Tara counted till ten in her head when Frankie chimed in and said, “Yeah… why not?”
Owen and Frankie shared a look like they would show Tara what they thought about her oatmeal.
“You can have pancakes, sweetie. But not the fries or the extra large hotdog or that hamburger I know you were looking at.”
Owen snorted like Tara was being ridiculous.
“Why not?” Frankie said before folding her arms.
Owen blinked and watched Frankie and Tara discuss why it’s not a good idea to have hamburgers at eight in the morning.
“Because that’s unhealthy.”
“But Owen said I could pick anything I liked.”
Tara sat back in her seat and said, “I know. But even though Owen said so, I think that’s not what he had in mind. And even if he did, it’s not happening because I say so.”
Frankie’s willpower and drive reminded her of Owen and how he swept her off her feet from the moment he sat down next to her on the school bus and befriended her.
However, Tara didn’t appreciate her daughter testing the waters to see if she could get her way with Owen.
Owen surprised her as he said, “Listen to your mother, Fluff. We’re not eating hamburgers for breakfast.”
Frankie pointed at Caitlin’s plate. “How are the pancakes?”
Caitlin’s upper lip pulled to a smile. “Best I ever had.”
“Yeah?”
Caitlin forked a piece of pancake and said, “They’re homemade. Look: the center is fluffy and the edges are crispy and buttery.”
“Oh, those look really good,” Tara said, her mouth watering.
“I know, right?” Caitlin said with a smile before stuffing her face.
Frankie leaned over the table, eyeing the pancakes.
“Do you want to have a taste before ordering yours?” Caitlin said as she forked another piece for Frankie.
“That’s okay, Cait. You’re eating for two now. Frankie will get her own plate, right, Fluff?”
“Congratulations,” Tara said.
Caitlin pushed a brown strand of hair behind her ear before nodding. “Thanks.”
Jenny came up to their table and said, “And what can I get you this morning?”
Owen ordered the pancakes for Frankie and Tara, and the mountain man breakfast for himself. Tara remembered how his mother cooked this all the time for their guests at their B&B.
“What’s in the mountain man breakfast?” Frankie asked her father.
Owen chuckled. “Everything that fills a man up, giving him energy to work through a hard day.”
“Like what?”
“Like a large breakfast casserole filled with bacon, breakfast sausage, peppers, shredded potatoes, some union and—”
“Can we split our breakfast?” Frankie asked.