Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. Feeling much better this week. Guess being under my wife’s car with my son in the Texas heat sweated it out. Well, we got it fixed… again. And if you follow me on Social Media you read that not a day after my wife drove it, the check engine light came on. Heh… It wasn’t too bad, just telling us we need to replace the spark plugs. It’s all good. A tune up was next on our list. More father/son time.

Hope you have a trustworthy vehicle. Now, 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.

Aaron could tell [the pie] was meticulously made, and it was spectacular. He thought back to what Nathan had said about being in love. This only added to [Deborah’s] 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?”


We are picking up right where we left off.


“Life-altering,” Aaron said.

“Wow. I was aiming for ‘tastes great,’ but I’ll take it.”

“Nutmeg, right?” he asked.

“You could tell?” Deborah began, then realized, “Of course, it’s your job to know that.” She took the empty bowl and placed it in a bus tray under the counter. “On the house.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Aaron said. “I can’t accept anything free. Especially in a place I plan to review. It promotes bias.”


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


“Fair enough,” she said.

“Plus, the paper pays for it anyhow,” Aaron explained with a wink. “Haven’t paid for a meal in months.”

“Really?” she asked. “Well, you’ll have to treat me sometime.”

Aaron couldn’t tell if she was teasing or serious. He received it as a server teasing a customer. Flirting was a guaranteed tip generator. He left her comment alone and handed her his expense card.

Erica came up to him with a curious smile, “Refill your tea for the road?”

“Yes, thank you, Erica,” Aaron said handing her his cup, his eyes still on Deborah.

She returned, and Aaron signed the receipt. Erica handed him his tea with the same sly smile, then left to tend to a customer waving her over.

“You’re in here quite a bit,” Deborah asked. “Do you have one of our reward cards?”

“You have those?”

“Yes, it was something Pop wanted to do to compete with the chains. He wanted a regular crowd. He read somewhere that rewards were a good way of keeping a customer base.”

“That’s smart.”

“So how many sandwiches have you eaten here? You’re in here pretty regularly.”

“Not too many,” Aaron said. “Only the last couple of weeks. Well, the Wednesday before last. Then I’ve had lunch here since then.”

“That’s loyalty. You should have gotten a card. Every six you get a free sandwich. You would’ve had two free meals by now.”

“Will thirteen be enough to ask you on a date?” Aaron blurted. His face immediately went red, not entirely sure where the question came from.

Deborah smiled; her hazel eyes glimmered for a second. Then she looked to the ground and took a breath, and her smile faded. “I’m not sure about that, Aaron. I’m busy between work and what I do here. I just don’t think it would be a very good idea.” She turned around and quickly headed into the office closing the door.

Aaron looked around. Erica was close by cleaning a table as the last few from the lunch rush were finishing their meals. She was pretending not to have heard his failed attempt. He looked up and saw a pair of old eyes peering through the kitchen window. Mr. Davies. Had he heard him crash and burn too? Without a word, Aaron got up and left, leaving his tea behind.

Ouch. Poor Aaron. Maybe all is not lost. —

This phrase he uses became the book jacket teaser. “Is Thirteen Enough?” With that, I had a little fun with it and threw an easter egg in the second novel for thirteen (it may have been another number) being enough. I forgot to do it with the third. I meant to and I’m kicking myself.

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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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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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