Love Therapy (Stanton Falls #2)
Read Love Therapy (Stanton Falls #2) Online
Authors: Kaci Hart
Tags: #Contemporary, #Romance, #Fiction, #Forever Love, #Christian, #Religious, #Faith, #Inspirational, #Spirituality, #Love Inspired, #Bachelor, #Single Woman, #Hearts Desire, #Clean & Wholesome, #Stanton Falls, #Series, #Therapy, #Survivual, #Rough Childhood, #Friendship
Love
Therapy
By
Kaci Hart
Copyright © 2015 by Kaci
Hart
All rights reserved. This
book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of
fiction. Names and character are either the product of the author’s imagination
or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead
is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
“It’s still hard for me
to see you there and not wanna send you to pick up table two. You sure
you don’t want to catch a few extra hours?”
Donna looked around the
diner, reminiscing on her past.
“Now Ms. Shirley, you
know I had some good times here. If I didn’t actually love what I’m doing
now I would hop right on back there, get myself an apron, and take you up on
that offer.”
Shirley continued to
prepare a slice of pie and coffee for Donna.
“Well Donna, I’m glad
you don’t have to. You know this job is not all the glitz and glamor that
it used to be. And I know I tell you this every time I see you but I’m
really proud of you. I always feel like I had a tiny hand in your life
and
it’s
nice when you do well. Like I’m living
voraciously
through you.”
Donna burst out in
laughter.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh Ms. Shirley I’m
laughing at you and your new ten dollar word. You are so cute but you
completely used the wrong one.’
Shirley looked at
her.
A confused expression plastered on
her face. As someone that loved reading anything she could get her hands
on, she was always trying to incorporate some new term into her vocab.
The older woman stood with her hands on her waist, with her eyes looking
up to the ceiling as she replayed the statement in her mind over and over
again. She had no idea what the error was.
“Really?”
Donna laughed at the
short, plump woman’s attempt to use what she called ten dollar words.
Being around her always made Donna’s day a little brighter. Some
people just had that kind of way about them. Shirley was the owner and
principal operator of the diner and was friends with Donna’s mother from church
so she had known her since she was practically a baby. As a teenager, she
hired Donna on after school and later paid her more than she was worth to help
her cover the costs for college.
“Yeah. You said
voraciously but you meant vicariously. Living
vicariously
through
me.”
“Oh well. They
both start with ‘v’ and I had the spirit of the word right so how
ya
like them apples?”
The two women shared a
laugh as Shirley stretched across the counter and placed the packaged pie slice
and hot coffee in front of Donna.
“Here you go sweetie.”
When Donna reached for
her wallet instead of her food Shirley spoke to her again, shaking her head in
protest.
“What did I tell you
about that?”
“Oh come on Mrs.
Shirley. You can’t keep giving me free coffee and pie just because I
worked here. You have got a business to run and money to be made.
You know, despite all of our kidding, I really am not an employee of
yours anymore.”
“Donna I know that all
too well. None of these new girls I hired have anything on you. But
I never considered you like a regular employee. You have been like a
daughter to me since my own moved away so many years ago. I could no more
charge you for a cup of coffee than I could her so you will either have to get
used to it or find another place to get your coffee and you know that it would
break my heart if you did that. So don’t you reach for that wallet again,
you hear me?”
Donna knew her well
enough to know that she was absolutely determined not to take her money, so she
acquiesced.
“Yes ma'am. I got
you loud and clear. That just means I will be piling all of that coffee
and pie into your Christmas present.”
“Now that, I can allow!”
“Exactly. More
than one way to skin a cat. Well I really have to run off to work now.
Thank you for the coffee and pie and I will see you tomorrow.”
“Alright sweetie.
Have a great day.”
“You too.”
Donna enjoyed her trips
to the diner. It reminded her of just how unique of a place Stanton Falls
was. It was totally different from Dallas. Not that either was
better than the other--but it was just different. Things like getting a
simple cup of coffee in those places was a chore. Four sizes, eighteen
blends, five types of cream or milk and four versions of sugar, none of which
were really natural. She inhaled her coffee as she walked towards the
door. Simple. Black with a couple teaspoons of sugar. That’s
the good stuff.
Since her hands were
full, she leaned her shoulder forward to push the door open, and as she pushed
forward, the door swung open from the other direction, causing her to stumble
forward, almost falling before apparently having her fall saved by the chest of
the person on the other side of the door. She didn’t know if she was more
embarrassed to have almost fallen or to have been that close to a total
stranger. She was invading his personal space.
Could have been worse.
I could have spilled my coffee.
She looked backed up,
hoping to thank the stranger that saved her from having to take another cup of
coffee from Shirley for free. She stared at his concerned face.
Cute.
She thought he looked
familiar and judging by the look of recognition on his face, she was sure she
knew him from somewhere.
“Um, sorry to bump into
you like that. Are you ok?”
“Donna?”
