Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. Hope everyone is doing well. Not sure how many of you will see this with there being no linky this week. But I am writing a snippet anyhow to keep up. Hope you had a great week. It was okay here. It seems things are smoothing out on all fronts. Thank you for the thoughts and prayers.


My new release, Elissa Celebrates Christmas, is going great so far!! This is an awesome book to fill a stocking or to round out your list for the book lover. You can visit the link to purchase.

Thanks for your support through everything; Let’s get into this week’s adventure and see what happens with Deborah and her family.

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.

As Deborah went to raise the visor, something on the back seat caught her eye. Deborah looked harder but still couldn’t tell what it was. She turned and reached back and picked up the item on the seat. Her eyes, face, and heart fell in shock. It was a sand dollar. In disbelief, she flipped it over and on the back were the letters, “P” and “D.” The P was for Pop; the D was for DeeDee. It was the sand dollar she and her dad had found on the gulf shore over seventeen years ago.


We are moving ahead a little bit. Deborah is now going about her day at the deli. The restaurant is open and they are serving customers. She has told Mom and Pop about her shell discovery.


“Still thinking about the sand dollar?” Pop asked, placing the third basket that completed her order.

“I just don’t understand how it got there. I thought I lost that thing years ago.”

“Well, I’m glad you found it. Good memories,” he said with a fatherly smile.

Deborah returned the sentiment, “Yes, it was a great day.” She added the basket to the tray and delivered it to a trio of bankers she knew from the building she worked in.

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

She was so phased that she did not notice that Aaron was sitting at the counter, in his normal spot. He was eating a Reuben today, the special. Erica must have helped him, which relaxed her; she was not yet ready for a confrontation over how they left things on Friday. She skirted her way around the dining area, checking on the thinning crowd. She topped off a couple of to-go drinks, took payments from an elderly couple and a four-top, then made her way into the kitchen and out of view. She sat in the employee eating area next to the kitchen.

“So, are you going to avoid him every time he comes in now?” It was Erica.

“Not you too,” she said with a frown. The last thing she needed was for everyone to gang up on her about her love life.

“Sorry,” Erica raised her hands in defense. “It just looked like you two were hitting it off on Friday. It’s obvious he likes you. So, what’s the deal? You don’t like him?”

Deborah did not want to have the relationship third-degree, but answered anyway, “It has nothing to do whether I like him or not. I’m just not in a position to be thinking about a relationship right now. Not with how busy I am helping Mom and Pop and trying to keep my job with the agency. It’s just too much to throw another iron in the fire.”

“How do you know he is looking for a relationship?” Erica asked. “Maybe he just wants to take you out?”

“You sound like Pop,” said Deborah. But it was true. She was overthinking the whole thing. All Aaron asked was if he could take her out. She smiled as she remembered how he fumbled with his words and how cheesy the line was. “Is thirteen enough to ask you out on a date?”

“Aha!” Pop said, coming around the corner with a spatula in hand. He pointed it in her direction. “I’ve seen that look before. You are thinking about the Aaron boy.”

Erica smiled, grabbed a bussers bin, “I’m going to help Miguel,” she said ducking out into the dining room.

“So, what if I was,” Deborah said.

“Then you need to talk to him,” Pop said, sitting across from her. “You left him hanging in the wind last time you saw him. And you have not been by his seat all afternoon.”

“Pop, I didn’t even know he was here until just now,” she said. “Plus, I wouldn’t know what to say to him.”

“You can begin with, ‘Hello. May I take your order. Then you can say, yes, I’ll go out with you.’”

Deborah shook her head, “No, I may have hurt his feelings, and I’m embarrassed by how I reacted.”

“Good, you should tell him that.” Pop said.

“Tell him-who what?” Mom said coming out of the dishwashing area.

“The Aaron boy. Deborah is going to talk to him.”

“Oh, good. You should go out with him, Deb,” said Mom.

Erica came back into the kitchen with a grin on her face, “You know, I can hear every word you guys are saying out there?”

Deborah shot a surprised look, “I doubt that. The vent-a-hood is too loud.”

“I dunno about that, but I could hear you when I was by the door.” Erica paused, sat down the bus bin, and stared at Deborah. “And he’s asking to see you.”

“Who?”

“Who else?” Erica pointed with her thumb over her shoulder. “You better not keep him waiting too long. We’re still looking for his review in the Gazette. Don’t want to get a poor review of customer service.”

“Well, go!” said Pop heading back to the kitchen.”

Yes, that was a bit long. But such a fun scene I didn’t have the heart to end it. Again loving writing Pop’s character urging the connection of his daughter. Makes me wonder what I would be like with my little one. Well, she is 16 now and involved. He is a good boy, I find myself thinking. Pops and daughters…

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

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

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

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Featured Titles

Elissa Celebrates Christmas

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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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