As I am waiting on the food, I can hear the conversation the three men are having at the other end.
“I am telling you, she is hot. Well from a cousin point of view, but really, she would be perfect for you!” One of the uniformed officers says to Mr. Coffee.
“No way, Flynn…no way! The last time you guys tried to set me up, the woman was almost old enough to be my mother.” Mr. Coffee grumbles back.
“Ok, in our defense she did not look her age, at all!” The other officer adds in.
“I am telling you, you will not be disappointed. Emily is also very interested in meeting you.” Officer one, which he called Flynn, attempts one last time at convincing him.
“Fine! One date, but I am not holding my breath.” Mr. Coffee reluctantly agrees.
“Great I’ll call her!” Flynn steps away from the table wasting no time. Then Mr. Coffee turns on his stool and glares right at me.
“Well, look whom we have here; you’re not armed with any scalding hot lattes, are you?” He asks with obvious humor in his tone.
Embarrassed, I shake my head and rest my hand over my forehead, covering my eyes. He does not say anything else, just turns back to his friends, leaving me in my misery. Why me? Alex comes with the food; I eat quickly, hopefully without seeming as though raised in a barn, and then grab Rosie and Willy’s meals.
***
Back at Willy’s, I am watching, as he is straight razor shaving one of his regulars. The bell rings and in walks a very tall older man. I try not to stare, but I am confident God broke the mold with him. Even for an older man, he is beautiful, and yes, I mean beautiful. Everything about him is perfection; His eyes, lips, and the way he stands; it is also…familiar?
“Aldric, I was surprised to see you on the schedule for today. Doesn’t Maia usually run the clippers over that lid of yours?” Willy comments with a laugh.
Ah, now I see it! Aldric is Maia’s husband and the father of Kai and Ben. Yep, that is one gorgeous family.
“She says I need to grow it out a little and have more of a style, or she is going to make me shave the beard, and we all know that isn’t happening.” They all laugh, as he stands tall and crosses his arms over his chest to appear more dominant.
I have met Maia, and I am sure she could get him to do whatever she wanted, but I know the rule…never say that to him.
“Aldric, have you met Gwen?” Willy asks. Aldric looks over to me with a soft smile and slanted eye.
“I haven’t had the pleasure. Maia mentioned she met you the other day, and the boys haven’t stopped going on about the new girl.” He informs, pinning me with somewhat of an indecisive glance.
“Hopefully they’ve all been good comments.” I let out a soft chuckle, trying to break some of the uncomfortableness, which seems to have surrounded us.
“Well, Maia…yes! The boys, all though some may take them as compliments, I feel their remarks are best left unmentioned; let’s just say they thought highly of you as well.”
I can feel the blush come to my face. I can only imagine what those two had to say, especially Kai, he does not seem to have any verbal filter.
Aldric takes a seat up front waiting for his turn with Willy, while I sit at the reception desk and organize the receipts from the morning.
“So, Gwen, how do you like Emerson?” Aldric is once again holding my gaze, though this time it seems more as if he is trying to solve a mystery. Unfortunately, for him, he may be at it for a while, because this mystery is unsolvable.
“Well it’s only been a few weeks, but it has grown on me, and the people have been more than welcoming.”
“Do you have any family here with you?” He says, as though rehearsed in his line of questioning.
I look up into his eyes; there is something there, something more to the question, as though he is waiting on some big reveal.
Unsure, of how to handle this, I look down nervously to the papers in front of me, then back up to Aldric and his curious gaze.
I take a deep breath and start to answer, but the phone rings, ‘Oh thank God.’ Without hesitation, I answer, “Good Afternoon Willy’s…Hello, Mr. Matthews…yes of course…I can schedule you next Wednesday at ten in the morning…Perfect…you as well.” I finish entering the appointment into the schedule; by the time I finish, Willy has already taken Aldric to his chair, and I receive payment from the man he finished.
“Um, Willy. I’m going to head over next door and help Rosie with clean up. You are all set up here for tomorrow, and the clean facial towels are in the steamer.” I advise, avoiding any further eye contact with Aldric.
