Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 27182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“Of course, he did,” I say, laughing as I sneak a peek at him.
“Lucy, you almost finished?” my manager Jacob asks as he walks over, checking the plates waiting under the heaters in front of the kitchen. “Not enough fries on this one. Look at these plates, they’re filthy! Come on, guys”
One of the cooks whisks the two plates away to clean the rims as Jacob turns to me with his eyebrows raised.
“Just waiting on two campers on table thirty-one,” I say as I grab the credit card machine. “Bill is on the table. I’ll go walk by again.”
“Refill waters on your way,” he says, turning back to re-inspect the plates.
I head out with the water pitcher, walking around the dining room of Jack Jameson’s Bar and Grill with a big smile on my face.
I love this place. The restaurant, the town, my new townhouse. I love it all.
I’m still in shock at how I just picked a random town and it turned out to be the most perfect place in the world for me. The Greene Mountains is adorable. The scenery is spectacular with the most majestic mountains making you gasp at every turn.
The streets are straight out of a Hallmark movie with the adorable cobblestone sidewalks, the beautiful colorful flowers on the old-fashioned light posts, and all of the fun restaurants and eclectic family-run shops. The town may look straight out of Hallmark, but the men are straight up Harlequin. Holy moly, they are a sight to see. I’ve seen more muscular arms, broad shoulders, thick beards, and gorgeous faces on these stunning mountain men in the past week than I did in a lifetime of living in my old crappy town.
It’s been five months since Cutter and I rolled into the Greene Mountains and I’m still in awe at how amazing everything has turned out.
I’m waitressing at the coolest restaurant in town. It’s the place to be at night with five dollar draft beers and plates so big that even some of these mountain men can’t finish them. There’s a huge bar section and we serve all of these fun colorful cocktails. The staff is great—I adore Jenny—the clients are wonderful, and the money is fantastic. Everyone is so nice and generous. I’ll take this over my boring old job where I had to talk about water pumps all day.
I casually pass my table where I’m waiting for the couple to pay. They’ve been here for so long. He has his wallet in his hand, but he’s not taking his credit card out. I think they may be deciding whether or not to move into the dining room at this point. Maybe if I come back wearing my pajamas on the next tour around their table, they’ll get the hint.
I refill some waters, smiling and chatting with the friendly locals. I wink at a bored little girl and she smiles at me.
“Hey, Lucy,” Abby from the Warm Loaf Bakery says when I refill her water glass. She’s sitting at the table with her hot Search and Rescue boyfriend, Julian Long. “When are you going to let me set you up?”
I can feel my cheeks getting red as I laugh shyly. “I already have a male who keeps me busy.”
She rolls her eyes playfully. “I mean a real man. Not one with four legs and a tail.”
I’m always stopping by her bakery in the mornings whenever I walk Cutter. They have the best cinnamon rolls on the planet and I keep telling myself I’m going to walk right by the bakery, but every morning, that irresistible smell pulls me in and I cave. She always chats me up while she makes my cappuccino, saying she’s going to find me the perfect man.
I don’t really need a man right now. I’m still getting settled in.
I rented a townhouse on a quiet street and it has a huge backyard which I share with my neighbor Sandra. It’s fenced in and Cutter loves it. Sandra has a golden retriever, Rocky, and the two of them are best friends. They spend all day together, playing and cuddling outside on the soft grass. It’s so heartwarming to see my happy dog surrounded by love, especially after seeing how lonely he was all those years.
I’ve made friends with Sandra and I take the dogs during the day while she’s at work and she takes them at night while I’m here. It’s perfect.
“When you’re ready, let me know,” Abby says once I’m backing away from her table. “You have to be bold in life.” She grins as she shows me her wrist with her tattoo that says Be Bold in black ink.
“That’s good advice,” I say with my heart thumping.
I’m bold in life—I did steal a dog and move to a new town on a whim—but I’m anything but bold when it comes to my love life. Or, lack of love life.