Sometimes it’s love at first sight. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s just intriguing.

The following is an excerpt from Return In Time. It’s just a fun little meeting between strangers…..

Teressa stood in front of the counter admiring her new scarf as she waited for Zoey to brew a fresh pot of
coffee. She was running her fingers through the colorful threads of the fringe when she heard a group of men entering the shop. From the looks of them in their rubberized boots and heavy all-weather work jackets she guessed them to be local fishermen. When they got closer, their collective odor confirmed it. She waved her hand in front of her nose.

One of the fishermen, the tallest of the bunch, was busy trying to get the counter girl’s attention, calling out to her by name. “Hey Zoey, make ‘em hot and black, like always,” he shouted over the din of his buddies.

Not wanting to lose her place at the front of the line, Teressa took a couple of steps toward the serving counter. Apparently the fisherman wanted to defy the laws of physics by attempting to occupy the same space as her, causing them to collide as they
each stepped forward.

Teressa stared up at the man, he was easily over six feet tall. “Excuse me!’ she said, setting her hands on her
hips, her tone harsh. She didn’t like being challenged for her place in line.

The large brute stared back at her, as if she was an apparition who had just appeared from nowhere.

“Excuse me,” she tried again, moving to step around him. Unlike the others, he smelled of salt water and ocean breezes.

“What?” he asked, blinking.

“Where I come from people are polite enough to say ‘excuse me’ when they’re rude enough to cut in line.” She stood her ground even though she had to tilt her head to look him in the eye.

“Excuse me, miss. I didn’t see you standing there.” Spreading his arms wide, he bowed and stepped aside. He was still staring at her, but now he had a grin spreading from ear to ear.

“I’m glad you think this is funny.” She was trying to not crack a smile, but his grin was devilishly infectious. She dropped her arms to her side, relaxing her stance. He continued to hold her gaze with his dark green eyes. They were kind and he had a ready smile. Maybe she had judged him too harshly.

“I see you’ve picked up a wee bit of our local color,” he said to her. His deep Scottish brogue was soothing to her ears.

It was her turn to stare blankly.

His fingers reached out to touch the fringe of her newly purchased scarf. “A right fine choice.”

“Here Robert. Take your coffee and get out of her way.” Zoey set a tall steaming cup of black coffee on the counter.”

“We’ve got a table over here,” one of his buddies called out to him.

He picked up his coffee and raised the cup to her in a parting salute. “Have a nice day, lass.” Still grinning, he
turned away to join his friends.

Wonder where that will lead…

Enjoy always, T