SUSAN MEIER - Hunter's Vow

But something else, something like a need to cheer her on also made him feel accepting her decision was the right thing to do. After all, how hard could it be to eat a piece of slightly burned breakfast cake?

“I think it’s a great idea,” Hunter said enthusiastically. “This looks…wonderful.”

He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, hoping to get a burst of cinnamon or sugar—or just plain flavor that would give him an honest reason to compliment her. Unfortunately, the burst of flavor never came and neither did the sense that he had chewed enough that he could swallow. Finally, in desperation, he took a drink of coffee.

“That dry, huh?”

“It’s coffee cake, Abby,” Hunter said brightly. “You’re supposed to sip coffee while you eat it.”

“Oh, right,” Abby said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Okay, then,” Hunter said. He had never seen the shy, insecure side of Abby before and though it was unusual, it was also endearing. All their time together she had been the one with the confidence who spurred him on. Now it seemed fate was giving him the chance to return the favor. Without hesitation or grimace, he took another bite from his cake.

“Morning, Mom,” Tyler said as he ran into the room. “Hey, Hunter,” he added, jumping onto the chair beside Hunter. Then he saw the coffee cake. “Aw, Mom!”

“Now, Tyler, it can’t be that bad,” Abby returned, slicing off a piece for her son. “See, Hunter’s eating it.”

Hunter would have passed Tyler an apologetic smile, but for Abby’s sake and since he had a plan to rescue his son, he kept his eyes forward and said, “I’ll walk Tyler to school this morning.”

“That’s all right,” Abby said, turning around to face the counter behind her. “It’s on my way to the diner.”

“But he wants to go in early today,” Hunter said, while he gave Tyler a quick look he hoped would convey to his son that he should just go along. “And I told him I would walk him in. In fact,” he added, inspiration striking, “he may not have time to finish that cake.”

Abby sighed. “All right. I’ll wrap it up for him. He can take it with him.”

“Good idea,” Hunter said, and when Abby turned away again he caught Tyler’s gaze and winked at him. “What time do you go in to work?” he asked Abby casually.

“Nine or so,” she replied, her back to Tyler and Hunter. “I don’t have to go in until the second wave of the breakfast crowd.”

“That’s good,” Hunter said, then mouthed to Tyler that they would grab a takeout order of toast on the way to school. Grinning foolishly, Tyler nodded.

When Abby turned to hand Tyler his cake, both the men in her life were as quiet and unassuming as church mice, but Abby couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. First, Tyler was never this quiet. Second, he now nearly adored the man he had absolutely hated yesterday.

Yeah, she was sure of it. Something had happened.

She considered the possibilities the entire time she straightened the kitchen and dressed in her waitress uniform. She thought about it walking to the diner. She was still thinking about it as the Brewster women entered with the triplets.

“He ate my coffee cake,” she said without preamble as the women took seats at the counter and Abby poured them coffee.

“I told you he still loved you,” Claire said, holding Cody back from the hot cup.

“No, I think it had something more to do with Tyler.”

“Tyler?” Kristen echoed curiously. “What the heck would eating your ungodly dry coffee cake have to do with Tyler?”

“I’m not sure,” Abby said, honest enough about her own cooking that she didn’t take offense. “But this morning, when Tyler came into the kitchen he said, ‘Morning, Mom…Hey, Hunter.”’

Kristen, Claire and Lily only stared at her.

“He didn’t just say hello. He used that friendly, buddy kind of hello men say to each other. ‘Hey, Hunter,”’ she explained, looking at the three women as if they were slow and dull for not keeping up.

“And this is bad because…” Lily prodded.

“Because yesterday Tyler hated Hunter. Almost despised him. I didn’t think I would ever get him to speak civilly with the man, then Hunter took him out for a walk last night and now he’s acting like Hunter’s his best friend.”

“Abby, all this is good stuff,” Claire reminded her, patting her hand.

“I know that,” Abby said, frustrated. “But I just can’t help but think there’s a reason.”

In that precise second, Thadd Peterson, grandson of the Petersons who owned the florist shop, strode into the diner with a long, white box haphazardly strewn across his arm. As if he were a third grader instead of a sophomore in college, he stared at the instruction card, trying to decipher it.

“I think this says Abby Witness,” he said to Abby, handing her the card to get her assistance. “I don’t know an Abby Witness.”

Lily yanked the card from his hands before Abby could take it. “It says ‘Abby Waitress…’ then the next line is, ‘At the diner.”’

“Oh,” Thadd said, passing the box to Abby. “Here you go, then.”

Abby stared at the box. Claire fished into her purse and pulled out a dollar. “For your trouble,” she told Thadd, dismissing him. He looked at the money, grinned and walked away. Claire turned to Abby. “Open it!”

“I’m afraid to.”

“Well, I’m not,” Kristen said, grabbing the box and tugging open the wide red ribbon. Lily lifted the lid and Claire pushed back the white tissue paper.

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