You a journalist or something?”
With that response, I can’t help wondering if there’d been plenty around after the accident.
“God, no. I can barely write a grocery list. I’ve just always been a naturally curious, talkative person.”
“Oh, I bet Jack enjoyed that.” She rolls her eyes.
“He didn’t seem to mind that night,” pops out of my mouth, and I immediately wish I could take the words back. “I didn’t mean…”
She huffs out a laugh. “No worries from me or anyone else in this town. It’s nice to know Jack can occasionally enjoy himself. Johnny and I try to work on him, but he likes to put up a front.”
“Still, you seem close, so that’s nice. It’s just me and my mom, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have siblings.”
“It’s a curse and a blessing, I suppose.”
She delivers my plate of pancakes before going off to assist other customers. I nearly moan out loud after my first bite, especially with the honey butter they serve on the side.
June makes her rounds with the coffee pot and fills me up again.
“Speaking of curses, why do people say that about Aqua Vista?” It’s something I’ve wondered over the last couple of months. My online property search didn’t bring up anything of significance regarding an unfavorable market in this area, so maybe it really is only folklore.