Chapter 20
TWENTY
Juniper
We’re headed to the Galaxy Grill for pancakes. It’s usually something we only do once a month, but after Riley getting so sick this week, I just want to treat her. I’m looking forward to some quality mother-daughter time.
“Mom,” she says, and I can tell by the tone of her voice she’s going to ask me for something that I’m not going to say yes to.
“Yes,” I answer back in the same tone, as we pull up in a parking spot.
“I was wondering if we should invite Fisher for pancakes. He was really kind asking Dr. Beau to come check on me.”
I’m one hundred percent sure that Fisher facilitating Dr. Beau’s visit is not the reason Riley wants him to join us for pancakes. We get out of the car and head to the diner.
“He was really kind,” I say. “But he’s also really busy.” Riley has already suggested that Fisher can be her new dad. She doesn’t need encouragement to get attached to him.
“But you could ask,” she says. “He might not be busy.”
“I’m not going to ask, sweet girl.”
“But why?” she asks. “Did he upset you, Mommy?”
“No, of course not. He’s busy. And…” I pull in a breath. “He’s not going to be in town long. He hasn’t moved to Star Falls, honey. He’s just here for work. When Vivian has finished her album, he’ll be going back to New York.”
“But you could ask him.”
We pass by Snail Trail, and Marge, the owner, comes out with a cloth. “Morning, Juniper. How are you doing, Riley?” She starts to clean down Marv the Moose.
“Good, Marge, thank you.”
“You off for waffles?” she asks.
“Pancakes,” Riley corrects her.
“And what about you?” she asks me.
Marge has always been nosey, but I’m not sure why she wants to know my Galaxy Grill order. “Oh, I think I’ll probably get eggs.”
Marge laughs. “And how about that nice young gentleman who’s friends with Byron? You seen him recently?”
“She means Fisher, Mom.”
“Thanks, Riley. I know she means Fisher.” I nod. “Oh he’s fine, I think,” I say.
“I just saw him. Came in for some hiking boots. Didn’t even ask me the price before he said yes. And I upsold him three pairs of our best hiking socks.”
I try to tamp down my smile.
“Mom, that means he’s in town. Please call him and ask him to the diner.”
“Sounds like he’s preparing for a hike.”
“Mom. Please? I really want to have pancakes with him, and I know he’s going back to New York but he’s not in New York now, so I don’t see why we can’t have pancakes with him.”
The fact that Riley’s so invested in Fisher coming to the diner with us is terrifying.
She’s started to get attached to this man.
The man who is a fling. Who lives in New York.
Who hasn’t got any intention of sticking around.
With her dad moving to Orlando, the last thing I wanted was for her to form a relationship with another man who just ups and leaves. It’s not fair to her.
“She’s making some really good points,” Marge says. “I have to say, I can’t disagree with any of them.”
If I hadn’t lived in Star Falls my entire life and known Marge for as long, I might be irritated by someone having any commentary on who I have brunch with.
But I learned long ago that if you’re going to get irritated by the people of Star Falls having something to say about your private, personal business, this isn’t the town for you.
“Thank you, Marge. We’re going to give Marv his privacy while he gets his rubdown. See you later.”
“Please, Mom!” Riley says, pulling on my arm. “He’s funny. And I like him.”
Isn’t that a reason not to call him. But she’s right. He is funny, and I like him too. “Riley, he’s probably doing something else. We can’t expect that he wants to hang out with us.”
“If you don’t try, we’ll never know. Isn’t that what you always say, Mommy? You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”
I groan because I know when I’m out-negotiated.
I pull out my phone. “I’ll call him,” I say. “But don’t get your hopes up.”
“My hopes are down. Way down on the floor.” She grins up at me. “But put it on speaker so I can hear.”
I laugh and press call on Fisher’s number. He answers right away.
“Hi, you’re probably busy, but Riley and I are headed to the Galaxy Grill if you wanted to join us?”
“Love to,” he says, without missing a beat. “I just came from town and I’m headed back to the Club, so I’ll be five minutes. See you there.”
I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing. She’s already had one man in her life abandon her for a new life in Florida. I don’t want her to think she’s not worth sticking around for. But she’s excited to see him, and honestly, so am I.
Fisher arrives just as Donna gives us our menus.
For a split second, I worry he’ll kiss me in front of Riley and Donna, and I wonder if I can send him a sign. I didn’t have to worry. He just slides into the booth, opposite me and Riley, and picks up the menu.
“Hi, you two. Thanks for inviting me. I could eat a cow.”
“A cow?” Riley says. “Like really? Are you going to order a cow? I don’t even know if they have it on the menu.”
“He’s not eating a whole cow,” I say.
