Waiting on Love (Love in Madelia Book 3)

by Jessa Chase

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, after a moment.

  “You’re sorry? For what?”

  “I’m sorry for calling you a gold-digger. It’s not something I should ever say about a woman. I was angry and I just went off the handle. I can tell I offended you.”

  “You did. But I forgive pretty easily.” She glanced around the empty diner. “Are you hungry? You were right about us needing to talk about things. No reason we can’t eat at the same time.”

  Cole smiled. “Maybe I should call Richard back. I was kind of an ass, sending him away like that.”

  Daisy laughed. “You kind of were, actually. Call him, I’ll find us all something to eat in the kitchen.”

  Chapter 3.

  COLE

  “I’m just not convinced this place can sustain a profit margin long-term,” Cole said between bites of his sandwich.

  “She’s been in business here longer than I’ve been alive,” Daisy shot back. “How is that not long-term?”

  The three of them were seated again in the diner, eating a hastily prepared meal and discussing the finer points of Mrs. Shuster’s living will. They’d agreed on more than a few points, but when it came to the diner itself, they hit a snag.

  “If you sit down with the books, you’ll see that Cole is right,” Mr. DeRosa spoke up. “It’s not something any of us want to hear, I think, but she’s been running in the red for quite a while now.”

  Daisy shook her head. “I just don’t think that’s right. This is the only diner in town; everybody eats here. Some people, some of the older guys who have lost their wives, they eat all their meals here. How can it be in debt?”

  “Well, Mrs. Shuster didn’t always charge people for their meals,” Mr. DeRosa replied gently. “You know as well as I do, she was a kind soul and when she saw people were hungry, she fed them. Great woman, but terrible business sense.”

  Daisy balled her fists up and struggled to maintain her composure. She really wanted to make the best impression possible on the two men, especially after she’d made a bit of a mess of things earlier. Letting her emotions get the best of her was not the way to do things, she reminded herself.

  “What is your proposal then, Cole? Do you think we should get a loan, fix the place up? Try to get more business in here? We can do that. It might take time, but we can do that.”

  Cole shook his head. “Daisy, I just don’t see any of that working, as nice as it sounds.” He cleared his throat before continuing. “I think the only reasonable thing to do would be to sell the diner.”

  “Sell the diner? Are you completely crazy?” She jumped to her feet and paced away from the table.

  Cole, to his credit, stayed where he was. Smart man.

  “It’s not crazy. The diner isn’t worth much as it is, but the land it sits on is at a premium. If we sold it now, we’d have enough to pay off the original loan on the diner, her mortgage and there might even be something left over to split between the two of us.”

  “I don’t…I can’t...This is stupid. This is beyond stupid.”

  Daisy continued to pace, gesturing erratically with her hands what she thought of their proposed plan. It didn’t help that Mr. DeRosa was in agreement with Cole.

  She was so wrapped up in thinking up arguments against Cole, she didn’t even hear him stand and approach her from behind. She jumped when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

  “Sorry,” Cole said as she spun around. “This isn’t something I take lightly, Daisy. I loved this diner when I was a kid. It was like a wonderful refuge from the real world. But I’m an adult now and I have adult responsibilities that don’t include moving here and running an unprofitable diner.”

  “I’ll run it,” Daisy pleaded. “I’ll send you checks and keep you updated on everything. I can do it.”

  “My aunt spoke really highly of you,” Cole replied. “And I have no doubt you’d try your hardest. But you aren’t qualified to run a diner by yourself. It’s just too much.”

  Daisy tilted her head and considered him for a moment. “I didn’t know she talked about me.”

  Her voice was quiet, her eyes a thousand miles away. Cole took her hand in his and squeezed reassuringly.

  “She was very proud of you Daisy. I felt like I knew you, I heard stories about you all the time. The fact that I didn’t recognize you on sight in that bar just goes to show you how preoccupied I was.”

  Daisy chuckled. “You had your hands full.”

