The books in the Coffee and Donuts series have concurrent timelines. This is the only place Austin appears in Book 1, but he is a main character in Book 2 so this scene is in both books. Though it’s only a few lines, it felt strange to copy the exact dialog from one book to another, sort of like going back in time.
From the book:
“Hello, ladies.” Joyce’s cane hit the side of the table as she set it down. A young man was pulling out her chair for her. She moaned as she settled into it. “Austin, honey,” she said, “I want you to meet some of my friends. That’s Suzy and this here is Alexa.”
Austin? She called him Austin. Was this the Austin, the wonderful grandson she’d been talking up for the last two years? This was the day she picked to finally introduce him?
“Hi,” he said. “It’s nice to meet both of you. I’m sorry I can’t stay.”
He couldn’t stay. I smiled at him. “Glad to finally put a face with the name. Your grandmother is a fan.”
“I’m sure she is.” He sighed as he said it, probably knowing she was trying to play match-maker. “Hope you enjoy your coffee, Gran.”
Austin waved as he left us, and I watched him out the door because he was eating a donut. Maybe if there were only going to be three of us – no sign of Linda yet – I could finally get a donut.
Suzy’s nails were tapping the side of her cup and they were purple today. “So that was Austin,” she said, looking at me as though I should have found the two-second conversation enlightening.
“My oldest grandchild,” Joyce said. The pride in her voice tipped immediately into irritation. “Now if he would just hurry up and get married,” she shot a sharp glance at me, “I could start hoping for babies.”
It sounded to me as though she was already hoping. I felt kind of sorry for Austin. She had said he was twenty-four. My opinion was that was old enough to get married but not nearly old enough for anyone to be freaking out about his not being married. I mean, that was a year younger than me and I wasn’t freaking out. About not being married anyway.
Austin? She called him Austin. Was this the Austin, the wonderful grandson she’d been talking up for the last two years? This was the day she picked to finally introduce him?
“Hi,” he said. “It’s nice to meet both of you. I’m sorry I can’t stay.”
He couldn’t stay. I smiled at him. “Glad to finally put a face with the name. Your grandmother is a fan.”
“I’m sure she is.” He sighed as he said it, probably knowing she was trying to play match-maker. “Hope you enjoy your coffee, Gran.”
Austin waved as he left us, and I watched him out the door because he was eating a donut. Maybe if there were only going to be three of us – no sign of Linda yet – I could finally get a donut.
Suzy’s nails were tapping the side of her cup and they were purple today. “So that was Austin,” she said, looking at me as though I should have found the two-second conversation enlightening.
“My oldest grandchild,” Joyce said. The pride in her voice tipped immediately into irritation. “Now if he would just hurry up and get married,” she shot a sharp glance at me, “I could start hoping for babies.”
It sounded to me as though she was already hoping. I felt kind of sorry for Austin. She had said he was twenty-four. My opinion was that was old enough to get married but not nearly old enough for anyone to be freaking out about his not being married. I mean, that was a year younger than me and I wasn’t freaking out. About not being married anyway.
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