“Also they have four stomachs, and I don’t think they’ll taste good,” Riley says, screwing up her face like someone’s suggesting she eat cow stomach.
“Yeah, I’m not going for the cow stomach. But maybe a plate of waffles as tall as a cow?” he suggests.
“That sounds good,” she says, her grin back. “I want pancakes but I won’t eat a stack as high as a cow.” Riley’s expression turns serious.
“What about as high as a mouse?” Fisher asks.
“Oh no. I can do more than a mouse but less than a cow.”
“Hmmm,” Fisher muses, and rubs his hand along his jaw. He’s really good at playing along. It’s like I’m hanging out with Riley and one of her friends. It’s the kind of weird conversations they have together.
“What about a cat?” he suggests. He raises his hand up over the table to about cat height. “That’s at least twenty pancakes. Could you handle it?”
“Yeah,” Riley says, nodding enthusiastically. “I’m really hungry. I think I could do twenty.”
“Is this helping?” I say, mock glaring at Fisher. “Are you going to clean up the vomit when she eats twenty pancakes?”
“If she vomits, I’ll clear it up, but I believe in her. If she thinks she can do it, I think she can do it.”
I laugh. This is all I need. “Now I know why you wanted Fisher to join us for brunch—so you two could gang up on me.”
Fisher winks at Riley and we’re interrupted by Donna.
“Riley would like a stack of pancakes as tall as a cat,” Fisher says. “Juniper would like…”
“I’m going to take the scrambled eggs on sourdough.”
“And I’ll have the waffles, please. And let’s get a fruit salad and three Oreo shakes.”
Riley grabs the table. “Really? An Oreo shake?”
“Is that okay?” Fisher asks me.
I shrug. What can I say? I’m not going to say no now that Riley’s excited. We might be having soup the rest of the week, given each shake is ten dollars.
“I’ll just stick with tap water,” I say.
Fisher doesn’t say anything.
“How are you feeling, Riley?” Fisher asks.
“Good. I have one of my teeth coming through at the back. It’s called a molar. Mom, what are the front teeth called if the back teeth are molars?”
“It’s a good question,” I ask. “I have absolutely no idea. The ones at the side are incisors. But these front teeth… we could do an internet search.”
“Anterior,” Fisher says.
“Anterior teeth?” Riley asks.
“Yup. And if I wanted to be a tooth pedant, your incisors are also anterior teeth.” He glances at me. “I was big into teeth as a kid.”
I grimace. “You were into teeth—like in a hobby kind of way?”
Fisher chuckles. “Yeah. It was weird. I was obsessed with oral hygiene. When we came to America, none of the toothpastes tasted the same and I was obsessed with not getting a filling. I read up about stuff and fell into a teeth vortex there for a while. It didn’t last long, but here we are. The front teeth are anterior teeth.”
“That’s cool,” Riley says. “Maybe I should be more into teeth.”
This brunch is going a whole direction I wasn’t expecting.
Luckily we’re interrupted by our food arriving at our table.
“Will says you can have half a cat now, and if you eat everything, you can have another half of a cat. That work for you?”
Riley nods. “Thank you, Donna.”
“You’re welcome, honey. And I’ll just get the Oreo shakes.”
“You can share mine,” Fisher says to me.
Donna comes back and sets one shake in front of Riley and one between Fisher and me, and it has two straws in it. It’s like the entire town is trying to get me laid.
“Is Vivian making her album now?” Riley asks.
Fisher puts his finger over his lips. “Remember, it’s a big secret that she’s up there.”
“Oh no it’s not,” Donna returns with a jug of maple syrup and some whipped butter. “We all know Vivian Cross is up at the Club.”
Fisher’s mouth falls open. He looks stunned.
“Haven’t you learned that you can’t keep a secret in Star Falls?” she says, before heading off.
I laugh at Fisher’s expression. “I hadn’t heard it, if it helps. And the first person who would hear it is Donna. It doesn’t mean the entire town knows.”
“Oh god. I should inform her security team,” Fisher says.
“You really don’t need to. The people of Star Falls aren’t going to start stalking her and running up to the Colorado Club for autographs. They just like to know what’s going on. Especially at the Club. That way it feels more like part of the town.”
He shakes his head. And sends off a text.
I reach across the table and squeeze his hand. “Really, you don’t need to worry. I know just about everyone in this town. You don’t have anything to be concerned about.”
He holds my gaze for a beat, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking. “You really love this place, don’t you?”
I smile. “Why wouldn’t I?” I glance across at Riley. “Got my sweet girl here and Galaxy Grill makes the best eggs in America.”
Star Falls has everything I need.
Well, almost everything.