Page 50 of Worth the Fall

“Really?” Her brown eyes grew even wider. “Daddy, can we have breakfast for dinner? I want breakfast for dinner!”

“I could go for some diner fries right about now.”

I swore I almost started drooling. Main Street Diner made hometown comfort food, and they made it well. Mr. and Mrs. Baker had owned the place for as long as I could remember. And while I literally loved every single thing on their menu, nothing—and I mean, nothing—compared to their giant, fluffy, homemade waffles. They even came in seasonal flavors, like pumpkin, lemon, and gingerbread. Which was why they served those suckers from open until close. Everyone deserved a good waffle in their life.

“This is so exciting!” Clara beamed as she played between us, reaching for both of our hands at the same time.

“I’ll, uh, go grab my purse and keys and meet you there?” It came out like a question even though I hadn’t meant it to be.

Thomas gave me a soft smile. This was the kindest he’d ever been toward me. There was always a little hostility brewing just underneath the surface, but the whole fiasco with Eli had seemed to change his demeanor completely.

I was not complaining.

“I’ll grab a booth for three.”

A booth for three.

At Main Street Diner.

Where everyone would see us together and be talking about it by morning.

“Unless you think that’s a bad idea?” Thomas pivoted, as if reading my mind. “We both know what your ex-husband said was a lie, but other people won’t. If you’re not comfortable with it, I completely understand.”

Clara looked confused but also disappointed as her eyes ping-ponged between the two of us.

“It’s fine. I’m allowed to eat dinner in town with my”—I stopped because I had no idea what to call Thomas—“boss and his daughter. Right?”

He bristled, but I had no idea what it meant.

“People will talk.” He was dead serious as he enunciated each word.

“I’m okay with it,” I said because right now, in this moment, I felt like I might be.

Tomorrow would be a different story, but I’d worry about that later.

Nothing was going to come between me and my waffle. It was all about the waffle. I repeated the lie to myself until I actually believed it.