“Sounds Good. Thank you for all your help today, Gwen.”
I nod and make my way to Rosie’s, managing to avoid any further conversation with Aldric Adair. However, his question pulled forefront a matter I have been avoiding since I got here…My sister. I can’t put this off any longer; I need to go and meet the only family I have left.
***
It is now seven o’clock, and we have finished for the evening. I decide on going to Jenny’s Java Hut to grab a coffee and pastry for later. Still full from lunch, it seems like the perfect treat.
I walk into the coffee shop, and it’s empty, “Hi Jenny! Quiet night?”
“Hey, Darling! Calm, before the storm. I usually get hit right after dinner time.” She advises with a side smile.
Jenny is older, around forty but you would never tell. She is in excellent shape… must be something in the water around here. Her little coffee shop is charming. Furnished with oversized couches for leisure reading, and a few tables scattered throughout for anyone wanting to have a quick bite; she has managed to make her shop feel almost like home.
“Your usual, Gwen?”
“Yes please, and would you be able to add in one of your chocolate filled pastries?”
She gives me a quick smile, heads to the back then returning moments later. “Here you go Gwen, Fresh out of the oven!”
“Thank you.” I grab the coffee and pastry, wave and turn to walk away.
Unfortunately, because well, that is my life, I run right into none other than, Mr. Coffee and at this moment, the nickname suits him, because he is covered in it. I screech in horror and turn to the counter to grab napkins. Handing Mr. Coffee some, I crouch down to clean up the floor.
“We really have to stop meeting like this?” He says as if just five seconds ago I did not dump scalding coffee on him.
“I am so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention, I’m such a klutz,” I continue to babble incoherently about my apparent lack of coordination.
I finish cleaning up and stand to throw away the napkins. Only once I am upright, I notice Mr. Coffee is shirtless, and OH. MY. GOD. There is no way, in this universe he is real. Oh wait, he is real. As in, right in front of me, as I stand here mouth open, mindlessly drooling while ogling him, kind of real! Oh, for the love of all that is holy, I need to find a small crevice and hide…for eternity. Embarrassed, I turn to Jenny and apologize, then apologize to Mr. Coffee, yet again, and run out of the shop. Well, all else fails at least I have done an outstanding job at convincing Mr. Coffee, I am an absolute idiot.
***
It is shortly after eight P.M., I am still not over the embarrassment of spilling another coffee on Mr. Coffee, and now, to make matters worse…I do not have a coffee. What is it about him that turns my brain into a useless mass every time he is near; also, what was with him taking off his shirt? I mean…Helloooo, ever hear of ‘no shirt, no service’? Ok, sure, it was probably burning right through to his skin, but geez, I did not need to know it was like an intricate labyrinth of definition under there.
I walk through to the back of the house and take in the lake sitting off my property. There is still some light out so I can make out the ducks floating by. Deciding to enjoy the rest of the evening on my back deck, I first head to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Noticing there is a message on the answering machine, I hit play.
“Hi, this messag
e is for Gwen. I was hoping that maybe we could finally meet. I was waiting for you to contact me, but patience was never one of my virtues. Anywho, hope to hear from you soon. You can reach me on my cell, 541-555-6296. Oh, by the way, this is Matilda, your sister,”
The message ends, and I remain stiffly in place. Not sure what I heard, I play it again, then again, and one more time because apparently, the first three times did not process.
“Yep, I heard it right.”
I stand there not sure of what to do next. I have been avoiding this meeting for the past few weeks, and I know I cannot let it go on much longer…she’s My sister! Whether raised with her or not, she is the only one I have, and to be honest; I am curious to know what she is like.
Needing to think about my next steps, I decided this would have to be a call for the morning. Not wanting my coffee now, I turn to head toward the bedroom, then the continuous nagging inside me that has not stopped since earlier today, pulls me to make that call now.
I play the message one more time writing down the number, and I make the call.
“Hello?”
