Chapter Eighteen
It had been a few weeks since the restaurant at the inn had officially opened, and Wesley was sure that Susannah was feeling a little overwhelmed.
It had become quite a popular destination for those staying at the inn, which was fully in line with Pauline’s goal.
Maybe not this fast, but it was the goal.
He was on his way to the restaurant now, being that he was on his lunch break.
Susannah would make them both lunch, then take lunch herself, and they could talk.
It had been that way for the last month and a half or so.
He was glad that she had found a job she liked, and he aimed to find out whether she wanted to continue working until they had children together.
He knew that he was going to propose. He was waiting for the ring.
He’d decided to splurge and get one delivered from San Francisco, which boasted the best jeweler in the area.
When he arrived at the restaurant, he found Susannah sitting at the bar, her head in her hands. She was nursing a small cut on her forehead, holding a rag to it. Pauline was in the kitchen, working to fulfill the orders. He walked over, frowning.
“Are you all right, Susannah?”
“I’ll be fine, Wesley,” Susannah said when she heard him. “I fell. Hit my head on the edge of the bar. Just a small cut and a bit of a headache. I’m sure it’ll all blow over by tomorrow. Once my head stops bleeding, Pauline’s given me clearance to have the rest of the day off.”
“She can’t work like that, and I’d rather be in the weeds a couple of days to keep her safe than anything else,” Pauline said from the kitchen. “There’s nothing else to it, I suppose. When she feels ready, you can escort her to her room or the lobby if you wish to stay with her.”
“All right. Do you mind some company, Susannah?”
“Not at all,” she said, gently motioning toward the seat next to her.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if we still had lunch together.
I want at least to keep to that part of our day.
It’ll also give me some time off my feet.
” She let out a soft laugh. “Pauline might also be a good cook, but I know that she’s a little slower than I am in the kitchen. ”
“Hey!” Pauline shot Susannah a soft glare. “At least I know my limitations.”
“I tripped, Pauline,” Susannah said. “But, yes, I meant it as a compliment. I think your food is delicious, too.”
Pauline let out a nervous chuckle before taking their order.
Susannah had it all memorized. She had managed to memorize exactly what to make and when, and kept it warm until he arrived.
The rest of the patrons knew as soon as she started that dish that they had to get their orders in before he arrived.
Once Pauline had started on the orders, he turned to Susannah.
“I’m glad to see that you’re all right, even if the way you were holding your head looked way worse,” he said. “You had me worried for a moment that something more had happened than you just tripping.”
“It’s not like I can do much more to hold the rag to my head where my cut is, unfortunately,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
“It’s not your fault,” he said softly. “I’m just glad that you’re all right. I would have been upset to learn that it hadn’t been an accident. And I would have happily had Clark arrest the man because assault is a crime, you know.”
This got a laugh out of Susannah, which had been his hope.
She gently pulled the rag away to find that the cut had stopped bleeding.
This gave Wesley a chance to see what it looked like.
It wasn’t too bad; she must have grazed her head against the corner when she fell.
He had been worried she had hit the corner head-on when she fell and that it was going to be a nasty gash.
Head wounds had a reputation, after all.
“How’s it look?” she asked, tilting her head so he could see it better.
“As good as it’s going to for a fresh cut,” he said. “I think you’ll heal up well. Might be tender for a day or two, though. I can see the start of a nasty bruise under your hairline.”
Susannah sighed, but the forlorn nature didn’t last long. Pauline put their food in front of them and went off to take orders from the diners who had come in.
Susannah started to eat quietly. Wesley did the same, happy to see that she was all right. There was no reason for him to be so worried, he supposed, but there was plenty of reason for him to wonder if she would be all right. A fall like that could have been serious.
“Thank you for coming and staying, even if I’m not as talkative today as I usually am,” Susannah said after she’d eaten half her meal. “I just like the company. If you want to go back to the office after this, would you walk me to my room?”
“I would love to walk you to your room. I wish I could stay longer, but I do have a job to do at the courthouse,” he said. “I’ll come check on you tonight if you wish.”
“That would be great,” she said. “I’d love to see you again before the end of the day, and if I’m up for it, maybe another meal here.”
Wesley smiled at her. That sounded doable.