Page 11 of The Great Maple Mistake (Love in Maplewood #8)

Alex

The scent of slow-cooked pot roast blends with deep-fried foods, and it wraps around me like a neighborly hug. The podium at the front is empty, and the ‘Please wait to be seated’ sign is up, so Cody and I hang out in the small entry area.

We only wait a few minutes before Bethany, one of Red’s part-time high school servers, steps out of the kitchen.

She takes one look at Cody and practically skips over to us, her dark brown ponytail bobbing in time with her steps.

“Alex! Hey!” She’s speaking to me, but her eyes haven’t left Cody.

“And you’re our new firefighter. Just the two of you tonight? ”

I’m not the least bit put out by her ogling because Cody is gorgeous.

Plus, Bethany’s a very kind person. Definitely not the sort to try and make a move on someone else’s guy.

Not that she’s trying to make a move. God.

She’s still in high school. And Cody’s not my guy.

I glance over and catch him smiling at me like I’m the only person in this diner.

Okay, he’s not mine, yet. Maybe. “Hey, Bethany. Just the two of us.” Cody rubs his thumb over my knuckles, sending little sparks up my arm.

When I glance back at her, she’s clutching menus to her chest, giving us the softest heart-eyes and biting her lower lip like she’s trying not to say ‘awwww!’ “Why don’t I give you the corner booth in the back, so you can have a little privacy.

” She spins on her heels and walk-bounces her way to the far end of the dining area.

We follow in her perky wake, single file, between the old oak booths with Formica tabletops and the steel stools with red padded seats at the matching Formica dining counter.

About two thirds of the tables are full, and the rest will fill up after the high school football game lets out.

“Here you go!” Bethany does a little game show hostess gesture toward the booth, and I dutifully slide in with my back toward the entrance.

To my surprise, Cody motions for me to move over and slips in next to me.

The booths are scaled to smaller stature people of a hundred years ago, but I can’t say I hate having him sitting this close to me.

We get more heart-eyes from Bethany as she hands us menus.

“I’ll go grab some waters while you decide what you want to eat. ”

She flounces away, and it’s all I can do not to burst into laughter. “Cody Sheppard, breaking hearts one Maplewood resident at a time.”

His head whips around to watch Bethany disappear into the kitchen before snapping back to me, wide-eyed.

“What? I didn’t— She doesn’t think—” He turns so he’s facing me, somehow wedging himself between the booth and the table, and takes both of my hands in his.

“I’m here with you. And I’m not interested in being with anyone else.

Not tonight, not tomorrow, not at all, really.

” He squeezes my hands, and the way he’s looking into my eyes, like he’s baring his soul and wants me to see his sincerity, is intoxicating.

When was the last time someone looked at me like that?

Really, never. And it’s overwhelming, especially since I’ve wanted someone to look at me like this and say these exact things to me for so damned long.

“Um—” He looks a bit sheepish, and my heart melts.

“I’m only interested in being with you. If that’s okay. ”

I’m dizzy, and a little overwhelmed, but in the best way.

“Yeah. It’s more than okay. It’s incredible.

It’s unbelievable.” It’s also way too soon to hold him to that.

Right? I mean, this is moving fast. Too fast. Seriously, I should be panicking.

But I’m not. Not at all. “It’s what I want too.

But we barely know each other.” I huff out a laugh.

“It’s our first date.” He frowns, so I place a hand on his arm and give it a gentle squeeze in what I hope is a reassuring gesture.

“I love everything you just said. And I hope you still feel that way once we get to know each other better. And I do want to get to know you better.” So much better.

“But once that happens, if you change your mind, I’ll understand.

” Lord knows he wouldn’t be the first guy to do that. Or the second. Or third.

Cody rubs little circles into the backs of my hand with his thumb. “That’s fair. And when I don’t change my mind, I won’t even say I told you so.” His lips twitch as he fights back a smile. God, I hope he’s right.

Bethany appears at the edge of the table and deposits our waters. “Know what you want?”

Cody drops my hand and turns to pick up his menu. “Sorry, we got distracted. Can you give us five more minutes? I promise we’ll be ready to order when you come back.”

“Sure. No problem!” She heads toward the front of the diner and greets the latest customers.

I pick up my menu, still a little dazed by Cody’s declaration. But also excited. “Everything on the menu is delicious. You can’t go wrong with any choice. Do you have a taste for something in particular?”

