Page 3 of On the Way to You

“Shut up.”

She laughed as I slid past her and back onto the floor, hands shaking slightly as I checked in on my other booths before placing the full cup of coffee in front of my new customer. He wasn’t looking at the menu anymore. He was simply staring out the large windows of the diner, eyes distant, brows still slightly pinched.

“Ready to order?” I asked, pulling out my notepad again. I didn’t even need it. I hadn’t written down an order in more than two years. But I needed something to look at, something other than him.

“What makes you happy?”

He was still staring out the windows, but when a few seconds passed without an answer from me, he turned his gaze to mine.

And I couldn’t speak.

My books, my dog, yoga, the way the sun always manages to come back, no matter how dark the storm.

He didn’t raise his brows or ask again, didn’t tap his foot or wave his hand in front of my face. He just looked back at me, almost with understanding, as if he knew the question wasn’t easy to answer. Maybe he didn’t believe it had an answer at all.

But it did. Ihadanswers — I had plenty. I was Miss Optimistic. I counted my blessings daily. I always looked at the bright side of my life, ignoring the shadows of it, choosing to focus my energy on whatever positives I could grasp.

Still, none of that mattered.

He asked me what made me happy, but that’s not what he really asked.

What he really asked was —areyou happy?

And I couldn’t speak.

“I’ll have the steak and eggs, please,” he said after a moment, turning back to the window and reaching down for his coffee. He took a sip with me still staring at him until I finally tore my eyes away, pretending to write in my notepad.

“Coming right up.”

I zipped back through the diner and into the kitchen, ignoring Mr. Hollenbeck as he raised his hand at me indicating he was ready to order, too. I couldn’t take his order, not yet, not until I took a breath.

Ray quirked a brow at me when I blew through the swinging door, spreading my hands flat on the silver metal table next to the sink, eyes closed and head down as I forced an exhale.

“You okay, slick?”

“Steak and eggs, please.”

I opened my eyes again, standing straight, and Ray saluted me with his spatula. “You got it.”

This is stupid, I scolded myself. It was like I’d never talked to a boy before, orseenone for that matter. It was no secret that I wasn’t exactly the most social girl when I was in school, especially after I lost my leg, but I had a few friends. I had conversations with boys — group projects, book clubs, customers. So why was I stunned speechless bythisparticular one?

Annoyed, I blew out a breath, rebraiding my hair over my shoulder before pushing back through the door. I immediately made my way to Mr. Hollenbeck, smiling and nodding as I took his order, all the while way too aware of booth number nine.

“So, where’s he from?” Tammy asked when I rejoined her behind the counter.

“I didn’t ask.”

“You should.”

I scribbled out the check for the trucker at the end of the bar, offering him a smile and telling him no rush as I slipped it over the counter to him. Turning back to Tammy, I leaned a hip against the bar.

“He asked me what made me happy.”

She frowned. “What? That’s weird.”

“I know.”

“What did you say?”