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 ce 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. "Youe


    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


    ss down.


    Dez read the name tag on the silent waitress''s shirt as she ced 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 ced 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''sugh 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 startedughing 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 yfully 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 ent to her porcin 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 ept without feeling cated. "No." He


    smiled. "We can''t have that."


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    ----------


    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 nced 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''te 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 in chips then looked over the dip options on disy. She ced jars of


    ranch and salsa into the cart and started down the aisle again. "I promise I''ll call youter 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 epted Troy''s attention when she really didn''t feel how he did.


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