“You know, my mum has a saying,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “The worst manure grows the brightest flowers. I think it was her way of telling me that, no matter how bad my dad was, it didn’t mean that I was bad too. I think the same applies for you.”
“Your mom sounds like a smart woman,” I said.
“She is, and I’m pleased to tell you that all the smart genes are genetic,” he said with a wink that made me laugh. I felt so silly for almost crying, but I couldn’t help feeling angrier at Dad that, in addition to his long list of misdemeanors, he also managed to unwittingly ruin my date.
“Listen, I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely starving. Why don’t you wait in the truck and get the heater going, and I’ll go back and see if I can order something as takeout?” he suggested.
“That sounds great,” I replied on a sigh, relieved that he was being so great about this. After settling me safely in the truck like the gentleman he was, he went back inside and emerged fifteen minutes later with a couple of bags.
“I don’t know what that is, but it smells amazing,” I said as he climbed in the cab to join me. The air was warm and permeated with the most mouth-watering scents.
“Wait until you see what I ordered. This lot’s going to put us in a food coma for a week.” I smiled at his enthusiasm and settled back against my seat as he pulled away. I hummed along to the radio as he drove, not really saying much until he pulled up on top of a ridge that looked down over the whole town. The flutter of snowflakes was whimsical and romantic, and the tingling echo of a Christmas carol that drifted up from the town made this the perfect setting for a festive date. Our feast was mainly bar food, but on my empty stomach, the banquet of ribs, fries, and burgers, together with the leftovers from the coffee shop, tasted like gourmet cuisine. We parked, and with the radio playing softly in the background, and smiles on our faces, we ate like kings.
Chapter Nine
Lauren
I never thought I’d be the sort of girl to waste time mooning over some guy, replaying every word of a shared conversation in my head, yet that’s exactly what I found myself doing the next morning. The early breakfast rush had passed, and while I enjoyed a brief lull before the mid-morning Christmas shoppers would stop by, I cleaned down the empty tables and daydreamed of Jensen and our magical evening together.
“Lauren, isn’t it?” I turned toward an older lady, who’d taken a seat at the table behind me.
“I didn’t see you there. Yes, I’m Lauren. What can I get for you? I can recommend the hot chocolate, and we have a special offer on our fresh pastries this morning,” I said.
“Do you think you could sit down with me for a moment?” she asked. Her request was odd, considering we’d never met before. Combined with the fact that she knew my name, I was immediately suspicious. Feeling uncomfortable, I looked toward the counter for Jill, but she must have slipped into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, but I’m working right now. I’d be happy to get you anything you’d like, but I need to be available to wait on other customers,” I replied.
“It’s all right, Jill and I are old friends, and I’ve already asked her permission. I really won’t take up more than a few minutes of your time,” she said.
Taking her at her word, I sat down opposite her hesitantly.
“We’ve never met before, but my name is Nancy Adler,” she explained.
I smiled when I realized who she was to Jensen and how she must know me.
“I’m sorry, I had no idea who you were,” I replied. “Jensen has told me all about you and Ronnie. I’m so sorry for your recent loss, but Jensen speaks very highly of you both. He loved your husband very much.”
“You and Jensen must be getting very close if he’s talked to you about my husband. You know, Ronnie always thought of Jensen like a son. He was very protective of him, and to a degree, I feel as though that responsibility has fallen to me with his passing. My decision to come and speak with you hasn’t been the easiest, but I think Ronnie would have wanted me to say something,” she said.
“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, Mrs. Adler, but why are you here?” I asked, cutting to the chase. My initial happiness had ebbed away with her words. The tone of her voice was gentle enough, but it was clear that her reason for being here wasn’t good.
Rather than looking put out at my harsh abruptness, she looked almost sad as she considered my words. “Jill tells me that you’re a nice girl and a hard worker, and she’s not the sort to give praise where it isn’t due. I want you to know that I’m not here because I think you’re a bad person. Despite my misgivings about your father, I trust Jill, and she’s had nothing but praise for you,” she said.
“But despite that, you don’t want me with Jensen,” I said, delivering the truth she was having trouble saying.
“I want what’s best for him. I want him to have the freedom to pursue his dreams. To achieve everything that he’s worked so hard for. Everything that Ronnie helped him work toward. With Ronnie gone, we’re all in a vulnerable place right now. All I’m asking is that you don’t take advantage of that vulnerability,” she explained.
“So, you’re asking me not to see him anymore?” I asked.
“No, I’m not asking that. It’s clear that you’ve become friends, and he needs a friend at the moment. All I’m asking is that, when the time comes for him to leave, you let him go. From what I hear, your father is the kind of person who might take advantage of the sort of opportunity that your association with Jensen would present. Don’t let that happen. If you care about him at all, protect him from your father by letting him go. Let him achieve those big dreams of his,” she replied.
