Caroline leans back in her chair and gives me a quick once over. "So, what's your story?"
That's something I've never been asked, and I'm not sure whether I want to open up. At least, not all the way. "There isn't much to tell. I have two teenage sisters, my dad passed away a couple of years ago, and I go help my mom out around the house whenever I get a chance."
The waitress comes back with two plates on a tray. She sets one down in front of each of us. "Here you go. Just holler if you need anything else."
"Thanks," Caroline smiles. "And why did you decide to be a bartender?"
"College. I went for one year, and spent more time making drinks for the parties than going to class. It wasn't for me so I went the bartender route."
"At least you knew what you wanted to do with your life." Even though she looks relaxed, I notice the way her body stiffens.
"Do you not know what you want to do with yours? I mean, raising a kid on your own is pretty damn good if you ask me."
"Not really," she sighs while cutting a piece of her waffle, “I was in college for psychology when I got pregnant with David. And then when Nathan left...I had to pause my education and find a job to support him. I reconnected with my friends and they offered me a part time job at the flower shop they were starting up."
"Have you thought about going back?" I take a bite of my own food, and nearly groan with satisfaction. I'll have to come here more often to grab breakfast before work.
"So, how is this going to work between us? We probably need some sort of ground rules." She changes the subject completely, and I think I may have hit a nerve. I won't press, though. There's plenty of time to break down those walls.
"I'm actually not sure. I've never done this before. I mean, we'll obviously have to make it believable. I have a feeling your friends will be able to call bullshit from a mile away if they think it's fake."
"They will," she laughs. "Kate is already hounding me for the dirty details of our breakfast date."
She called this a date. It's promising. "Okay, so you need to tell me your boundaries. You have the lead here."
"What kind of boundaries?"
"Physical." I clear my throat because that came out more like a croak than normal. "Hand holding, hugging, kissing."
Her cheeks turn red and I think I may have caught her off guard. "Oh, um," she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and takes a bite to buy her some time. "Handholding and hugging is fine. Even an arm around the shoulder, or waist, is okay. Kissing...we'll play that one by ear."
"I can abide by that." It'll be torture on my end, but I'm a big boy and can handle myself. "Any other things you want to cover?"
"No, I think that's it." She taps the table. "Oh, how are dates supposed to work? It's fall wedding season so my weekends stay booked up. And I know you aren't as available on the weekends. Plus, I don't want to be away from David more than I have to be."
"We can keep doing breakfast dates, or even lunch ones when you can get away. I do think we should sprinkle in a dinner here and there. Nothing over board, but your friends and my coworkers are going to think we're hiding something if we're never seen together at night."
She scrunches up her nose like she's not fond of the last idea, but she nods. "I can do that. We just need to plan far in advance so I can get a sitter."
I finish the last of my food, and set the fork on the plate. "Great. I'll have to find someone to cover for me on those nights as well. A plan is always a good thing."
I glance at my phone and realize we've been here almost two hours. "I should probably head out."
"Me too," she agrees. "I need to go get changed. Lugging flowers to another location isn't always the cleanest."
I wave the waitress over for the check. "How are y'all going to move flowers in this kind of weather?"
"We're hoping it dies down some. It's doable, but it won't be fun or easy. Luckily, the back door of the shop has a small awning and we can back the van up as close as possible." She reaches for her purse and I hope like hell she doesn't think she's paying.
"I've got this." I tell her and wave for her to put her wallet away. "If you need any help text me. I have a feeling the bar is going to be pretty slow, especially if the weather doesn't calm down."
"I can't call you away from your job." She slides her wallet back into her purse. "That isn't within the rules of our agreement. And thank you for breakfast."
"You're welcome." The waitress comes back and I hand her my card. "And it's really not that big of a deal. If anything, having me around may help y'all go faster. The extra set of hands and all."
"I'll let you know." She puts her jacket back on as the waitress hands my card back. I shove it in my wallet and stand. "Seriously, thank you for breakfast, and for not batting an eye the other night. Next time we get together we can figure out what our exit strategy will be so nobody gets hurt."
Ouch. She's not going to let her shield down easily. "Sounds good." I grab her umbrella from against the wall. "I'll walk you to your car."