Page 9 of The Influencer and The Introvert
After staring out the window for longer than I should, I cross the room to where my phone and laptop sit.
Picking up the phone, I huff a laugh when it won’t turn on and plug the charging cable into it.
It’s a start. Now, to remember to take it with me.
Chapter 4
Ethan
Ihate rural internet.
Hate is a strong word I don’t like to use, but it fits here.
How do people live like this?
Last night I created a few posts and edited the photos I’d taken with Colt. Every time I tried to upload, the apps timed out. It made me want to pull my hair out. Instead of dealing with self-inflicted bald patterns, I’m driving into town this morning for breakfast and working at the diner I saw yesterday with Colt.
Pulling on my new cowboy boots, I grin while remembering how pink Colt’s cheeks turned when I asked him if he thought boots were sexy. I didn’t mean to be so bold, but sometimes it just slips out. He was clearly uncomfortable, since he ran as fast as he could without making a scene. I’ll need to be more careful around him.
Colt has the quiet cowboy thing down to a science. I watched how he was with the horses yesterday and how they all perked up when they heard his soft voice. Not a single horse in that barn was wary around him—and that was before hebrought out the carrots. It’s like they all know he’s a kind soul and trust him implicitly. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever witnessed.
He stood among them and talked with them like people. Until that moment, I didn’t understand what it meant to be charmed by someone. Colt had me dialed in as he stroked the horses’ necks and laughed when a few nibbled at him. He was completely at ease and in his element.
Unlike me.
I needed carrots to get them closer.
Lots of carrots.
Horses are ridiculously huge up close, but I wasn’t about to show Colt I was nervous. Not even when one horse nipped at my shirt. I wanted to throw the carrots in the air and run screaming, but thankfully, I kept my cool in front of the man. It was touch-and-go for a few agonizing minutes, but I prevailed.
At least I hope I did.
Colt rewarded me with such a proud smile when I held my own that I went to bed thinking of what else I could do to earn that kind of smile again. He’s hard to read, but if I learned anything on our first day together, it’s that he has a soft spot for animals and leans more toward the shy side.
After parking on Main Street, I grab my laptop bag and enter the Laughing Fork. A sign in the window says it has the best bacon and eggs in Chance. With confident advertising like that, I know I’m in the right place for breakfast.
A server tells me to sit anywhere, so I choose a booth with a window. It’s a quaint little place, with wooden booths, retro-checkered vinyl flooring, and daily specials written in neon colors on a whiteboard. Faded newspaper clippings in frames, along with older photos, grace the walls, and it feels a bit like a museum of sorts. Like the history of Chance, Colorado, might be splashed across the walls. I’ve barely settled in when theserver shows up, smiling with a menu and a fresh mug of coffee.
“Good morning! Welcome to Chance. I hope you like coffee. It’s the best in town.”
The woman sets the mug in front of me and hands me a laminated menu. On their T-shirt is an image of an oversized fork laughing while holding a plate of food in its cartoon hands, and I think it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
“Good morning.” I gesture to her shirt. “I love the logo and thank you. I’m new here, and I love coffee. Is it as good as the bacon and eggs, like the sign claims?”
“Better.” The woman winks.
With a smile, I hand her back the menu. “I’ll have the eggs and bacon, please. Sunny side up and whole wheat toast, then. Oh, and extra bacon.”
“You got it.”
She turns to leave, but I call her back. “Sorry, but do you have Wi-Fi here?”
“Sure do. Password islaughmore.”
She bustles off, and I set up my laptop, ready to get to work and bring all the business I can to this little town and ranch while I stuff my face with the best bacon and eggs in town.
Maybe the shitty internet at the ranch is a good thing after all.