I wanted to yell and scream at the unfairness of her words, but she wasn’t wrong. No matter how I felt, I knew that I was a bad investment for a man like Jensen, and there was no doubt that he was better off without me. Still, the truth hurt.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Mrs. Adler. I’ve never held out any hope of a future with a man like Jensen. When the time comes for him to go, I’ll wish him well with all of my heart. Until then, I plan on making the most of the time we have together. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work,” I said, and with as much dignity as I could muster, I stood and walked away from her, willing my tears not to fall.
Chapter Ten
Jensen
Dropping Lauren home after the tree lighting last night had been hell. Despite Nancy’s warning, I couldn’t help but miss her. She didn’t have a mobile phone, which meant that keeping in touch on social media or even calling was out the window. I had talked her into letting me take a quick picture of us on my phone, though, and it was the only tangible proof I had of her existence. It was a magical moment, with the snow falling gently behind us, but what struck me was how happy we both looked. In all of the podium pictures of me accepting trophies or spraying vintage champagne, never had I come close to looking as happy as I did with Lauren. Maybe that was why I couldn’t keep from staring at it. For two days, I’d left her alone with the promise that I’d pick her up again Saturday for the date she insisted on paying for. I had no intention of letting her pay for a thing, of course, but I was happy to let her believe it if it got me another date. But after gazing at her beautiful face for the last ten minutes, I knew I couldn’t wait that long. Twenty minutes later, I’d showered, shaved, and was sitting in the coffee shop looking eagerly for my girl.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she came through the kitchen and caught my eye.
“Is it okay that I’m here?” I asked, starting to second guess whether bothering her at work had been such a great idea.
“Are you kidding? It’s made my day. If you don’t mind hanging around for an hour, I finish at five,” she said. There was no mistaking the sadness in her eyes, but still she seemed genuinely happy to see me.
“I’d wait for you all day,” I replied, then winced when I realized how cheesy that sounded. Lau
ren didn’t seem to mind though. There wasn’t so much as an eye roll at my lameness.
“Well, what can I get you while you wait? My treat,” she said.
“No way are you paying, but I’d like a large hot chocolate please and a slice of whatever cake you fancy,” I replied.
“A grown man drinking hot chocolate has to be about the most adorable thing ever,” she cooed.
“Leave me alone, woman. It’s very rugged and manly.”
“Let’s see if you’re still saying that when it arrives,” she said, winking at me as she went about filling my order. I gawked as she walked away, unable to stop myself from noticing how hot she looked in that damn uniform. There wasn’t anything particularly sexy about a plain black skirt and black shirt, but she could wear a burlap sack and still have grown men drooling.
On that thought, I looked around the place and realized I wasn’t the only man taking an interest. At this time of year, I expected the place to be filled with Christmas shoppers and families, but there seemed to be an unusually high number of men at the coffee shop, and as I watched her work, I knew that she was the reason why. They couldn’t keep their eyes off her, and as much as I wanted to act all caveman and possessive, I knew I didn’t have the right. I wasn’t her boyfriend, and in a little over a week, I’d be gone. Still, I sure wanted the job though. I wanted to be the one on the receiving end of her smile every night when she finished her shift.
“What did I tell you?” she said, rocking me out of my revelry. Her face was a picture of mischievous mirth as she placed a drink in front of me that wouldn’t look out of place in a Disney movie. The blown glass cup was both fancy and delicate, and aside from the fact that I’d struggle to get even my index finger around the handle, the amount of marshmallows, whipped cream, and chocolate wedged into the top of it made it look more like an ice cream than a hot beverage. I wasn’t sure whether to lick it or drink it.
“How am I supposed to drink this?” I asked, wondering if I should pick out the top layer of bonus edible treats and hold the thing like a soup bowl.
“I have no idea, but I can’t wait to see you try,” she replied.
Tentatively, I lifted the drink to my lips, ignoring the fact that she was clearly trying to suppress her laughter. It was the worst thing to have ordered in front of the girl I wanted to impress, given that there was likely as much cream on my face after one sip as there was left in the cup.
“I promise you, Jensen, your masculinity is safe. If anyone could make drinking that look hot, it’s you.”
I cleaned my lip with a napkin and was slightly mollified as she placed the biggest slab of chocolate fudge cake I’d ever seen down in front of me and next to it a jug of what smelled like warm fudge sauce.
“Will you marry me?” I asked after my first bite.
“Sorry. I’ve already promised myself to whoever makes these cakes,” she replied as she walked away to wait on other tables.
As I watched Lauren work, I began to understand exactly what it was my life had been missing. But the knowledge didn’t make me feel any better. I looked forward to every minute we spent together and dreaded leaving, but the reality was that I was needed back in Europe sooner rather than later. My time in Friendship was running out.
It wasn’t as though I could take any of that time for granted either. Between the hours that she was working and our lack of options for communicating, every stolen moment we had together was infinitely precious. I considered asking Lauren to keep seeing me after I left, but I spent nine months a year traveling around the world and three months training.
Even if I left Friendship with the promise of returning, in the end she’d hate me for keeping her waiting. Letting her go would be the most selfless thing I could do. Until then, I’d allow myself this tiny window to savor every moment I could. Setting her free would be my gift to her. Stealing these memories would be my gift to me.
“Ready to go?” she asked, slinging a messenger bag over her shoulder as she walked toward me.
