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"Honestly, I'm not even sure how she does it," I admitted. "She's had a few difficult times over the years, but people chip in with donations every time."
Chase looked perplexed. "Right," he said. He glanced out the window beside him. "She's lucky those trees fell the way they did."
"I agree." I couldn't imagine what would've happened if they had crashed onto her building.
Point Loma was one of the most beloved neighborhoods in San Diego. It was certainly affluent. But there was a sizable community that had lived here for generations, and Fanny liked to cater to them. I knew most of the patrons around us.
"Do we get to order?" he asked.
I laughed. "Uh, no. Fanny will give you food on the house, but on her terms."
"Fair enough," he said.
A few minutes later, Fanny's youngest daughter, April, brought us two plates with pancakes and coffee.
“Nice to see you, Hannah. Thanks for checking on Ms. Adams.” She winked at me before turning around on her heels and heading back to the kitchen.
"These are excellent," Chase said after his first bite.
"Fanny makes hands down the best pancakes. She used to make an amazing baklava, too, but hasn’t in ages. I miss it, and I haven’t found any other place that does it."
I saw quite a few of the customers sneaking glances at us. Chase only seemed to notice after we ate.
"Is it just me or are people staring at us?" he whispered.
I laughed softly. "I think they’re curious about you. I'm betting word spread that you spent the night at the inn."
He stared at me. "How?"
"See, Fanny didn't ask me anything, but I bet you that she called Ms. Adams after we came in, and she would've told Fanny all about our visit to her place. You know how she didn't seem shocked that you were here? She just sized you up."
"I didn't pick up on that."
“That’s understandable. You don't know Fanny as well as I do. Then April winked at me, so I'm betting she's spreading the word around other tables."
"I'm not even sure how to react to that."
I laughed, shrugging. "It's just how Fanny’s Diner works. It's a bit of a world of its own, especially among neighbors."
"You don't say."
We finished our pancakes quickly, and even though April offered free coffee refills, we didn’t linger. New customers kept coming in, and they needed somewhere to sit.
As soon as we stepped out of the diner, all my worries slammed back into me. I felt Chase's hands on my shoulders, pressing slightly into the crook of my neck as he led me to the car.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I could practically feel you getting stressed. Thought this might help relax you."
"It really does," I said, leaning into his touch. I had no idea how he found my stress points, but I instantly relaxed. I was usually a positive person, except when it came to the inn. I’d had so much bad luck that I couldn’t maintain my usual optimism. But right now, I wasn't in any danger of spiraling out, and I knew it was because Chase was there.
I sighed as we got back in the car. He looked at me with a proud smile.
"You're happy," he stated.
"Yeah. I had a delicious breakfast with a delicious man. What more could I want?"
But I couldn't keep the worries at bay as we drove inside the inn’s yard.