Page 45 of Unscripted Love

“Okay, what was your favorite part so far?”

“Realizing that you didn’t make me the killer or murder victim and discovering that I truly do make an amazing book boyfriend,” Kyle said smugly.

“Yes, you do.”

“Do you have plans today?” I asked Chaz. I hoped we could continue what we started last night. I felt like he had finally dropped his guard and let me truly see him. I liked what I saw and didn’t want to let him go.

“I was just going to do some laundry before dinner at Josh and Gabe’s,” Chaz replied. “Um, you can come over if you like.”

“I like,” I remarked. “Do you mind if we stop for breakfast first? I feel like I haven’t eaten in a month.”

“You’re on,” Chaz replied. “My treat though.”

I started to argue, although I couldn’t say why, then told myself to forget it. If Chaz wanted to buy me breakfast, I was going to let him.

We arrived at Edson and Emma’s diner late enough to miss the pre-church crowd but early enough that the sinners were still sleeping, or so our waitress Daniella jokingly said when she came to the table. I didn’t need to look down at the menu to know what was available since the options had been the same my entire life. Of course, my breakfast wasn’t on the menu because Emma only whipped it up for me.

“Veggie egg white omelet with a side of turkey bacon and wheat toast?” Daniella asked me.

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”

Chaz squinted as he peered harder at the menu. “I don’t see that on here.”

“That’s because the doc is special,” Daniella said. “Do you want Emma to make that for you too?”

I laughed when Chaz shuttered a little bit at eating a veggie egg white omelet. “He’ll take a stack of pancakes and a side of real bacon,” I told Daniella. I’d seen him eat it enough to know it was his favorite. Chaz slowly shook his head once Daniella took our orders to the kitchen. “Did I screw up by ordering for you?” I asked. “I wasn’t trying to be a chauvinistic jerk or something.”

“No,” Chaz said. “You were showing me that you’ve been paying attention. That’s a sexy trait you have there, Doc.”

“Not creepy?” I inquired.

“Creepy would be if you’re rattling off something you could only have seen while peeping into my windows or something. Like the color of the wallpaper border in my bathroom,” Chaz clarified.

“Got it,” I replied. “What is Chaz Hamilton’s all-time favorite movie?”

“Goonies,” he replied swiftly.

“Goonies?” I asked in surprise. “I don’t think I would’ve guessed that movie in a million years.”

“Why not?” Chaz asked. “It had a cute guy in it plus action and adventure. Who didn’t want to find a buried treasure as a kid?” Chaz started to laugh and said, “I’ll never forget the summer Josh and I watched that movie. We must’ve asked to go through every musty, dusty attic in our neighborhoods looking for a treasure map. All we found was a mummified mouse and moth-eaten clothes.”

I laughed at his story and decided to share one of my own. “Holly and I were hung up onX-Files,” I told Chaz. “We looked for signs of aliens everywhere. We both snuck out one night to watch the clearing in the woods just outside of town after hearing people talk about odd sightings in the sky.”

“What did you see?” Chaz asked me.

“We fell asleep not long after we got there,” I told him. “We were in so much trouble when we came home the next day.”

“I bet so,” Chaz said.

Daniella brought our breakfasts out, and we got busy eating, but our conversation didn’t end; we just talked between bites. We shared little things like favorite bands, but we also delved a little deeper into what made me want to be a veterinarian and Chaz a writer.

I put my elbow on the table and rested my chin in my hand. “Creativity like yours blows me away.” I smiled when a blush spread across his cheeks. “I’m so excited that your dreams are coming true, but I need you to know that I fell for the receptionist turned salon manager from Curl Up and Dye, not the best-selling author.” Chaz’s cheeks turned a rosy red hue. “He was always enough for me.”

A mischievous smile spread slowly across Chaz’s face. “I should really write this stuff down. You’re something else.”

I could tell by the awed expression on his face that he thought “something else” was good instead of bad.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on you,” I teased him.