Sunny Side Up Diner

By Anne-Marie Meyer

I wanted Ella to be mine but I screwed it up. Not only did I lose my chance with her, but I also lost my best friend.

Ella

I wanted Asher and I to move past his confession. We've been frie

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sweet Escape Publishing LLC
• Release date: Mar 30, 2025
• ISBN: 9781963633214

Book preview

PROLOGUE

ASHER

3 months earlier

I slipped my key into the door handle of my apartment, pushed against the door with my shoulder, and walked into the dark kitchen. After shutting the door and locking it behind me, I yawned as I threw my keys onto the kitchen counter and flipped on the light. Today had been a grind.

I knew that moving to a small town to become a real estate agent wasn’t the smartest idea. Jim Knox was already established here in Harmony. He was the darling of the town. Every resident that I reached out to only let me talk to them for a few minutes before they shook their heads and murmured Jim’s name before walking away.

Call me stubborn, call me crazy, but every rejection just spurred me on to work harder. I was determined to make the residents of Harmony see that I was here for the long haul.

When I wasn’t canvassing, I spent my time volunteering around town. Real estate was all about creating connections and building trust. And in a small town, people needed to be exposed to you multiple times before they were comfortable enough to engage.

I had faith that there would be a tipping point and I would find success. It was just around the corner from me. I could feel it.

After heating up a frozen pizza, I cut it into slices before sliding it onto a plate and grabbing a cold Coke from the fridge. With my food and drink in hand, I turned off the kitchen light and made my way into the living room. I grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels until I found a rerun of The Big Bang Theory and let it play while I ate.

I was halfway through my pizza when my phone rang. I smiled as Ella’s ringtone, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, cut through the laugh track from the show. I muted the TV and dusted off my fingers before picking up my phone.

Hey, friend, I said as I pressed the speaker phone button and set my phone next to me. I grabbed my Coke and took a swig so I could wash the pizza bits down.

Hey. Ella’s voice was soft, and her words were followed up by a sniffle.

My entire chest squeezed as I sat up straighter. Ella? What’s wrong? It was times like these that I hated how far she was from me. I couldn’t just jump in my car and drive to her apartment like I used to now that I was in North Carolina and she was still in Chicago.

Scott broke up with me. A sob escaped her lips, muffling her last word.

A mixture of emotions rushed through me. On one hand, I hated seeing my best friend sad. A protective urge rose up inside of me, and I was fighting the desire to drive straight to Chicago and give Scott a piece of my mind. Ella was amazing, and he was a fool to let her go.

But on the other hand, I’d been stupid enough to fall for my best friend. Her breaking up with Scott meant there was a chance for me. A small, almost minuscule chance. I was fairly certain that she only saw me as a friend. But it was no longer outside the realm of possibility like it had been when she was dating that tool.

Oh, El, I said as I dropped back against the couch and let all of my back muscles relax. I’m so sorry. Stay the supportive friend. That was always my goal, first and foremost. My feelings were just that, mine. I knew that if I even joked about them, it would set off alarm bells in Ella’s mind. If I couldn’t have her like I wanted, I was fine with just being her friend.

I was never going to jeopardize our friendship.

She sniffled. Thanks. She sobbed again. I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. She paused. Why am I so unlovable?

I instantly fisted my hand. Ella was the exact opposite of unlovable. That girl was perfection. She was sweet, kind, ambitious, and sexy as hell. When she’d send me an outfit of the day text, I constantly had to remind myself that she was my friend and nothing was ever—ever—going to happen between us. Even if I wanted that to be different.

You’re definitely lovable, I said. I reveled in the fact that, for a moment, I could say the word love to her without worrying about the implications. He’s just an idiot for not seeing what he had all along.

She sniffled and let out a soft chuckle. I didn’t have to see her to know exactly what she looked like. She was most definitely wiping her nose with a tissue and had her soft pink lips tipped up into a cautious smile. Her cheeks would flush pink like they always did when I complimented her. Her gaze would turn shy as if she’d realized that I was a man instead of just her friend, Asher.

Why don’t you come out to visit me? We haven’t seen each other in a long time. I shifted my weight so I was now sitting up on the couch instead of leaning back.

"I don’t know. I have to find a new job. There’s no way I can go back to the paper now. Not with Scott prancing around with Kimmy—that’s right, he left me for an intern named Kimmy."

I snorted. He is definitely the kind of guy that would cheat with a girl named Kimmy.

She laughed. It was deep and genuine, and I missed it. I missed her so much. I can always depend on you to back me up.

I nodded. Always.

I can’t believe I have to quit my job. She blew out her breath. I should have never pooped where I ate. You warned me about that, and I didn’t listen. I should have listened.

Move here.

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I knew that she hated it every time I suggested that she pack up her life in Chicago and follow me here. I’d tried to avoid it after she said telling me no made her feel guilty, but this time it was different. She had nothing in Chicago. No boyfriend and no job. This was the perfect time for her to walk away. To move down here and start fresh.

