A Taste of Spring

Dez ordered the meaty omelet, pancakes, and coffee while Tabitha ordered fruit crepes and orange juice. The waitress grunted then turned without speaking a word. Dez found it amusing and actually laughed as the portly woman sashayed away to place the order.

"She's a sweetheart once you've tipped her," Tabitha said then shrugged.

"I bet," Dez said, as he continued to watch their waitress. He turned back to face Tabitha. "You come here often then."

"Not as much as I'd like." Tabitha moved her arm that was lying across the table to let the waitress sit a glass down.

Dez read the name tag on the silent waitress's shirt as she placed his coffee in front of him. Gene, their waitress, rolled her eyes then left. Again, without saying a word. Dez shook his head as he reached for the sugar and cream.

"Is it the friendly conversation from the staff that has you wanting more?"

"Gene didn't speak to me until after I ate at one of her tables at least half a dozen times," Tabitha smiled.

When he had his coffee just right, he took a long sip then sighed. "Well," he said, as he placed the mug back on the table, "the coffee is amazing."

stuff." She rolled her straw paper with her fingers. "So, you

peered at Tabitha. Did he really refer to Anna as an Angel? "No," he said, with a

grinned, "besides,

over his head and

Anna was 'the tearing apart and the piecing together of my very soul,'"

certain he would need another two cups before breakfast ended. As soon as he finished his cup, the waitress returned with their food. He motioned to his cup but she

fork cut her crepes, "do you

don't know," Dez admitted. He buttered his French toast slices and proceeded to cut them. "I guess

you've described of...her reactions, I think she was into you. Maybe life

Her long red hair was the perfect accent to her porcelain tone. She was absolutely beautiful, had a sense of humor, and didn't seem stuck on herself. Tabitha was totally his type and

need a

smiled, giving her the dimples women loved. "Are you volunteering to be

duty. Can't have the great Dezmond Rey in a funk," Tabitha said as she winked. "Your writing will suffer and we can't have

moment. Her expression was one of understanding, and it was something he found he could accept without feeling placated. "No."