Chapter 22

Dez ordered the meaty omelet, pancakes, and coffee while Tabitha ordered fruit crepes and orange
juice. The waitress grunted then turned without speaking a word. Dez found it amusing and actually
laughed as the portly woman sashayed away to place the order.

"She's a sweetheart once you've tipped her," Tabitha said then shrugged.

"I bet," Dez said, as he continued to watch their waitress. He turned back to face Tabitha. "You come
here often then."

"Not as much as I'd like." Tabitha moved her arm that was lying across the table to let the waitress sit a
glass down.

Dez read the name tag on the silent waitress's shirt as she placed his coffee in front of him. Gene, their
waitress, rolled her eyes then left. Again, without saying a word. Dez shook his head as he reached for
the sugar and cream.

"Is it the friendly conversation from the staff that has you wanting more?"

"Gene didn't speak to me until after I ate at one of her tables at least half a dozen times," Tabitha
smiled.

When he had his coffee just right, he took a long sip then sighed. "Well," he said, as he placed the mug
back on the table, "the coffee is amazing."

Tabitha shrugged. "Never had the stuff." She rolled her straw paper with her fingers. "So, you want to
talk about this angel that flew away?"

Dez groaned as he peered at Tabitha. Did he really refer to Anna as an Angel? "No," he said, with a
tone of finality. He heard Tabitha's laugh before looking up into her face to see her eyes aglow with
humor.



"Lighten up," Tabitha grinned, "besides, you've already told me everything."

Dez rubbed his hand over his head and sighed, "Everything?"

"Being inside Anna was 'the tearing apart and the piecing together of my very soul,'" Tabitha said
before she started laughing again.

Shaking his head, Dez drank his coffee. He was certain he would need another two cups before
breakfast ended. As soon as he finished his cup, the waitress returned with their food. He motioned to
his cup but she said nothing as she walked away.

"So," Tabitha fork cut her crepes, "do you think she was dating someone?"

"I don't know," Dez admitted. He buttered his French toast slices and proceeded to cut them. "I guess
Anna wasn't that into me." He playfully raised a brow.

"Hmmm," she said as she chewed. "From what you've described of...her reactions, I think she was into
you. Maybe life got in the way."

Dez looked at Tabitha. Her long red hair was the perfect accent to her porcelain tone. She was
absolutely beautiful, had a sense of humor, and didn't seem stuck on herself. Tabitha was totally his
type and maybe...

"I think you need a bit of distraction, anyway."

Dez smiled, giving her the dimples women loved. "Are you volunteering to be that distraction for me?"

"It's my civic duty. Can't have the great Dezmond Rey in a funk," Tabitha said as she winked. "Your
writing will suffer and we can't have that."



Dez and Tabitha looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Her expression was one of
understanding, and it was something he found he could accept without feeling placated. "No." He
smiled. "We can't have that."

----------

SPRING

The wheel of the shopping cart jammed for the third time, stopping Spring in her tracks again. She
jerked the silver menace back and forth a few times then used her foot to remove the small cardboard
piece of debris that was lodged under the front wheel. She sighed as she grabbed hold of the cell
phone she had pinned to her ear with her shoulder.

"No!" Spring said into her cell phone. She spoke so loudly that she glanced around the supermarket to
see if anyone was looking at her. A man close to her didn't seem interested in her conversation at all.

"Look, Troy, this isn't a good time for me to talk but you can't come here."

"It's never a good time, Springy," Troy said on the other end. "You are always too busy to talk."

Spring grabbed a bag of plain chips then looked over the dip options on display. She placed jars of
ranch and salsa into the cart and started down the aisle again. "I promise I'll call you later tonight, Troy,
but I really have to go."

She loved Troy. It was said that they were friends in their momma's belly. But that's all she ever wanted
to be. But, Troy wanted more and it seemed that everyone in their small town wanted them to be a
couple. So...she accepted Troy's attention when she really didn't feel how he did.

"Fine," Troy said then sighed. "But-"


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