Natalie and Seth entered the all-night diner, slipping into a booth by a window. The diner’s sign out front flashed red, casting a tinged glow onto their section. The two ordered decaf coffee and breakfast: an omelette with the works and side of bacon and hash browns for him, and an order of pancakes and sausage links for her. The waitress brought their coffee in no time, promising for their food to be out soon.
Seth leaned back in the booth, eyeing Natalie as she stirred sugar in her coffee cup. He raised an eyebrow at the third sugar packet.
“What?” She waited for a sarcastic retort as she dumped in the sugar.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Just wondering if you need more coffee to go with your sugar.”
“I can’t drink it plain.”
“You never could.”
The two grew silent over his quiet statement, at the unspoken memories flying between them. Natalie could hardly move, worried it could turn into a weird situation. Their food arrived in minutes, relieving Natalie of the awkward silence as they dug into their food. She drizzled syrup all over every pancake, leaving a small pool of it on the side to dip her sausage links in.
“How’s your mom?” she asked. She’d always loved Seth’s mom, a manager at an event and conference center. Seth’s parents were divorced, and his dad lived a few hours away with his wife and stepchildren.
“She’s good,” Seth said, nodding as he dug into his breakfast. “So is Dad, and the two evil step-siblings.”
Natalie laughed; Seth’s little brother and sister couldn’t be further from evil. They all got on famously, actually, even while Seth had been wary around his dad after he moved. Seth caught her up on their lives; his brother and sister were about to graduate high school, much to Natalie’s surprise. So much time had passed, and so quickly. It was hard to believe.
“What about you?” Seth suddenly asked.
Natalie paused, fork halfway to her mouth and syrup dripping onto her plate. “What about me?”
“Did you ever go to vet school?” The sudden swerve in topic made her head spin, and though she’d half-dreaded this conversation, maybe it was time to finally rip the band-aid off.
She slowly nodded, pushing her sausage links into the syrup. “I did. Graduated and moved to the farthest vet school that would take me.”
“And did you like it?”
“Vet school? Sure, I loved it. Exactly what I wanted to do.”
“Did you … um, date anyone?”
“No, there was no time.” Natalie shook her head, adding, “And no real interest on my part, anyway. Not after you.”
“Oh.”
She could’ve been imagining it, but he sounded almost relieved, even happy, at the admission.
“What happened to all your plans?” His emphasis on the last word made her cringe.
Natalie’s hollow laugh didn’t fool either of them. “My plans came to a screeching halt when my dad got sick. Three years of vet school, and right before my final year, he got the diagnosis.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice full of sympathy and horror. His hand moved as though to cover hers, but then he thought better of it. “Hunter let it slip the other week. I didn’t know before.”
She shrugged. “How could you? Cancer doesn’t take long, I suppose that’s the saving grace. Not a lot of time for any pain. So I deferred my last year and moved back about five months ago to help Mom … and spend his last days together.”
“But now you’re here,” he said, looking down at her hands on the table. He seemed to catch himself. “I mean, working at LUSH.”
“Honestly, it was Mom’s idea; she thought I should get out of the house once in a while. But it’ll help me earn enough money to go back to a vet school and finish my degree.”
“A vet school?” Seth asked. “Not the one you were at?”
Natalie shrugged. “I can transfer. I’d like to be closer to Mom no matter what, but I wasn’t exactly crazy about the city I lived in. Too expensive, too much crime, too much … not me, if that makes sense.”
“Perfect sense,” Seth murmured.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” Natalie heaved a sigh, leaning back against the plastic booth. “I had plans, and they all went awry when Dad got sick. Guess I let a good one go for nothing.”
He flinched, but otherwise didn’t react. She offered him a small smile, wishing she could take back hurting him.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” He looked down at his hands, his long fingers wrapped around the coffee mug. “I was aimless. I had no ambition, no dreams … nothing. Until you left.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean?”
“It was kind of like a wake up call.” He shrugged those muscular shoulders. “You were right. I needed to get my act together. So I did. I spent the last four years working my way up to sous chef at the best restaurant in Crystal Springs. I love what I do now. That wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you.”
Natalie’s heartbeat sped up a little, touched at the confession. “Thank you, Seth, that’s a really nice thing to say. I’m glad you’re doing something you love now.”
“I finally feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, you know?”
Natalie nodded. “I’m happy for you. Almost jealous, really.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Natalie said, waving off the thought. But Seth pushed again and she sighed. “I was so close to being done with vet school; it’s all I’ve thought about practically my entire life. I had my plan, you know? But being away from it, and everything with Dad, it makes me wonder if it’s really what I want to do.”
Seth gave her a knowing look. “And that scares you?”
Her curls bounced as she nodded. “Yes! Exactly. I’ve never felt so … listless before.”
“I know it’s been a while, but I think I still know you pretty well,” he said, leaning over the table to her. She leaned in as well, drawn to him like a magnet as he spoke. “What you’re going through right now, anyone would feel that way. You will absolutely get through this, and figure out your path again. Maybe it’s vet school, maybe it’s not, but you’re not someone who just gives up.”