“Um, hi! Is this Matilda Batin?” I ask, still not convinced that this is the best idea.
“Yes, yes it is. Is this you, Gwen?” She asks with an excited tone.
“Yes, this is Gwen!”
“Ahhhhh…You have no idea how much you just made my day; I was so hoping you would call back. Let me tell you this has been one killer day…Sorry, I’m babbling. It's a terrible habit of mine. I’m just so excited.”
Ok, I have never experienced anything like this before, or should I say…someone. Matilda is just carrying on as though we have known each other forever. However, I will say, I feel an almost calming certainty and familiarity in her voice; like we have had this bond since day one.
“Matilda, I’m glad you’re excited. Honestly, this whole situation is quite new for me…”
“I know!” Matilda replies.
“You do!”
“Yep, Mom called to let me know that she had finally told you about me and that hopefully, you would come to see me, but that you may need a little push…so I pushed!”
“I see. Um. Matilda...”
“Oh, please call me Ati. I am not all that fond of Matilda, but I couldn’t change it, so I settle for Ati.”
“Ok, Ati! I was wondering if maybe I could come up to visit with you on Sunday, maybe go for breakfast and spend some time getting to know one another.”
I hear the most horrific ear-piercing screech on the on the other end, “Ati, are you OK?”
Another screech, “Are you kidding me, Gwen! I am better than OK! I can’t wait to meet you. I have been planning how this was going to go down for ages…eeeeeeek, I am soooooo excited.”
Okay well, I guess it’s a date, one that I now have a much better feeling about now!
***
The next morning I show up at the shop, and Rosie lets me know that I will be working with Willy again. I drop my things in the back and head over.
“Good Morning, Willy!”
Already with a client in his chair, he looks over to me with a smile, “Well, Good morning, Sweetie! Are you ready for your first Men’s cut today?”
My eyes widen, “Willy; I’m not sure whether I am ready actually to cut someone’s hair.”
“Gwen, the best way to learn is to do it. You cannot learn a man’s haircut on a mannequin,” he pauses for a moment; I know he sees the hesitation in my expression. “I promise, it will be OK!”
I take a deep breath, “Willy, if you have that much faith in me, then I guess what could go wrong.”
Willy’s face lights up with a smile, “Perfect, that’s the spirit!”
The door chimes, “Ah, and here is your model now.”
The light framing this remarkable specimen is acting as a halo around him.
“Gwen, I would like you to meet Liam. Liam this is Gwen, she will be cutting your hair today!” Willy finishes.
“Mr. Coffee?”
He lets out a laugh as he walks over, extending his hand in greeting. “Actually, it’s Liam…Liam Adair; and you are Gem?”
I say nothing for a moment, still in shock. “I’m Gwen, not Gem.”
“I beg to differ; you seem precious to me!”
ARE YOU KIDDING, did he just use a pick-up line on me! Oh my God, he did! Mr. Coffee, oh sorry, Liam is using a pickup line on me.
“Well, Mr. Adair, give it some time I am sure your opinion will change!”
He lets out a laugh, "Oh I have a feeling a lot will be changing for me…hopefully sooner than later."
I hold his gaze for a moment. Liam has me feeling all kinds of things, and honestly, at this moment, I am not sure if they are good or bad.
Chapter Three
-Liam-
Two Years Later
Heading out of the station, I decide to walk to my appointment. It’s a beautiful summer day, and the streets are bustling with tourists. Emerson, although a small town, has a ton of summer activities because of the beach and nearby campgrounds.
I walk into ‘Hair by Rosie’ for my bi-weekly appointment. I have been coming here for the past year and a half since Willy retired and closed his Barbershop, which was adjacent to his wife Rosie’s Salon. They had started apprenticing a new girl to take over about two years ago when they decided the life of snowbirds was more their speed. The story of my first run-in with the new girl is quite comical. Well, it is to me, and anyone I tell it too, for her... not so much! The first time, she managed to run into me covering me with her drink and my tray of food. Then the next time she dumped her hot coffee all over me. She tried to go into hiding for a while, but it didn’t last. Finally, when Willy had approached me about his new hire using me as a model, I couldn’t say no, I knew it to be her and I was going to meet this woman; first-degree burns, be damned!
