Between her heat burning into his chest and her answer, his brain struggled to form an appropriate reply. Thankfully, she pressed her lips against his, making it impossible for him to speak anyway.
Chapter 14
Last night, for the third straight Monday in a row, she’d joined him and Tiegan for dinner while Candace was at school. Aaron invited his mom over as well. Not surprisingly, she’d accepted. It had thrilled his mom when she learned they were together. In fact, he half expected her to already be collecting information on possible locations for their wedding reception. Candace and Tiegan had been pretty happy when they found out as well.
Once his mom left and Tiegan retreated upstairs to call friends, they’d moved into the living room and switched on the television. Although they’d settled on a show, they’d spent most of their time talking rather than watching the comedy. It’d been during their conversation the idea for today’s outing came to him. Once he’d verified that Juliette didn’t have any plans already and she left for the night, he’d gone back into his office and worked until almost eleven. Then he’d dragged his butt out of bed early this morning, skipped both his run and breakfast, and spent a few more hours tackling work. But now his work responsibilities were taken care of, and he could move on to more important things—a full day with Juliette all to himself.
After leaving his sister a note letting her know he wouldn’t be around for dinner, Aaron put the cooler he’d packed and some blankets in his truck and drove down to the cottage.
Dressed for the day and holding a coffee mug, Juliette opened the door almost as soon as he knocked. “I thought I heard a car outside.” She allowed him to enter and closed the door behind him. “What are you doing down here?”
They’d seen each other every day since the weekend the power went out and had developed somewhat of routine during the week. He spent the day in his office working. Around five or so, she’d either come up and spend a few hours with him and whoever else was in the house, or he’d go to the cottage. Unless he got a late start on his run and saw Juliette while she was out walking, they never saw each other at eight-thirty in the morning.
“Picking you up for the day. I hope you haven’t eaten breakfast.” If she had, he’d have to alter his plans.
“So far, I’ve only had coffee. Do you want some?”
He’d already had half a pot. He’d needed it when he climbed out of bed after only four hours of sleep. “Nope. I want you to grab a jacket and your boots. Probably your hat and gloves too.” The forecast called for a gorgeous early spring day with temps in the high fifties. He’d rather play it safe, though.
“Uh, okay. But don’t you have to work today?”
“Between last night after you left and this morning, I took care of everything.”
“If you say so. I’ll be right back.”
True to her word, she didn’t keep him waiting.
“Are you going to tell me where we are going, or should I guess?” she asked once they were on their way.
“The best breakfast place in New Hampshire. Possibly in New England.” His favorite breakfast spot was only their first stop of the day.
“And that would be where?”
“Polly’s Pancake Parlor.” He’d never eaten better pancakes anywhere, and that included the ones his mom made. “I already called and had our name added to the waitlist.”
“A waitlist for breakfast.”
“The restaurant isn’t large. Today it shouldn’t be as busy, but in the summer, especially on the weekends, there is a two-hour wait to get a table.”
Opened during the Great Depression, the popular restaurant had undergone some renovations a few years earlier, but it still resembled the place he’d started coming to before he could walk. While the owners served a full menu of breakfast foods and lunch options, Aaron couldn’t imagine coming and ordering anything but their pancakes.
“I love the horse.” Juliette gestured toward the red wooden horse outside the entrance, where two children sat while their mom snapped a picture.
“My mom must have at least a dozen photos of my sisters and me on its predecessor.”
“Really?”
“Yep, every year she’d insist on taking a yearly picture of us on Trot Trot.”
“I might have to ask her to see them. I bet you were an adorable five-year-old.”
If a restaurant could be the embodiment of New England, it would be this place. When they’d walked in, they’d entered a small store that sold everything from pancake mix and real maple syrup to T-shirts and postcards. The store led directly into the dining room. Pictures of the family that started the business along with old New Hampshire license plates and farming tools from a bygone era decorated the wood-paneled walls.
Taking her seat, Juliette watched a server leave another table and enter the most unusual kitchen setup she’d ever seen. And she’d been in a lot of restaurants. As she watched, the server checked his pad and then reached for a metal funnel-shaped apparatus. The individual standing next to him did the same.
“What are they doing?” Polite or not, she pointed toward the employees.
He didn’t even look over his shoulder. “Cooking pancakes.”