  “In all the best ways. But my point still stands. She loved you, thought you and your son pretty much hung the moon, but I think she was unreasonable in thinking we’d be capable of running the diner.”

  “I take it this might be something we need to discuss further,” Mr. DeRosa said from his seated position at the table.

  They turned and faced him, Daisy blushing more than a little bit when she realized she’d completely forgotten the other man was even still there. She had found herself interested in what Cole had to say, even when she disagreed with what he was saying.

  “Agreed,” Cole said as he watched Daisy’s face fill with color. “Let’s get back together in a few days, after we’ve had time to think all this over.”

  “I’d really like it if you got to see the diner in action,” Daisy said. “Would you come by when we’re not closed? I’d rather you judge it on a normal day.”

  “I can do that. In fact, I’d enjoy it.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll come by tomorrow.”

  DAISY

  “Hey there, big man!” Daisy knelt and opened her arms wide, as Mason came running to her. He nearly knocked her off balance with his boisterous hug, but she absolutely loved it. “How was school today?”

  Mason nestled his face against her shoulder, and she in turn tilted her head so that she could smell the top of his head. His hair smelled so good, like babies and sunshine. She’d loved that smell since pretty much the minute she’d met him. It amazed her that he still fit so well in her arms. He was definitely growing, and she knew he wouldn’t always be her baby, but moments like this, with him snuggled in her arms, made her whole day seem brighter.

  “Was good, momma,” Mason replied. He was staying in her arms longer than he had been recently, and Daisy was going to enjoy every minute of it. As he got older, she’d noticed him pulling away ever so slightly, and the separation made her heart ache.

  “Did you do anything fun?”

  “Science.”

  “Science?! Wow, that sounds like fun! I don’t think we did any science in Kindergarten when I was a kid. What kind of science did you do?”

  Mason tugged free of his mom and looked her in the eye. He looked serious, had looked serious since he was a baby.

  “We rolled a ball down a tube and then we rolled a heavier ball and then a rubber ball.”

  “Yeah, what did you learn there?”

  Mason shrugged. “I dunno. It was fun though.”

  Daisy laughed. “Well I think that counts for a whole lot. I’m glad you had fun, kiddo.” She ruffled his hair and stood, grabbing his hand.

  “I bought stuff to make pizza, does that sound good?”

  Mason nodded vigorously and grinned. “Pepperoni and pineapple?”

  “Of course. With maybe some…pickles and mayo?”

  Mason wrinkled his nose and looked at his mom dubiously. “Yuck, momma. That sounds so gross.”

  “It does!” Daisy chuckled. “Okay, no pickles and mayo. Pepperoni and pineapple it is.”

  Chapter 4.

  COLE

  Cole shuffled from the living room into the kitchen, carrying his half-filled coffee cup to the sink, where he emptied it down the drain. The kitchen was small but clean, and if he closed his eyes he could think back to some of his favorite memories.

  He’d spent most of his childhood summers with his great aunt Eleanor, helping her with odd jobs around her house, and spending the rest of his time wandering the tiny town of Madelia. He’d loved every minute he’d spent t
here, even if his memories were colored by childlike enthusiasm. At the time, Madelia had been a welcome escape from life with his always angry, always fighting parents.

  Nobody in Madelia cared about how much money his parents had, or what kind of car they drove. The only thing anyone is Madelia cared about when it came to Cole, it seemed, was that his aunt loved him and thought the world of him.

  The town had welcomed him home every summer, with open and nonjudgmental arms.

  He wished he could say the same about Madelia nowadays, he thought grimly. He was only staying at his aunt’s house because there appeared to be absolutely no rooms available at the small inn near the center of town. Never mind the fact that it was not the big season for tourism, nor was Madelia all that big with tourists to begin with.

  He had more than a sneaking suspicion that the lack of availability had more to do with Madelia deciding that he was the Big Bad Wolf, out to get poor pitiful Daisy and ruin her life. Cole sighed as he pulled the almost empty bag of coffee grounds from the shelf and went about making a new cup.

