My day had been long and grueling. We were busy already when I got there for the lunch rush and I hit the ground running and didn’t stop. All of the worst customers, the ones that liked to make substitutions, the ones that liked to complain and the grabby old men that wanted to touch my butt had shown up, and to make it all worse, Aiden Scott hadn’t made a single appearance. I guess Rose and Myra were wrong; he didn’t come in every time I was on shift. I had looked towards the door every time it jangled, busy or not, expecting it to be him. I was hoping that it was him….It was silly. I knew there was no chance of Aiden Scott and I ever going anywhere except conversation and light flirting in the café, but I was okay with that. My life was so far from where I thought it would be and had hoped it would be at this stage. I work at a job that is going absolutely nowhere. I take care of a mother who loves to drink and is never going to stop. I don’t have much to look forward to, so I tell myself that looking forward to Aiden Scott walking in that door every day is no big deal. He’s more than nice to look at and he’s fun and interesting to talk to. It’s no big deal until days like today when he doesn’t.
I was on close-up duty tonight and was counting down the minutes. Everyone else was gone, even the cook. Joe said he had a football game to get to and all of the customers had left already. I’d closed up alone before, and I was okay with it. I hoped that was it for the night, but at least if anyone came in now it would be an easy coffee and pie. Everything was done and as soon as I turned that sign for the night, I would be out of here too. I had just over half an hour so I decided to go in the kitchen and check Joe’s supplies back there and see if there was anything I could help set up for him in the morning. Just as I walked into the back, the door jangled. Cursing under my breath I turned around and was looking into the dark chocolate eyes of Aiden Scott.
“Well hello,” I said. “I’m surprised to see you here so late.”
He smiled, God I love that smile… “I just finished up a long day and thought I’d see if you had any coffee left.”
“I do, but its mud. I’ll make you a fresh pot, have a seat.” Aiden sat down at the counter instead of his usual table.
“Long day for you too?” he asked, taking a seat on the vinyl stool.
“Yes, very,” I told him as I put a new pod in the coffee pot and pushed the brew button. “I am extremely happy that closing time is looming in the almost reachable distance.”
“Big plans for when you get out of here?” he asked.
I laughed, “Yes, I plan on taking a long soak in the tub, putting on my pajamas, making a cup of tea and reading my book.”
“That sounds like a perfect evening,” he said.
“Sure, I’ll bet you have gentleman clubs, fast cars and pretty girls in your near future.” I’m not sure why I said that. It wasn’t like me to be so direct.
Now he laughed, “I gave up the club life when I stopped being a child and became a man. As far as the pretty girls go, that’s why I come here.”
I felt my face go hot and I knew I was blushing. The coffee pot beeped and saved me, I was able to turn around, hopefully in time to keep him from seeing me turn red like a twelve year old.
“Coffee’s ready,” I sang out, sounding as nervous as I felt.
When I turned back towards him he was smiling. I flipped over his cup and filled it with the fragrant, steaming coffee. After I sat the pot back down he said, “You really have no idea how pretty you are, do you?”
Now there was nowhere for me to turn. I knew my face was bright red, and worst of all, I didn’t know what to say. How do you answer that question? Before I had to he said, “I’m sorry, Holly, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
I forced myself to smile and said, “Oh it’s fine, I’m just not used to such nice compliments. Thank you.”
“Why?” he said, tilting his head to one side like he was genuinely curious. I knew what he was asking, but I was stalling.
“Why what?”
“Why aren’t you used to it? It seems to me that people should be telling you at least once a day if not more often how pretty you are.”
Now he was the one being direct, and as nice as his praise was, I was exceedingly uncomfortable with it.
“Would you like a piece of pie to go with your coffee?” I asked him.
He threw his head back this time and laughed. “My sweet Holly,” he said, causing my stomach to do a somersault. “Again, I’m sorry for embarrassing you but it’s hard for me to come in here every day and not at least comment on your beauty. I’ve done that now, so let’s move on to safer ground. Tell me about yourself, Holly. What do you like to do when you’re not here at Joe’s café?”
That was another dreaded question to me. What did I like to do? I wasn’t even sure anymore. I never did anything but work and take care of my mother who had no hobbies of her own besides lifting a glass to her lips and a bottle to her glass.
“I mostly just work, and read,” I told him.
“Okay but do this for me, picture yourself at a place in your life where you don’t have to work so much, and your choices are so much more wide open than reading, what would you like to do?”
I thought about that and then I said, “Well, I love horses. I don’t get much of a chance to see them in real life, but when I was a kid, we lived next to an elderly couple who had horses that they weren’t able to ride any longer. The man, I called him “Grandpa,” he taught me how to take care of them, brush them out, feed them, saddle and bridle them, and once I was able to do all of that on my own, he let me ride them whenever I wanted to. It was such a free feeling, you know?”