“Detective Adair, just in time!” Gwen calls out to me as she pops out from behind the reception desk.
“Hey Gem, I told you to call me Liam. I think after this long we can do away with the formalities.”
With a mischievous grin on her face, she motions for me to sit in the chair in front of her workstation, “Rosie and Willy always said, it is good business practice to greet my elders with a respectful address.”
“Well then, Ms. Batin, I will be certain to offer the same civilities going forward.” An equally devilish ear-to-ear smile crosses my lips.
We have been exchanging the same flirtatious banter since shortly after I started coming here. I think Gwen may be still holding a little grudge because I tell everyone the story of how we met, but come on; it’s too funny not too. I miss the virile atmosphere of Willy’s, but I will say getting to spend a little bit of time every few weeks with Gwen more than makes up for it.
Gwen is an attractive woman. Mahogany waves fall freely to her lower back; her eyes are like glistening pools of the brightest blue. Petite, 5’1, or so, with a tiny frame boasting the most exquisite curves. She is magnificent and radiates an innocently seductive aura. People are attracted quickly to her carefree attitude and loving character. The town’s folk of Emerson had no problem receiving her with a warm welcome when she arrived in town.
“So, any new gossip about the scandals brewing in our little town?” I ask, knowing from my mother there aren’t any.
“Oh, you know me. I try to leave the heralding to our local ladies of Emerson Woman’s Society,” She answers with a giggle. “However, I did hear our local, and I quote, ‘handsome and newly single Detective,’ is up for a promotion to Police Chief next year.”
“Ah, so my mother has been in for her weekly chat session, I see!” I say with a knowing tone.
Gwen lets out a belly-filled laugh, “Yes she has. Maia is my outside source into the 'lives and loves' of Emerson.”
“Hey what happened to the respectful address of your elders?” I ask jokingly.
She gives my shoulder a soft tap, “Oh please, I love Maia…your moms’ is like f
amily.” I smile at her response. For some reason, I find I like that her and my mother get along.
“So, Detective ‘handsome and newly single’, same as last time?”
“Yes please!”
***
My parents still live in the same house as my siblings, and I were raised in. It is a moderately large sized craftsman style home, which is common here in Emerson. Over the years, my parents have remodeled here and there, and about ten years ago, they rebuilt the garage, which now has a two-bedroom apartment above it. I lived there for a while about ten years ago until I had been working for a bit as a rookie officer and saved up some money for a down payment on my own place. When I moved out, Kai and Ben moved in, then when Kai left down south for training, Ewan took his place, leaving my parents and my little sister, Althea in the house. I walk into the kitchen looking for my mom but find my sister instead; sitting at the island having what seems to be a late breakfast made of ice cream and cheerios. Yum…not!
Althea turned eighteen before summer. She is the youngest of the five of us and the only girl. Everyone always says Thea is lucky to have four older brothers look out for her. Which, yes, we are very protective over Thea, but what they don’t know is, Thea is as lethal as the four of us combined; I call her the sneak attack…she can beat them down when she needs to. She has taken my brothers and myself out several times and handed our asses to us, and we are by no means small men, nor do we hold back. My mom always wanted Althea in dance and gymnastics, which Thea tried, but it was short-lived after my father took her along with my brothers and myself to the local boxing gym. They came home that day, and she told my mom she wanted to join the gym like Daddy instead of dance. She was six…My mother was devastated. So needless to say, after years of boxing and holding a graduate ranking in Krav Maga, my sister is more than capable to take care of herself, but that doesn’t mean, we still don’t play the big brother ‘touch my sister, and we will hurt you’ role.
“Hey Nugget!” I say grabbing the stool next to her.
“Really Liam? Stop calling me that” she states with a firm tone.
Liam & Gwen - Entirely Yours: A Romance Novel (The Adair Series Book 1) Page 3