  He didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. It hurt him as much as anybody to think about closing the diner, but wasn’t it better to do it now, instead of waiting for it to fall further behind in debt?

  It wasn’t like the diner was going to magically become profitable without it’s figurehead at the helm. The fact was, it was more likely to fall faster than before. He was fairly certain the only thing that had kept it going before had been his aunt’s stubbornness and force of will.

  His phone beeped at his hip, notifying him of a new text message. He snapped it up while the coffee gurgled in the machine, and made a face when he saw the contact information on his screen.

  His boss. Wanting to know when he’d be back. He typed out a quick reply, letting him know that his family issue had gotten a little more complicated. Assured his boss that he’d be back and raring to go in no time.

  A quick reply came in, sarcastically wondering where Cole suddenly acquired a family. He figured he kind of deserved that; after all he hadn’t been the most family-friendly member of his accounting firm. He wasn’t entirely sure if he’d ever even mentioned his extended family to his boss or colleagues before having to make two sudden trips to the west side of the country. Hearing that he had a great aunt who he dearly loved and would miss must have come as quite a shock to his boss.

  When he returned his phone to his pocket and took that first glorious sip of fresh hot coffee, he considered the shit-storm that had suddenly become his life. He’d only found himself on this coast when his mother had contacted him, in a panic and completely vague about the details. He’d flown out, only to discover that her panic had been completely unwarranted. Annoyed at having flown out west for nothing, he’d gone out to a local bar to drown his annoyances.

  He’d met Daisy there, and he’d thought his fortunes had turned around when she’d come back to his hotel room and rocked his world. He’d been disappointed when he’d woken to an empty bed, but then again it wasn’t all that different from how he normally woke up.

  Before he’d been able to check out and get back to his normal life, he’d gotten a call from the hospital that his aunt was in heart failure. Instead of driving back to the airport, he turned the car around and headed for Madelia.

  And now, he was staying in his aunt’s house, staying in Madelia longer than he’d ever anticipated, and he was feeling her absence from his life like a gut punch. Even her house felt gray and sullen without her, like it knew his intentions and disagreed vehemently.

  He loved his great aunt Eleanor dearly, had always been so thankful for what she’d done for him when he’d been younger. She’d sheltered him from his parents and their petty arguments, as much as she could. She’d given him half a dozen wonderful summers, so he felt like he owed her something now. Was it enough to come here and close up her affairs for her? Make sure she didn’t go into bankruptcy before she died?

  He’d felt a lot more sure about what he was doing before having met Daisy. Well, having met her a second time, he thought with a grim smile. Their first time together had been magical, electric even, and even fighting with her at the diner, he’d felt a lot of the same sparks as he’d felt at the bar. He was interested in her, wanted to know more about her, and he was pretty sure she felt the same way about him.

  There was no denying her eyes had been filled with heat, and not just because she was annoyed by his very existence. As much as he desperately wanted to explore things further with the beautiful waitress, he had a feeling it wouldn’t be happening. Chances were, his plan to close the diner would put an end to any interest she had in him.

  He shook his head, unsure of what the right decision was. Did he go ahead with closing the diner, do what he felt was right from a business side of things? Or did he explore things with Daisy, see where they went, and keep the diner going like she was hoping he would?

  Cole headed back into the living room with his coffee, determined to spend some time looking through his great aunt’s financial ledgers before heading to the diner in the morning. He had a long night ahead of him, but he wanted to be as prepared as possible before he approached Daisy again.

  DAISY

  “I’ll be right there! Two shakes, I promise,” Daisy said as she rushed past a full table of customers and into the kitchen. She was running on fumes after a nearly sleepless night, and the diner was busier than she’d ever seen it.

  “Pancakes for Mike’s table are up,” Enzo said as he nudged two plates her way. He was manning the skillet and getting orders out almost as fast as Daisy was bringing them in. She smiled and patted him on the back.