The earnestness in his voice, the absolute confidence he had in her, made her heart flutter.
“Besides,” he added, picking at the hash browns on his plate, “plans aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Things happen, life happens, as you know better than anyone. Sometimes it’s easier to be able to roll with the punches.”
“Easy for you to say,” Natalie countered. “You didn’t have a plan and look how well it turned out for you.”
His lips twitched and he reached for his cup of coffee. They sat there another moment in companionable silence, until Natalie simply had to ask the one question that was driving her crazy.
“Are you … seeing anyone? Besides Brenna, I mean?” Natalie had to practically choke the question out, half-dreading the answer.
“No.” He sipped his coffee again, eyeing her over the brim. “I’m too busy right now for that kind of thing.”
“Right,” she said, laughing nervously. “Yeah, me too.”
He smirked. “So you knew what you were getting into with Hunter then, did you?”
Natalie half-groaned, half-laughed, burying her face in her hands. “Such a stupid idea. I guess I’m a serial monogamist after all.”
“That’s not such a bad thing.” His serious tone made her pause. They stared at each other for a few beats, neither of them able to look away. Before she could question it, he cleared his throat. “Hey, it’s getting late.”
“Oh right.” Natalie blinked in surprise, checking her phone for the time. 2:04 a.m. Laughter burst from her mouth as she showed him the screen. “Or early, depending on how you look at it.”
“Let me walk you home.”
“Oh, that’s okay, I can–”
“I insist,” Seth said. The gentle smile he o
ffered her made her stomach butterflies twirl.
They were quiet on the walk to her house, only six blocks away. They reached her front porch, standing awkwardly by the front door. Natalie couldn’t help but want him to kiss her. They stood only inches apart; all she’d have to do is reach up and touch her fingers to his chest, his lips–
The front door swung open, making them both jump apart.
“Oh, Nat, I’m so sorry,” her mother said, clearly surprised to see her standing there with company. “I thought I heard you out here and came to let you in.”
“No, it’s … it’s fine, really, Mom,” Natalie said. She glanced at her mother in bewilderment. “I can’t believe you’re up this late.”
“Oh, um, I was just, you know, awake…” Her mother glanced at Seth, clearly unsure of revealing too much information.
Natalie put a hand on her mother’s arm. “It’s okay, he knows about Dad.”
“I’m so sorry about the news, Mrs. Brown,” Seth said. “If there’s anything at all you need or that we can do at the restaurant, just let us know.”
“Thank you, Seth, that’s very sweet of you to offer, but unfortunately, there’s not much anyone can do at this point,” she replied. She turned back to her daughter. “He had a rough night.”
Natalie grimaced, explaining to Seth. “Code for ‘really bad night.’”
“I see,” Seth said, clearly at a loss for words. He shifted his weight on either foot, rubbing a hand across his beard. “I’m sorry for keeping you out so late, Nat. I should let you get to bed. I’ll see you at work tomorrow?”
“Yeah, definitely,” Natalie said, hoping the disappointment of him leaving wasn’t obvious in her voice.
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight. It was good to catch up.” Seth backed away, waving a hand in limp goodbye. “’Night.”
“’Night,” Natalie echoed.
The women went inside, her mother shutting and locking the door after them.
“Why didn’t you tell me Seth was back in the picture?” her mother asked.
“He’s not,” Natalie said, unsure if that was the entire truth. “He’s the sous chef at LUSH. I didn’t know until my first day back.”
“And now he’s keeping you out late, and walking you home?” Her mom raised an eyebrow, but the corners of her mouth turned upward. “Sounds like he’s back in the picture to me.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Mom.”
Her mother called up to Natalie as she headed upstairs. “I like his beard.”
He’d been thinking about her all day. He hadn’t even tried to think of anything else, too busy obsessing over last night’s pseudo-date.
It’d been a struggle to keep his hands to himself, to not reach over and touch her, especially when she’d talked about her dad. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay. But it wasn’t his place to tell her that. Maybe it wouldn’t be; they weren’t together, so how could he know?
“Besides, do I even want to be with her?” he mumbled.
“What’s that?” Tom asked, having apparently appeared from nowhere.
Seth jumped a mile in the air, glad he’d already put the knife down. “I’ve asked you not to ninja out on me. It’s creepy.”
“I know, that’s why it amuses me.” Tom snorted, elbowing Seth’s side.
Seth glanced at the empty kitchen. The crew wasn’t due in for another twenty minutes. Servers had another hour. It was just him and Tom. He heaved a sigh.
“You got a minute to talk?”
Tom nodded, ticking his head to the house salad ingredients. “C’mon, let’s talk and work at the same time.”
They split the load and got to work. Seth told him about last night’s “date” with Natalie, and even talking with her mom.
“That sucks about her dad,” Tom said sympathetically.
“Yeah, it does.”
They worked together in silence for a few minutes until–
“Hey, have you heard back about that interview?” Tom asked him.
Seth shook his head. “Should be calling any day now. Unless they picked someone already and don’t plan on letting me know.”
“Doubt it,” Tommy said. “They just called me last week as a reference, so it looks like a slow process.”