When she didn’t answer right away, I feared that I’d misjudged the situation. That I’d upset her once again. One of the pillars of our relationship was that we allowed the other to be who they wanted to be. We supported each other and encouraged each other, and we never pushed.

Leave it to me to make a bonehead move. I mean⁠—

Is there a journalist job available?

My entire body froze when her initial response wasn’t, Hell, no. Suddenly, I was scrambling to say something to keep her interested. I—um—I can look into it, I hurried to say. Then I paused. If you’re serious about moving here. I needed her to say the words. I needed to hear that she would come. If she confirmed it, then I would do everything in my power to get her here.

I’d go to the ends of the earth to make it possible.

Yeah, I think so, she said.

That was good enough. Despite my best efforts to remain calm, her words made my heart sing loud and off-key.

I think it’s time I move on from here. Start my life somewhere new. A place where my past doesn’t haunt me. She chuckled. Do you think you could handle me there? You’d have to promise to not abandon me once you become some hotshot realtor.

She was so oblivious to how I felt about her. Abandoning her was the last thing on my mind. Of course. I’ll take you under my wing, baby bird.

She was silent for a moment. Baby bird?

I shook my head. Happiness had infiltrated my brain and was making me say strange things. I needed to get it together and focus. If you move here, I promise that I will not abandon you, and I won’t use dumb nicknames.

Even though I couldn’t see her, I knew exactly what she was doing. She was chewing on her thumbnail like she did every time she was thinking. Her eyebrows would be drawn together and her gaze focused on a spot in front of her as she processed her thoughts.

She let out a sigh, and I celebrated inside. I knew that sigh. It was her concession sigh. Fine. If you find me a job at a paper, I’ll move to Harmony Island.

My smile was huge as I perched on the edge of the couch. Really?

Really.

Promise?

She was quiet for a moment before she said, Promise.

1

ELLA

I stupidly thought that Asher would come back after he stormed off this morning. I thought he would knock on my door, admit that his confession had been a joke, and we’d have a good laugh while we tried to figure out how we moved forward in our friendship.

I’d thought wrong.

I spent the thirty minutes after his departure aimlessly walking around my apartment, trying to process what had just happened. Once I finally got myself together enough to get dressed in a pair of yoga pants and an oversized hoodie, I made my way into the kitchen to make breakfast.

His words played in my mind as I stood in front of my griddle, staring at the sizzling butter while I made French toast.

I did it for you, because…it’s always been you.

I blinked, my stomach twisting at the memory. Those words sat like a rock in my stomach. I loved my friend, I did, but I didn’t love, love him like that. I chewed on my thumbnail. How long had he felt this way? How long had he been hiding it from me? Were there signs?

I tried to think back over our years of friendship. Was there a moment where I’d felt his feelings for me switch?

Nothing came to mind. Asher was always nice to me. He always took care of me. He always protected me. He was always a great friend to me…so when did that all change? And how had I not noticed?

An acrid smell assaulted my nose as I quickly pushed all thoughts of Asher to the back of my mind and glanced down at the sizzling piece of French toast in front of me. I grabbed my spatula and hurriedly removed it from the heat. I held it suspended in the air as I reached over and opened the cupboard. Once I’d collected a plate, I flipped the slice over to find that it was completely charred.

I sighed as I stared down at the blackened bread. It was an accurate representation of my life right now. I scraped the spatula against the burned side. Get it together, Ella, I said as I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. If this was a predictor of how things were going to go today, this week, or this month, I might as well crawl back into bed and hide under the covers, vowing never to come out.

The situation with Asher was a distraction that I couldn’t afford. Not when I’d just pissed off the wealthiest family in town and my career was most likely non-existent. I needed to be on my A game if I was going to fight back, and I needed my best friend by my side to help me. But said best friend had just walked out on me, and I doubted he had any intention of coming back.

His promise not to abandon me now rang hollow in my mind. I thought he would never lie to me. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

I pulled open the garbage and dumped the offending French toast into the bin. My mind swirled with thoughts as I stared down at it for a moment before bumping the pullout with my hip. It slid closed behind me as I turned back to the griddle.

Maybe I had it all wrong. Maybe he wasn’t staying away from me because he was mad. Maybe he was just embarrassed. I couldn’t fault the guy for leaving the way he did. He probably just needed to cool down, and then he’d be back. I’d known Asher for years. He wasn’t going to walk away from me because of this…right?

Our friendship had to be stronger than this. I just needed to make sure his confession didn’t change our relationship. He was going to come to his senses, and we were going to move past this. He was still my friend, no matter what he said.

With this new resolve in my chest, I dipped a piece of bread in the egg and cinnamon batter and then set it on the hot griddle. It popped and sizzled, but I stayed vigilant until one side was a nice crispy brown, then I flipped it to the other side and waited.

With my food finally cooked to an edible level, I grabbed a glass of milk, my plate of French toast that I had amply drizzled with syrup, and utensils before I headed to the dining room. I mindlessly scrolled on my phone while I ate. Once I was stuffed and certain that I couldn’t eat another bite, I leaned back in my chair, stretching my stomach before I stood and gathered my dishes.

