Page 6 of Fake-Off with Fate (Love in Maple Falls #1)

JAMIE

Rolling over in bed, I turn off my alarm while simultaneously releasing a loud groan. It was so quiet last night I barely slept. I’m used to falling asleep to horns honking and sirens blaring, not being serenaded by crickets.

While throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I can’t help but flirt with the idea of canceling my meeting so I can go back to sleep. Yet I truly am looking forward to seeing Dale, so I push myself to shower and get dressed. Then I drive to the diner.

I find a parking spot right out front. Getting out of the car, I notice this town is even more charming than I first thought. The brick buildings look like they’re from the early part of the last century. Even the streetlights are vintage.

Walking into the restaurant, I discover it’s as old-school as it gets.

The flooring is so dinged up it’s probably original to when the establishment opened, which appears to be sometime circa 1970.

It’s not fancy, but I still approve. People clearly aren’t coming for the ambience, so the food must be solid.

A waitress, who looks to be in her mid-to-late fifties, greets me as soon as I walk in. Her greying hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail and she’s smiling with a genuineness you don’t usually find from service staff in New York City .

“Welcome!” she says brightly. “Just you today?” In the Big Apple this question would likely be met with an eye roll and a large dose of attitude. Like one sorry sucker sitting alone isn’t worth the effort of speaking to you, let alone taking you to a table.

“I’m meeting someone,” I tell her.

She grabs another menu and leads me to a prime spot in front of the window. “Can I bring you a cup of coffee while you wait? Maybe some orange juice?”

“Do you have espresso?” I ask, although I’m guessing they might not.

Her eyes sparkle like she’s about to share a secret. “No, but I have hot chocolate. How does that sound?” It sounds surprisingly good, so I nod my head in approval. “You want whipped cream with that?” she asks.

I suddenly feel like I’m seven years old again. “That would be great,” I tell her. As she walks away, I start to think that places like this and people like her are probably a big reason folks like living in small towns.

Dale strolls by the restaurant window which gives me a moment to observe the changes in him since we last saw each other.

It’s been a couple of years, but he doesn’t seem any the worse for wear.

He’s tall and still carries himself like the commander of a naval vessel.

Just by looking at him you know he’s in charge of something important.

As soon as he walks through the door, he booms, “Good morning, Shirley May!” The waitress who seated me must also be the owner. “I’m meeting my captain here.”

“You go on and sit down,” she says. “I’ll bring your coffee in just a sec.”

Dale approaches the table with a smile on his face. He looks younger than his fifty-nine years. Standing up, I stretch my hand out to shake his. “It looks like small-town life is treating you well,” I tell him.

He pushes my hand away and wraps his arms around me in a hug. “It’s like every day is a vacation,” he says, repeating Troy’s sentiment. After patting me on the back, he steps away and sits down. “How’s your cabin?”

“Isolated,” I tell him.

“It’s a big change from what you’re used to.”

“No kidding. I think I heard a bear growling outside my door.” I let that statement dangle in the air in hopes he’ll assure me I must have been dreaming.

Instead of putting my mind at rest, he says, “Black bears. But don’t worry. They’ll be hibernating soon.”

Even though I’m glad to have this information, I still want to know, “And until then?”

“They’re filling their bellies to make it through the winter. Just don’t annoy them and you should be fine.”

I make a motion like I’m writing down his sage advice with an imaginary pen. “Don’t annoy the bears.” Then I look up at him and grunt, “I’m pretty sure I could have figured that out on my own.”

“You might have, and then again, you might not have. For instance, did you know you should never play dead with a black bear? That technique only works on grizzlies.”

“What do I do with black bears? Nonchalantly turn around and run for my life?”

Dale looks alarmed. “Good God, no! You never run from black bears. They may not eat you, but running ticks them right off and they could still rip you to shreds.”

My appetite is decreasing with every word out of his mouth. “Should I engage them in a game of charades? Maybe ask them to dance?”

“Son,” Dale says in a worried tone, “you stand big and tall and make as much noise as you can.”

“And that won’t tick them off?”

He shrugs. “It might, but it might also scare them away.”

“I’m suddenly rethinking coming here.”

Shirley May walks up with our drinks. It’s clear she’s overheard Dale because she looks at me and says, “You carry a can of bear spray with you. That way if a bear charges you, you can let him have it.”

I look down at the mound of whipped cream topping my hot chocolate and smile approvingly before asking, “Do I have to wait until it charges?”

“I’ve lived here my whole life,” she tells me. “And I’ve come face to face with more bears than I can count. I’ve never had to use the spray on them.”

“You just stand tall and make noise, huh?”

She smiles slowly. “I’ve only done that once.

The other times, I tell them that I mean no harm and that they should just move along.

” Even though I’m more inclined to believe her than Dale, I’m still not comfortable with the idea of making small talk with a bear.

As such, I make a mental note to pick up a case of bear spray. Maybe two.

Dale interjects, “Shirley May, this is my captain, Jamie Hayes.” To me, he adds, “Jamie, this is Shirley May. She’s already one of my favorite people in town.” I start to wonder if maybe Dale has a little crush.

Looking up, I see a slight blush cross the waitress’s cheeks. “He only says that because I’m the one who brings him his food.”

“And because you’re downright delightful,” Dale tells her. Oh yeah, he likes her for more than the burgers she brings him. “I’d like the biscuits and sausage gravy this morning,” Dale tells her before handing off his menu.

Turning to me, Shirley May asks, “What about you, Jamie? You want to try the house special?”

“That sounds great. I’d also like a grapefruit juice as well, if you have it.”

With a wink, she takes our menus and walks away. Focusing my attention on Dale, I announce, “Someone has a crush.”

He smiles hopefully. “You think she likes me? ”

I shrug my shoulders. “I have no idea. But I think you like her .”

“Guilty,” he says.

“So why don’t you ask her out?”

“I don’t want her to say no and ruin my ability to come in here and enjoy a good meal.”

“Chicken,” I tease.

“Wait until you try the food and then you’ll understand.”

I take a sip of my hot chocolate and put it back on the table before telling him, “I stopped by and watched the team practice for a bit yesterday. You weren’t there.”

“Oh, I was there. I was sitting across the rink from you.”

I’m surprised I didn’t notice him. “You wanted to check out their dynamics too, huh?”

“I figure if they don’t know they’re being observed, they’ll make it known who I need to keep my eye on.”

“You used to do that in college too,” I remind him.

He nods sagely. “And it worked. That’s how I figured out you and Harry Franks were a combustible combo.”

“Just because I don’t like the guy, Dale, doesn’t mean I haven’t grown up. I’m not going to stick it to him for something he did nearly twenty years ago.”

“Good to hear, son. Good to hear.”

We mostly make small talk for the rest of our meal, and I’m reminded what a great guy Dale is. He was a tough coach, but he was always fair and easy to talk to. I am really looking forward to playing for him again.

So long as I’m not attacked by a bear while I’m here.