Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. Every year I go through one bout of Bronchitis. Well, it is my time of year. I did get a scare with this one. I began to lose my sense of taste. I stated to fear I had succumbed to the dreaded bug. But after the swab and wait, the test only came up with one line, I do not have COVID. So I can still adhere to the claim I’ve never had it. But now have to go through the cough and pain of Bronchitis for the next week or so. BLEH. Did I mention the my son and his significant other moved in a couple of weeks ago bearing illnesses? 😐

Well, enough about by ills, Let’s get back into reminding. Aaron and Deborah get set to meet in this weeks snippet.

SYNOPSIS:

Aaron Stephenson loves his job. As food critic for the popular Houston Gazette, he gets to sample the best cuisine at the finest eateries in Houston without paying a dime. And because there are so many great restaurants in Houston, he doesn’t have to visit the same establishment twice… unless he wants to.

But when Aaron stops in at Davies Deli, a non-descript, off-the-beaten-path, family-owned diner, he suddenly realizes he wants to come back;

But it has to do more with the owners’ brown haired, green eyed daughter, Deborah than the delicious food.
Aaron and Deborah feel a mutual attraction. But Deborah has a secret that could change everything.

And then there is Carter…

SNIPPET:

Summary:
This love story novel was born out of a dream I had about an angel leaving nick knacks behind for a couple to find as they walked through an amusement park together. They were reminders about them being a couple because they were struggling. Them finding these ‘little reminders’ drew them back together. The novel also has a dual storyline, in that the MC also has a struggle with their relationship with God, so they are also being drawn back to Him as well. The diner idea came from my personal love for food, writing some of the book sitting in a Denny’s, and working in kitchens for almost 10 years.

Here is a bit from last week.

Deborah was behind the serving window, in the kitchen, helping Mr. Davies. He could see a ponytail with a green scrunchie dancing as she went back and forth, obviously in a rush; it was busy, and people were waiting.

She saw Aaron and gave a quick smile of recognition, then a roll of the eyes as she blew a stray hair upward that had come loose from her ponytail. Her face was slightly beaded with sweat. She looked tired. “Either Erica or I will be with you soon, Aaron.” She remembered his name. So far, so good. He smiled.


We are picking up where we left off. We are through with painting the scene. Now we are getting into what everyone came for.


Erica had brought him an iced tea, already in a to-go cup. They knew their stuff. Aaron took a sip, unsweetened with lemon. They really knew their stuff. Aaron pulled out his notepad for his review and took note.

“Okay, Mr. Stevenson, what can I get for you today?” It was Mr. Davies.

“Hello, Mr. Davies,” Aaron said. He smiled and jested, “Sorry, business is so slow.”

“I know, it is a sad situation. Perhaps we should place an advertisement,” said Mr. Davies with a wink.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that rag, there are some obnoxious people who work there,” Aaron continued.

“True, but even obnoxious people need to eat.”

::There is your ten, or so, but let’s continue on and finish the scene.::


“Yes, indeed. Well, this crazy guy would like the meatloaf sandwich. I smelled it when I walked in. Now I can’t get it out of my head.”

“Excellent choice. I spent most of the morning cooking it, so it is fresh,” Mr. Davies said with a prideful smile. “I’ll get the order to the missus, and we’ll have it out in a jiffy.”

With that, he walked to the window and shouted out some numbers through the window. Cook shorthand for all he could tell. Maybe it was the language that had been spoken with the family, recited for generations. It made him feel at home, comfortable. He definitely liked this place.

Not five minutes later, he had a fresh refill of tea and a basket that was filled with a steaming pile of French fries and his sandwich. It was loaded with a thick slice of meat with caramelized onion topped with a sweet tomato glaze. On the side was more sauce for dipping. It was an amazing meal. He took his time with it, noticing very little around him. The room began to empty until there was just a trickle of booths occupied. Erica caught up with the tables, and he noticed Deborah as she sat in the office.

Deborah saw him looking, and he turned away. His nerves were doing cartwheels again. He looked away so long that he failed to notice that she had gotten up and walked over to where he was. “How did you enjoy the meatloaf?”

For a moment, he thought his tongue was broken. So, he smiled weakly and pushed his empty basket away from him.

“Pop makes it from a recipe that Grandpop used to make, not in the restaurant though. Back then it was a bakery. It was Pop’s idea to make it into a sandwich. His ideas usually turn out pretty well.”

“It was wonderful. The best I’ve had.” Aaron finally said. But it came out more like a question

“You don’t sound too sure,”

“No. Yes, it was great. Thank you.” Aaron looked around. Unsure of what to say next. He saw the display case again.

“Peach cobbler for you?” she asked.

“No, I couldn’t.”

“You sure? I made it myself. Another recipe from the bakery days. My Grandmom’s. I’ve played with it. So, it’s not exactly like hers, but I’ve had no complaints.”

“You talked me into it,” Aaron said with a newfound courage.

“Great.” Deborah grabbed a ceramic bowl from under the counter. She took the tray and scooped a healthy portion of cobbler into it. Then placed it in the microwave behind her. “It’s best when warm. Not too hot, it makes the apples mushy.”

She opened up a container of vanilla ice cream and prepared a scoop. When the microwave beeped, she carefully added the ice cream and sprinkled a dash of what appeared to be cinnamon on top and set it in front of him.

“Let me know what you think,” Deborah walked away to ring another customer up at the register.

Aaron wasn’t sure what her Grandmom’s tasted like, but what he was tasting he was confident would beat it in any competition. He knew food. This was made with fresh peaches, not canned. You can always tell when cooks cheat their way through dishes. And it was not cinnamon that she sprinkled on top; it was Nutmeg. Even the cobbler had a hint of the underused spice. Aaron could tell it was meticulously made, and it was spectacular. He thought back to what Nathan had said about being in love. This only added to her mystery and his curiosity of getting to know her better only grew.

Aaron was full from the sandwich, but he didn’t care, the cobbler was so good he finished every bite. He would worry about the stomachache later. Deborah returned after a visit with Erica and a trip to the kitchen. “Well, paperboy, how was it?”

Finally some Aaron and Deborah interaction. And a bit of chemistry, perhaps. Wanted to go a bit further, but we can go one more week with this scene. Stay tuned, my friends.

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Monday is Memory Monday
We remember an important event that occurred on that Monday or sometime that week.

Tuesday is Two Twenty-Two Tuesday
A weekly vlog where I talk about writing or something that’s been on my heart, all in two minutes and twenty-two seconds. — I am way behind on this… sorry.
This is posted on my YouTube channel.

Wednesday is when I post my blog for the week.
I speak from my heart on various topics from writing to faith.

Thursday is This or That Thursday
A weekly two-option poll that raises the question, do you like this, or do you prefer that?
I host this on this on Twitter, IG, and Facebook.

Friday is Fun Fact Friday
I find and share interesting or obscure facts on my pages.

Saturday is for Weekend Writing Warriors
Saturday is for Snippets from a current piece or past work.

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Featured Titles

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In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

Check out amazing established and emerging writers at Weekend Writing Warriors. Each week we post new snippets from either published works or works in progress for each other to comment on. Gain insight into how the mind of a writer works and a behind-the-scenes look at works before they hit bookstands everywhere.

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