Seth breathed a tiny sigh of relief, glad to know they hadn’t ghosted him.
Tommy didn’t look up from his cutting board. “You gonna take it?”
“You think I should?” When Tom didn’t respond right away, Seth raised an eyebrow. “You don’t?”
“I think you’re better than that job,” Tom said matter of factly, never wavering while chopping. “There’s nothing wrong with the restaurant, but you have so much talent. It gets wasted at a place like that, and you’ll get bored of it.”
“Tell me how you really feel, Chef,” Seth joked, shifting his weight on either foot.
“Hey, you asked.”
“You seem so confident in what I can do.”
Tommy snorted. “What kind of chef would I be if my sous chef wasn’t the second-best cook in town?”
“Geez, you’re modest.” Seth rolled his eyes at the criticism. “Not all of us know we’re destined to become great chefs, man.”
“True. Some have it beaten into us from childhood.” Tommy rolled his eyes, his amusement fading.
Seth didn’t respond, knowing it was a sore topic for his roommate. Tommy’s father was a very well-known chef who’d trained his son to follow in his footsteps since he was a teenager. They also butted heads nearly every time they saw each other, and Tommy had sworn long ago to never again work in the same kitchen with his father.
Tom went back to chopping radishes. “All right, so you’re a career man now and she’s back in the picture. Seems like a no-brainer.”
“Maybe I don’t want her back.”
He paused to arch an eyebrow at his sous chef. “You don’t?”
“No—well, I don’t know.” Seth growled in frustration, shifting to another salad item to stab. “It was my fault. She couldn’t take me seriously, not with the way I treated her.”
Tom shrugged. “And last night wasn’t a chance to get past all that?”
Seth thought about Natalie’s face when he asked her about her precious plans. When she’d explained her dad’s sickness, any smart-aleck reply had died on his lips. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but that wasn’t it.
“She moved as far away as she could to get away from me,” Seth said.
“And how’d that work out for her?”
“Well, she’d probably still be there if her dad hadn’t gotten sick.”
“But she hated it,” Tom pointed out. “She said it herself. Who’s to say she wouldn’t have moved back here eventually anyway?”
“Then she’d be a vet, not working at LUSH.”
Tom rolled his eyes. “Semantics, my friend. Who cares? Actually, why do you care? She’s here and you have an opportunity for something you never thought you’d get again. This is a second chance to make things right.”
“Since when did you become such a supporter of love?” Seth joked, trying to throw off the topic.
“I’m all about seeing my friends happy,” Tom said, clinking his knife against Seth’s. “And it is beyond obvious that Natalie makes you very happy. Don’t let your pride or the past ruin what could be an awesome future.”
“I’m gonna start writing down your little words of wisdom and make fortune cookies,” Seth muttered.
Chef Tommy brightened. “Ooh, fortune cookies, that might be fun for a new dessert.”
* * *
After Sunday brunch, when he knew Natalie would be home, Seth walked over to her house, loaded down with paper bags and a cooler. As he walked up the front steps, he couldn’t believe he was nervous, suddenly wondering if he should’ve worn a different shirt or nicer pants. Gritting his teeth, he knocked on the front door.
Luckily, Natalie opened the door, rewarding him with a bright smile.
“Seth, hey.”
“Hi, Nat. You busy?”
Natalie gestured to the items in his arms. “What’s all this?”
“Well, you said you’ve only been to LUSH once before, with your parents, right?”
Natalie nodded.
“I wanted to cook for them again. For your dad, I mean, before … well, you know. I thought maybe it’d take your minds off it for a couple hours.”
Natalie’s hand went to her chest. “Oh Seth, that’s so generous of you. Really, are you sure?”
“Of course I am.”
“Sure about what?” Mrs. Brown appeared from around the corner, greeting him before raising an eyebrow.
“I thought we’d have a picnic in your living room. Or at the dining room table, whatever’s easiest for Mr. Brown.”
“Oh, Seth, that is so sweet.” Her mother smiled widely at him. “Please, come on in. Natalie, help him find everything he needs in the kitchen. I’m going to go get your father.”
Seth unloaded the bags in their kitchen, showing Natalie what he’d brought. “Most of it is already cooked, so we just need to warm it up or put it out on the table.”
Natalie put a hand over her heart. “Did you make all of this stuff this morning?”
Seth shrugged nonchalantly, but the warmth in her eyes made his insides practically quiver with pride. “Hey, I didn’t have to work brunch, so I figured why not?”
“This is … beyond sweet, Seth, this is amazing. Thank you.” Natalie leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. She didn’t pull away completely, though, gazing up at him.
Seth offered her a gentle smile. “It’s the least I can do to help.”
They were only inches apart, and Seth wanted nothing more than to close the gap to kiss her. Food completely forgotten, he gazed into her beautiful brown eyes and found himself leaning in.
“Chef Clark!” A man’s reedy voice interrupted, making them jump apart.
Seth’s head swiveled to see Natalie’s father, standing–or leaning, rather–against the doorway, Mrs. Brown staying close to him. Seth wiped his hands on a dish towel and crossed the space to shake his hand.
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