There’s a bit of a commotion as a rowdy group is seated in the booth behind us.

There’s lots of jostling and laughter, and I think I recognize a few of the voices.

Cody barks out a laugh as another heavy thump against the back of our booth knocks him forward.

He shakes his head and smiles at me. “Nope. I’m open to suggestions, though. Just nothing with maple in it.”

“Cody? Is that you?” Without warning, Rae Moan’s head pops over the top of the booth. “Hello, boys.” Her grin is mischievous and unapologetic, and I want to groan at the intrusion. Then again, I hope I have her youthful exuberance at eighty-one.

“Hi, Rae. Practice over?” When I suggested Red’s tonight, I forgot that the Rocktogenarians hang out here after Friday night band practice.

She side-eyes me. “If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t be here.” With that, her full attention turns to Cody. “Are you sure you should be eating here? They use maple in at least half the dishes. Finn isn’t here with his EpiPen.”

Cody’s cheeks flush, and he valiantly tries to turn his muscular body to face her, but the booth isn’t cooperating, and I’m a bit concerned that he’s going to get himself stuck. “Miss Moan—”

I almost choke on my laugh. Rae’s delight is obvious in her feral grin. “Just call me Rae. Everyone does.”

“Rae. Okay. So, about the maple allergy—”

She waves her hand. “Nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m allergic to shellfish. Specifically shrimp. So I have to be careful about places that serve it. Luckily, Red’s doesn’t.” Cody repeatedly opens his mouth to try to explain, but Rae keeps talking. “Hopefully, your allergy isn’t that bad.”

“No, it’s—”

She sighs dramatically. “Oh good! Although now that I know it’s not a life-threatening allergy, I can tell you it’s funny that you live in Maplewood and are allergic to maple.”

“Rae, sit down and leave the poor boys alone. They’re trying to have a romantic date and don’t need you butting in.” Eleanor’s voice is firm.

Rae sighs again but points at Cody. “Still, be careful. Allergies can get better or worse with every hormone change. And before you ask, yes, everyone goes through hormone changes every few years.”

“Ramona.” The voice is Eleanor’s, and the warning in it is clear.

With a twinkle in her eyes, Rae winks at us. “Whoops. Busted. Enjoy your romantic date, boys.” She points at Cody. “Careful with the maple.”

Just as quickly as she appeared, she ducks behind the booth divider, and Cody and I are left blinking at each other. Then we burst into laughter. I shake my head and lean closer to him so I can keep my voice low. “She means well, but she is tenacious.”

He looks bewildered. “She never lets me get a word in. I feel like I’m lying to the entire town, and I didn’t even say anything.”

I rest my hand on his arm. “I think we’re going to have to conquer this one resident at a time.”

Cody nods reluctantly and turns back to his menu, but he settles against me in the booth, like maybe he’s drawing comfort from me. I lean into him, letting him know I’m here for support. We review the menus for a few more minutes before Bethany shows up again. “Okay, ready?”

I glance at Cody, who gestures for me to go first. “I’ll have the cheeseburger with fries. Everything on the burger except please hold the onions. And I’d like that done medium rare.” Bethany scribbles that down on her order pad, takes my menu, and then smiles expectantly at Cody.

“Does the pot roast have maple in it?”

She scrunches up her nose. “Ooooh, yeah. You’re allergic to maple! That’s such a bummer.”

Rae’s voice comes from behind us. “No maple in the pot roast.”

“Ramona Ann Bixby!”

I widen my eyes in surprise at Eleanor’s sharp tone. Cody turns toward me, mouth open in shock before he presses his lips together to stifle a laugh and turns back to Bethany. She grins and shakes her head. “No maple in the pot roast. You’re safe with that.”

“Thanks. I’ll have the pot roast with mashed potatoes. Gravy over everything, please, and a side of whatever veg you have tonight, as long as it doesn’t have maple.”

She laughs. “Good thing tonight we aren’t serving our roasted maple carrots! Is broccoli okay?”

Biting his lower lip, Cody just nods and hands her his menu.

When she strides away, he turns to me and drops his forehead on my shoulder with a whimper.

This close, I can smell his yummy cologne.

It’s warm and masculine, and I really want to press my nose against his neck and inhale deeply.

Instead, I slip my fingers into his hair and gently massage the back of his head.

“Why does it bother you so much that they think you have an allergy to maple?”