  “Thanks,” she said before heading back out. “You’re a lifesaver, Enzo.”

  Weaving her way to Mike’s table with both plates, she saw Cole enter the diner out of the corner of her eye.

  “These look amazing, Daisy,” Mike said with a big grin. He’d brought his little daughter Amy with him for a daddy-daughter breakfast date. They looked adorable, sitting together in their nicest outfits. “Thank you for keeping everything going around here.”

  “I can’t imagine being anywhere else, you know.” Daisy stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Mrs. Shuster would love seeing how busy we are today. Hasn’t been like this in a while.”

  “Well, you know everybody heard about what happened, and we all figured the best thing we could do is come down and eat. She’d love that.”

  “She’s definitely loving it,” Daisy replied with a smile. “Thanks again, Mike. And it was nice to see you too, Amy.”

  Amy wasn’t big on eye contact, but she smiled at Daisy and showed off her missing front tooth. After another moment, Daisy turned from their table and headed back to the table of new folks who had just arrived.

  “Hi, and welcome to the Madelia Diner. My name is Daisy and I’ll be your waitress today,” she said, pulling out her notepad and pen. “What can I get for you this morning?”

  “Oh, well, I think some of those pancakes smell like a really good idea.” The older man at the table, Daisy was guessing the father of the two kids and the husband of the woman, spoke first. They looked like a nice group of people, from out of town obviously since Daisy knew everyone who lived in Madelia.

  “Sounds like a plan! Anything else I can get you? And if you don’t mind me being a little bit nosey, what brings you to Madelia today?”

  “Orange juice for these two, and coffee for us,” the mom said with a bright smile. “And nothing particular, we were just driving through and saw the sign out on the highway. Our stomachs spoke up for us, so here we are!”

  “Here you are! Well, I’ll get your food all ready and I’ll be out before you can blink. Thanks again for the visit, we just love seeing new faces here in Madelia.”

  On her way back to the kitchen, Daisy paused at the counter, where Cole had chosen to sit. His back was lean and strong and seeing him again brought back memories of their night together. She shook her he
ad and tried to shake loose those thoughts.

  “You were not wrong, this place really is busier than I remember from when I was younger.”

  “We do alright. Says something that people care enough to come by when they heard about Mrs. Shuster’s problems.”

  “It does,” Cole agreed. He bit his lip before he said anything else. Daisy figured he didn’t want to start the morning off with an argument.

  “Can I get you some coffee?” Daisy said after a moment of silence. She danced back and forth on her feet, not wanting to spend too much time waiting on just one guy when there was a diner full of people.

  Cole glanced down at the empty coffee cup he had been subconsciously passing between his palms. “Yes. Please. Sorry, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

  “Me either,” Daisy admitted. “Lots of things to think about.”

  Cole nodded, and caught her eye. “I’d like to talk, just you and me. Sometime soon.”

  Claire’s eyes widened, but she nodded. “I…Yeah. No, that’s a good idea. I agree.” She looked across the busy clinic before looking back at him. “I need to get going. I’m sorry.”

  Cole waved his hand. “Don’t be sorry. I’m fine here. I’ll people watch.”

  She grinned, and spun on her heels, heading back to the kitchen.

  COLE

  “That was a hell of a day,” Cole said as Daisy turned the sign in the window from open to closed.

  She spun on her heels and he saw her wearing a smile that lit up the whole damn room.

  “It was pretty amazing,” she replied in a quick rush of breath. “I haven’t seen the diner like that in a long time. So many people!”

  Cole raised an eyebrow at her. “I thought you said before that it was always that busy.”

  Seeing the amusement in his eyes, she knew she was caught, but she had to laugh. “Yeah, sorry. I’m a terrible fibber and I always seem to get found out when I do it.” She cast her eyes downward. “You just, you made me so mad the other day. I was dying to prove you wrong, show you how amazing the diner really is.”