The first chapter does a lot of heavy lifting for the book. It gets the reader situated with the story, setting up expectations of what is going to happen. This chapter out of all of them needs to be lean. Wiping a tear from my eye, I cut out this scene:

Sometimes, before returning to the office, she would detour with Rob to Victoria’s Secret. The sultry fabrics reminded her of a younger version of herself. She perused the aisles, eyes gleaming with mischief, sneaking glances at Rob, watching for the slightest crack in his demeanor. But he treated the experience no differently than their trips to Dress Barn, keeping both his composure and the garments unruffled.

She smirked, satisfied. A man who got flustered easily was not worth her time. To keep things interesting, she held up a crimson slip, tracing the delicate lace with one of her manicured fingernails. She let the suggestion hang in the air between them. “What do you think?”

Rob glanced at it with the same casual interest he might give a tie at Nordstrom. “Bold choice.”

“You always this smooth?” she teased.

He rose to the occasion. “The underwear gondola is right there,” he announced, pointing at it without breaking eye contact.

She laughed, drawing the staff’s attention. The years may have softened her edges in the presence of this man half her age, but she could still bring out the bold, unfiltered woman she once was.

Although this scene shows more of the playful nature between the new friends, other scenes in the chapter do the same thing. It was refreshing to have a friendship scene outside of a restaurant setting. However, I wanted to make food the central focus of the first chapter, so that when it is taken away, it has that much more impact to the reader.