“I do know,” he said with a smile. “I love to ride too. Maybe you and I could take a ride together someday.” I only smiled at that, I didn’t answer him. I was sure he was only saying it to be polite anyways. “So tell me more, what else will you do when you have more time?”
I shrugged, “I love the beach,” I said. “I’d like to just sit on the beach with a good book and some suntan lotion. I might like to try one of those whale-watching tours someday. I’d like to take a flight somewhere, anywhere…I’ve never been on a plane, or a train, and I’d love to take a train across the country. I want to go skydiving….” I realized that he was laughing and I said, “What?”
“I was just thinking, you finally get on a plane and you want to jump out of it.”
I laughed too, the man had a point. “I was babbling anyways,” I said. “Do you want some more coffee?”
“I’d love some,” he said. “If we still have time? I know you’re trying to close up.”
“Everything’s done,” I told him, and then surprising myself I said, “I’m going to turn the sign and you can have another cup, one more won’t hurt. I’m enjoying the conversation.”
He grinned and said, “Me too. Pour me another cup. You can go on with your list. You weren’t babbling at all. But first I’m going to visit the men’s room.” I nodded and poured the coffee while I watched him go. He was just so incredibly handsome that it was hard to believe he was here in real life. It was like he walked off of a movie set or something. It was even harder for me to believe that he thought I was pretty, and interesting enough to have a conversation with. Maybe he was just that nice. I sat the pot back down and flipped it off so I wouldn’t forget. Then I went over to turn the sign. Just as I got to the front door a man pushed it open, so hard that he nearly knocked me over. Once I got my bearings back I said, “I’m sorry sir, we’re closed.”
The man was dressed in a black suit. He was middle-aged, balding in back and he had a significant paunch in the front. None of that was what stood out about him though. What stood out was the fact that he absolutely reeked of alcohol. It smelled like it was coming out of his pores. He looked at me then, like he’d only just noticed me. His eyes ran down and then up my body in a leery, disgusting way. Then he licked his lips. I had to choke down the bile in the back of my throat. He smiled then and it made his face with its thin lips and close-set eyes look as warm as a reptile. He still hadn’t said anything, which made the whole encounter even creepier.
“Um, sir….I’m going to have to ask you to leave and come back when we’re open…”
Slurring his speech slightly he said, “Your sign says you’re open.”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that. I was just going to turn it.”
“I’m inside now though so turn it all you want. Then get me a cup of coffee and maybe a piece of pie too will you sweet cheeks?”
I didn’t care for where this was going, but there was no way I was getting this creep a cup of coffee unless it was to pour over his head.
“Listen,” I said, trying a firmer tone. “We’re closed. I’m not going to make you any coffee and I’m only going to ask you one more time to go. If you choose not to I’ll be forced to call the police.”
He seemed to find my firm tone amusing as he stepped forward and into my face. I could smell his sour breath, whatever he ate for dinner mixed with too many gin and tonics and I actually retched. I was so busy trying to evade this creep that I didn’t notice Aiden had come out of the bathroom. The creepy drunk was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders and hauled backwards. Aiden shoved the man against the glass window of the café and said, “I believe the lady said she was closed. It’s time for you to go.”
The man was either so drunk that his faculties weren’t working properly or he was just an idiot, I’m not sure which but when Aiden who was close to a foot taller than this man and could match him pound for pound in pure muscle, let go of him, the drunk took a swing. Aiden moved back and the man’s fist swing through the air as if in slow motion. Shaking his head like he was thinking this guy was as big a moron as I thought he was, Aiden grabbed him again and took him over to the door. He opened it with one hand shoved him out with the other. I watched as the man stumbled and fell on his face on the pavement. Aiden turned the lock on the door and then turned to me.
“Excuse me for one minute.”
He took out his phone and a second later I heard him talking to the police saying, “Yes, I actually get the feeling the alcohol has made him braver than he might otherwise be but I don’t want him hurting anyone before that happens.”
After he hung up he turned to me and said, “Are you okay, Holly? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No, he didn’t, I’m fine. He just scared me a little bit. Your coffee is there, I’m just going to finish putting those pies away and make sure everything’s turned off in the kitchen before I leave.”
“How about I help you do all that? I’ll even wash my own coffee cup. Then you can join me for some dinner.”
It was said like a statement, not a question, “Um…I’m really not very….”
“Don’t say no, Holly, please. It’s only dinner.”
“Um….Okay, I guess I have to eat,” I said. Smooth, Holly.
He grinned and took out his phone again. I thought that he was calling a cab until we finished cleaning up and shutting things and I saw the limousine sitting out front with a well-dressed driver standing with the back door open. I swallowed hard and glanced down at my black waitress uniform with a tiny gravy stain on the bottom. I hoped wherever we were going didn’t match the elegance of the car that was taking us there.
~
Chapter Three
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