From Chapter 2
Ella shook her head. No, she
was not going to go embarrass herself by approaching some strange guy in a
diner. She glimpsed at him again. Something seemed familiar about him. Had he
visited their church in the past? She smiled to herself. Wouldn’t Leah flip to
see her step out of that comfort zone and go talk to this stranger? It might be
worth it just to see the look on her friend’s face. Maybe then she wouldn’t be
after her to put herself out there all the time.
It was now or never. Never.
Yes, never sounded perfect. Her feet didn’t seem to be listening to her
head. Before she knew it, she’d taken a turn to the right instead of the left
and headed in the opposite direction of the table she’d been sharing with Leah.
When you’re a twin, you grow up
always having a partner in crime at your side. A cohort, a confidante, a
friend. Losing George represented more than an emotional separation. She felt
abandoned...lost. Even four years later, it was hard to define who she was as
an individual. She missed the closeness they’d shared which had never been
replaced with another human being. But Leah was right about one thing. In the
past, she used to take chances. Somehow, along with George, she’d lost that
adventurous spirit.
She pressed her index and middle
finger into her necklace. Okay, George, this is for you. If you were here,
you probably would have dared me to do it just as much as Lana’s words had.
When she stood mere steps away
from the table of the dark haired stranger, her courage began to wane. Each
step felt like her shoes stuck deeper and deeper into a pit of quick sand. It
was a stupid idea. She should just forget it. No, she needed to do this if only
to get Leah off her back. Putting on a disinterested expression, she faced him
as she came up beside his table.
Up close, she realized he was
better looking than she had at first thought. The realization made her stomach
dip. What had she gotten herself into now? Casually, she observed his face with
a scruffy two-days of beard growth and deep, dark eyes—dark syrupy ones you
could get lost in—drowned in. He wore faded blue jeans and a brown leather
jacket over a white t-shirt. He was cute all right with just a hint of the
dangerous.
Her courage receded again as he
met her glance with a smile revealing the most perfect set of teeth she’d ever
seen. His parents must have spent a pretty penny on that grin.
“I…I was just…” She was just
about to lose it, that’s what. Every coherent thought flew out of her head.
Needing to regroup, she closed her mouth, took a deep breath, and pressed her
lips together. She was being ridiculous. The quicker she did this, the quicker
Leah would be appeased and then this whole scenario could be put to rest.
She set the glasses on his
table. “I hate to bother you, but I was just wondering if I could borrow
some…some sweetener…yes, sweetener for, um, my tea.” She’d hoped to sound calm
and sophisticated. Epic Fail!
She wasn’t a pro at starting
conversations with strangers and this was the first time she’d ever attempted
to chat up a strange man. What was she doing?
He smiled out of the side of
his mouth as if he thought her an idiot. Was that a snicker? Time to retreat
and fast. Well, her stab at spontaneity had ended in a blaze of glory. She was
like all those British pilots aced by the Red Baron in World War I. Taking a
step backwards, she felt sick in the pit of her stomach. She had to get out of
his sight before she lost her dinner right in front of him.
Taking a wobbly second step
back, her heel slid on the slick tile flooring of the diner. Her feet flew out
from under her and she landed down on her back in a matter of seconds. This
couldn’t have been more embarrassing if she’d planned in every detail the best
way to make a total fool of herself in front of complete stranger. Then she
connected with his amazing eyes as he looked down at her.
“Are you Okay?” He offered her
a hand up, but she could tell he held back a smile. Great! He thought
she was as much of a klutz as she did.
“I’m fine.” With his help, she
came to her feet. Then she brushed off the back of her black dress pants.
“You are sure?” His voice was
as dreamy as the rest of him—low and smooth with just a trace of teasing.
“Maybe I should check your eyes for a concussion.” His dark eyes danced with
his restrained laughter.
“Are you a doctor?” She played
along.
“No, I just always see them do
that on TV.” He grinned. “Here.” In his hand, he held a packet of sweetener.
“You wanted some of these, right?” His gaze wasn’t mocking as she’d thought
earlier. It was more like curious and amused.
Christian Fiction Friday is a weekly blog hop where authors post snippets from their current Works in Progress. It is hosted by Alana Terry and Hallee Bridgeman.
Christian Fiction Friday is a weekly blog hop where authors post snippets from their current Works in Progress. It is hosted by Alana Terry and Hallee Bridgeman.