“Sure, where shall we go?” I asked, watching as she chewed on her bottom lip. We might only have known each other a matter of days, but I knew the gesture well. It meant that she was racking her brain for something to do that didn’t involve money.
“How about a walk?” she suggested.
“It’s too cold to walk,” I replied, wincing at the idea. In the UK, it rained far more than it snowed, so I was still adjusting to the climate.
“I know!” I said, recalling something that had caught my eye on the way over. “I passed on old-fashioned cinema on Main Street, and they’re showing It’s a Wonderful Life. Why don’t we go? You can’t get more Christmassy than that.” I silently applauded my own brilliance. Two hours in a darkened room, inches away from the girl who took my breath away, and maybe even the chance to put my arm around her. I was a genius.
She bit her lip harder, and I knew she wanted to go.
“Come on,” I cajoled. “My treat.”
“You can’t keep paying for everything. It’s not fair,” she protested.
“Look, a couple of cinema tickets aren’t going to break the bank, and this is an unscheduled date, so it’s only right I pay. In fact, you’d actually be saving me money. If I had to try and entertain myself on my own, I’d probably end up going to some fancy restaurant and spending a fortune on a meal for one.”
“Well, when you put it like that. Let’s go.”
She linked her arm through mine, and as we headed for the door, I felt like I’d won the lottery.
Chapter Eleven
Lauren
Jensen Caldwell was a force of nature. When he wanted something, he found a way to get it. I loved that he managed to do it without running roughshod all over me. He had money, and he wanted to shower it on me, but I didn’t want to be a charity case or a sponge. I might not have much, but I had my pride, and it was hard to be on an equal footing with someone when money always seemed to tip the balance of the scales. After getting our tickets, he bought a giant soda with two straws, a huge bag of candy, and a ridiculously large bucket of popcorn.
“What’s this?” he asked in confusion as we stood before the topping machine.
“Butter,” I replied.
“For what?”
“For the popcorn,” I explained. His answering expression was half horror, half awe.
“You don’t have topping for your popcorn in England?”
“No, you either buy sweet or salted. There’s none of this kind of witchcraft and wizardry.”
“Buddy, you’re missing out,” I said, and taking the bucket from his hand, I drowned it in deliciousness.
He stole a piece and popped it into his mouth.
“Man, that is so good. I need to get one of these things for my house,” he answered on a groan as he helped himself to another piece.
“I’d re-think that decision if I were you. Too many buckets of this stuff, and you can kiss those awesome abs good-bye.”
“So you’ve been checking out my abs then. Good to know,” he teased, and throwing an arm around my shoulders, he led me into the theater. I desperately wanted to make some witty comeback, but he had shocked me into silence.
The theater was empty, so I followed Jensen to the middle of the back row. He put the soda in the armrest between us and dropped the candy onto my lap next to the popcorn.
“Help yourself,” he said, nodding toward the huge bounty. He draped an arm over my shoulders once again and dipped his hand back into the bucket of popcorn. As the room darkened and the screen lit up, I was still dumbstruck. I’d snuck into cinemas without paying many times, but never had I sat in the back row with a guy who bought a ticket for me. As the magic of the movie washed over me, I leaned against Jensen’s shoulder, enjoying the fact that nothing had ever felt so right.
“So what did you think?” he asked, slipping his hand into mine as we walked along the sidewalk.
“It was amazing. I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before.”
“Ah, the things that I could show you.” He chuckled, dropping a kiss on the top of my head like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The snow that had been lazily drifting down around us was falling heavily when I spotted Gabriel across the road.
“Hey,” I shouted over to him, and waved as I got his attention. Pulling Jensen along with me, I crossed the street to greet him.
“Well, hello. If it isn’t my favorite person in the world to dine with,” Gabe said, sporting a toothy grin.
“I came looking for you the other evening, but your bed was gone. I was afraid something bad had happened to you.”
“Bless you, child. But don’t be worrying about me. I just get itchy feet, that’s all. Now who is this fine young man?” he asked, looking Jensen up and down.
“Gabe, this is my friend Jensen. Jensen, this is Gabe,” I said.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Jensen said, and I fell for him a little more as he held out his hand respectfully for my homeless friend to shake.
“Nice to meet you, too, young man,” Gabe replied, returning the gesture.
“Where are you staying tonight, Gabe?” I asked. There was no way I could let him sleep rough, even if I had to deal with Dad’s wrath to make sure Gabe had a decent night’s sleep.
“Well, little one, I think meeting you has turned my fortune around. I’ll be well taken care of this evening. So you can stop worrying your pretty little head over me and start taking care of yourself,” he replied.
“I think meeting you has been a good luck omen for me too!” I said, smiling. “I met Jensen, and I have a job now over at the coffee shop. So if you find yourself down on your luck, come and find me at work.”
“That’s very kind of you. Now, what are your plans for this evening?” he asked, and I shifted nervously. I didn’t want the evening to end, but in reality I knew that there was nowhere we could go that didn’t cost money, and I was unwilling to go anywhere else with him without paying my way.
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