***
Nick couldn’t believe it
was her but he would know her face anywhere. He had spent enough times
going to that diner for any extra meals that he could just so he could have a
chance to see her. It was funny because he had never been a shy person.
He was typically the most outgoing person in the room but he had never
really gotten past flirting with her in the past. He was never really
sure if she even liked him. He was totally surprised that day when he
went back to the diner and she was gone. The owner had told him that she
was gone to finish up school and she didn’t even know if she was moving back in
the future. Well apparently she decided to return to town.
Good for me.
That was how Nick felt
right up until the moment that she responded to his greeting.
“I’m sorry. I know
I’m supposed to know you but I’m just having a really hard time placing you.”
Nick laughed for a few
seconds until he noticed how nervous she looked. He thought that she was
joking but her furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes were obvious giveaways that
she really was trying to recall where she knew him from.
“Nick…. Nick….
You really don’t remember me?”
She didn’t want to be
mean but she just couldn’t place him in the least bit and it was getting to the
point that it was turning from a cute reunion into a quasi-awkward situation.
“No, I can’t say that I
do. I kinda feel really like I should now.”
“Wow. When you
used to work here I would come here all the time. Ordered apple pie for
dessert on a regular.”
“C’mon. Everyone in
town orders apple pie from here for dinner.”
Nick turned to Aaron who
was barely containing his laughter.
“Dude, help me out
here.”
“I got nothing man.
You obviously aren’t that memorable.”
Suddenly recognition ran
across Donna’s face.
“Wait a minute.
You I remember. You came in a lot always with…”
She looked back to Nick.
“No way. You look
so different now. You used to have the long hair that would hang halfway
down your face. That’s why I didn’t recognize you. You were always either
looking at a menu or all that hair was covering up them pearly blues. I
could never forget two of my top clients. You paid for a good portion of
my school you know. At least two classes. How
y’all
boys been?”
Nick was lost in his
thoughts as she spoke to him. He hadn’t seen her in over a year, maybe
even more than two years but he knew it was her from the second she fell
through the door and into his arms. He didn't know if it was just because
he hadn’t seen her in a while but he could swear she looked even more beautiful
now than he remembered. He had never actually seen her in anything other
than her work clothes so he had only that point of reference but even then she
was pretty. There in her business clothes, he still saw the same young woman
from before. He studied her face, finally noticing her looking at
him.
She waved her hand in front of his
face attempting to get his attention.
“I’m sorry. It’s
just that. Never mind. You were saying something?”
“Not so much saying as I
was waiting for you to respond. I was asking how you guys have been and
you sort of zoned out on me. Aaron was saying it was your inability to
pay attention. I didn’t know whether he was serious or not but you were
off in your own world for a good fifteen seconds there.”
Nick looked at Aaron
with a look that only the two of them knew what it meant “I’m going to get you
back.”
“Pay him absolutely no
mind. He’s an idiot even though he thinks he is a comedian.
I was just thinking how great it is to see
you. You’re back from school now I presume.”
“Yes but how did you
know I was at school.”
“When you went missing a
while back, I was just interested to see what had happened to you.”
It seemed as if Aaron
wanted to make things even more awkward for Nick.
“You should have seen
him. After the third time you weren’t here he was getting the
details.”
Nick jumped in again,
desperately hoping to shut his friend up.
“Thank you for the play
by play Aaron. Why don’t you get us a table while I talk to her for a minute?”
Before he could speak
up, Donna looked at her watch and exclaimed.
“Oh my! I’m
supposed to be somewhere right now.
Listen, it was great seeing you again, but I really have to head off for
work.”
She started off towards her
car, leaving a stunned Nick and chuckling Aaron standing outside the diner.
She looked back while opening her card door to sit down.
“I’ll see you boys
around. I really gotta go. Bye.”
She closed the door to
her car just as Nick was shouting back to her.
“Can
I
….”
She was already starting
the car when he finished his sentence under his breath
“…maybe take you to
dinner one day?”
Nick watched as her
small green beetle drove off down the road and turned the corner. He’d
have to catch up with her some other time. At least he knew where she
probably got her coffee in the mornings.
“Sure, but I don’t think
my wife would approve. Or unless you want to bring her too.”
“Man, what in the world
are you talking about?”
Aaron snickered as he
responded. He was having the time of his life at his friend's expense.
“You asked if you could
take me to dinner. I assumed you were talking to me because there was no
one else here. Donna had gotten in her car and you were just standing
there so there was no way you were….”
“Shut up Aaron.”
Nick turned around and
walked to go inside the cafe while Aaron stood holding the door open for him.
“Why do you say such
mean things to me? I thought you were my friend.”
Nick gave him a rueful half
grin and walked by to their usual table.
“Hey man, I thought it
was funny.”
“Right. And that
is exactly why I gotta find a new best friend. I
knew
I
shoulda
just met you at the office today but no, you wanted
to stop for coffee and embarrass me to no end. With friends like you…”