I spent the next hour distracting myself with cleaning the kitchen. I cleared out my fridge, wiped it down, and returned the non-expired items to the shelves. I wiped down the countertops and then moved on to sweeping and mopping the floor.

Once I was done and standing on the outskirts of the kitchen, staring at the floor that was slowly drying in front of me, I realized that the only way to truly distract myself long enough to forget about Asher was to get out of my apartment.

Maybe doing some grocery shopping would help me feel better.

I quickly showered and dressed in a black shirt and dark blue jeans. I braided my damp hair before putting on some foundation and mascara so I didn’t look like I was the walking dead. Then I turned off the bathroom light and headed back into the kitchen to grab my purse. After locking up my apartment, I stood in the hallway, staring at the door. I wondered if I should leave a note for Asher just in case he came back, but then I shook my head and pushed that thought from my mind.

I pulled my purse strap higher up on my shoulder and made my way down the hall. Once I was outside, the warmth from the sun washed over me. I squinted and fished around in my purse for my sunglasses as I headed toward my car.

After unlocking the door and climbing in, I started the engine and stared straight ahead for a moment as memories from this morning resurfaced in my mind. My whole body responded to the memory of Asher leaving, and I was thrown back into a tailspin of emotions.

How were we ever going to get over this?

I let that thought marinate before I scrunched up my nose and shook my head. We’ll be fine, I whispered as I put my car in reverse and studied the camera screen on the dash as I pulled out of the parking spot.

With my car now pointing in the direction I wanted to go, I put the car in drive.

It was a ten-minute drive to Godwin’s. I cheered inside when I found a parking spot right next to the front doors. If Asher had been in the car with me, he’d pump his fist in the air and high-five me in celebration. That thought made me miss him for the umpteenth time today.

Fear that our relationship was never going to be the same again washed over me, but I forced it to the darkest parts of my mind. We were going to be fine. Our friendship had withstood a lot. It could withstand this.

I grabbed my purse and put the strap on my shoulder as I pulled on the door release and climbed out of my car. After slamming the driver’s door, I pressed the lock button on my key fob and made my way into the store. It took me three carts to find one without a wobbly wheel. Once I was satisfied, I slid my purse off my shoulder and dropped it into the basket as I pushed through the sliding doors.

Godwin’s was quiet when I walked in. Mrs. Godwin was ringing up a customer and called out a Mornin’, when I walked past.

I shot her a smile and a nod before I rounded the corner and headed toward the produce.

After I filled my cart with strawberries, apples, and zucchini, I headed toward the meat counter. Ribeye steak sounded like the perfect dinner for a confused heart.

Sal, Godwin’s butcher, pushed open the swinging doors with his back, his gloved hands raised in front of him. He let me know he’d be with me in a minute, he just had to finish processing the meat he was working on. I told him to take his time, to which he gave me a grateful nod. Now alone, I pulled out my phone, rested a foot on the rack under the cart, and leaned both elbows on the handle. I was mindlessly scrolling when I saw movement from the corner of my eye.

I glanced up to see Asher quickly turn left down the cereal aisle. My entire body froze. My heart began to pound, and before I could stop myself, I called out his name. Asher?

Was I seeing things? Was that really him? If it was, why was he running away from me? Worry brewed in my stomach as my mind ran wild with possibilities, but they all circled around one central theme: our relationship had changed.

When he didn’t instantly reappear, I let myself believe that I’d imagined it. I was just so upset that I’d somehow conjured him up in my mind. I had just started to relax when he appeared in the entrance of the aisle.

It took a moment for me to process him standing in front of me. So much had changed in such a small amount of time, and in that moment, I wished that more time had passed before we saw each other again. Truth was, I still hadn’t fully digested what he’d said, which meant I wasn’t even close to understanding the implications of his words on our relationship.

I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, staring at each other, but it felt like an eternity. Realizing that he wasn’t going to speak first, I forced a smile.

Wha-what are you doing here? I finally managed out, praying that I sounded relaxed and calm but knowing deep down that I did not.

Asher offered me a weak smile as he held up the basket he had his elbow hooked around. Getting some food.

I nodded. Ah.

One second ticked by. Two seconds ticked by. Say something, Ella!

Me, too. I flourished my hand toward my shopping cart in front of me.

This was one of the worst conversations in the history of conversations. I hated that he felt like a stranger. This wasn’t some unknown person, this was Asher. The man I’d been through so much with. Why did he feel so far away from me?

Maybe I needed to say something. Maybe he was waiting for me to clear the air. He was in limbo because of me. Maybe I just needed to be upfront with him, and then slowly we would be able to heal.

Asher? I whispered.

His gaze flicked up to meet mine. Yeah?

You will always be my best friend. You know that, right? I studied him. I was inwardly pleading with him to see that I was willing to forget what he’d said. That I just wanted to go back to what we had before his confession.

My life was a crumbling mess. I sucked at romance. I sucked at keeping myself out of trouble. And I sucked at stability. The only thing that had been constant in my life was Asher, and I feared that I was moments away from losing him. From losing the only steady foundation in my life.

His gaze darkened, and my breath hitched in my throat as fear that he