I chastised myself for being such an idealist.
I didn’t have to wait very long. Mel came out of the back on the heels of the hostess, and she motioned me over closer to the bar. I went, and she tugged me to the side. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
That wasn’t the welcome I’d been hoping to receive. I’d been hoping she would greet me with a warm smile. Maybe she would give me an affectionate touch on the shoulder. But no. She just tugged me out of the way of foot traffic and looked up at me expectantly.
I opened my mouth to explain myself, but she held up her hand.
“Sorry, give me one minute,” she said. “One of my tables doesn’t have their cutlery.” She’d spotted the lack of silverware over my shoulder like a hawk. She disappeared in the back and came back out with utensils and napkins. I turned and watched her as she brought it to the table. The family smiled up at her and thanked her. She came back to me, a smile playing on her own lips.
“Sorry,” she said again. “I knew their food was coming out soon, and I couldn’t let them sit there staring at it with no way to eat it.”
I smiled. “Don’t be sorry. You’re at work. I don’t expect you to ignore your customers.”
“Good,” she said. “What’s up?”
“I know you probably didn’t expect me to drop by again like this—”
“No, I didn’t. But here you are.”
“Yes. Here I am.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Listen. I know you said you didn’t want anything serious or whatever, but I’d really like to take you out on a real date. You know. Somewhere that you don’t have to cook dinner and somewhere you don’t work. A place where we can just get to know each other.”
She blinked at me. “Um.” She looked around a little nervously. When her eyes met mine again, I could see the rejection in them. “I can’t just take a night off. I have a daughter. It’s not that easy for me.”
“We could go for lunch while she’s at school. I don’t want to inconvenience you. I could have you back in time to pick her up or get you back here. What do you say to tomorrow afternoon?”
Mel pursed her lips. “I don’t know.”
“Are you telling me there was nothing there the other night? That going on a date just to see isn’t worth it?”
Mel didn’t answer me.
“Come on. I’ll pick you up at noon.”
A blonde-haired woman popped up beside Mel. I recognized her as the one who had brought Kylee in that night I had dinner with my crew. She smiled at me. “She’ll be ready.”
“What?” Mel asked, looking over at her friend with wide eyes.
“Perfect,” I said, clapping my hands together. “It’s a date then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I didn’t hang around. I knew if I stayed, I’d only be giving her an opportunity to back out of the date. So I ducked out of the restaurant and hurried back to my truck. Other townsfolk were parking their cars and walking arm and arm across the parking lot toward the restaurant. They were on dates or family outings. Children swung between their parents’ hands, giggling with that high-pitched childhood delight that sometimes seemed as though it could burst an eardrum.
I got into my truck and drove back home. I was vibrating at a pretty high frequency when I went inside and grabbed a beer from the fridge.
Then my phone rang.
Derek’s name flashed across the phone screen, and I lifted it to my ear. “Hey.”
“Sup?” Derek’s voice filled the line. I could hear him doing something in the background. Tightening something. He was probably working on his car or making an addition to his boat.
“Not much. Just cracked a beer.”
“Nice. You busy tomorrow? The weather is supposed to be nice, and I was thinking we could hit the open water and do some fishing. You up for it?”
I took a sip of beer and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “I can’t tomorrow.”
“What? You have better plans than pounding back a few cold ones with me while reeling in the lines?”
I chuckled. “I do.”
There was a brief pause on the other end. I could practically hear the wheels turning in Derek’s head. “Hang on a minute. What plans are these?”
“None of your business.”
“You have a date with that single mom, don’t you?”
“Her name is Mel,” I corrected him.
“Her name is Trouble,” Derek muttered. “You’re getting in deep real fast, man. Better keep a wary eye out. She’ll have you wrapped around her pinky finger in no time at this rate.”
“She’s not a movie villain, Derek. She’s just a normal woman.”
“A woman with a kid,” Derek said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger and sighed. “What’s the big deal? She has a kid. So what?”
“So what? Kids are hellions. Don’t tell me you think it would be fun to have a kid around all the time. They’re loud. And annoying. And they always want to ask you questions.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” I said sourly. I wasn’t overly fond of Derek’s pessimistic attitude.
“Ha. Ha.”
“You don’t have to date women with children if you don’t want to, Derek. But I like her, and I want to give it a shot. It’s just a date. For all I know, it might not go well, and this thing will fizzle out.” Even as the words left my mouth, I hoped they weren’t true. I wanted something with this girl.
“Well, that’s all good and fine. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. Because I did.”
“Many times,” I grumbled.
Derek chuckled. “All right. I’ll talk to you later. Have fun tomorrow playing Barbies.”
I started to call him an asshole, but he hung up on me. I stared at the phone, shaking my head, and downed my beer. I would not be playing Barbies tomorrow. I’d been lucky enough to get Mel to carve out some time for just the two of us. I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to see what she was all about.
She was so blocked off and so private that I had no idea who the girl actually was—besides being a mom and the owner of The Glade. But that didn’t define her.
There was a lot to talk about tomorrow.
Barbies could come later down the road.
Maybe.
18
Mel
As soon as the restaurant doors close behind Hayden, I whirled on Tara and poked her in the shoulder.
“Ouch!” she exclaimed, rubbing the spot where I’d given her a rough enough poke with my index finger. She scrunched up her nose and glared at me. “What was that for?”
“What were you thinking?” I demanded.
“About what?”
“You know what,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest and popping out one hip.
Tara shrugged and played innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Why did you tell him I’d go on a date with him? I specifically told you the other day that I didn’t want anything with him. I’m happy with things the way they are and—”
“You need this, Mel,” Tara said simply.
“No, I don’t.”
“You don’t have to agree with me. But I’m your best friend, and sometimes, I know what’s best for you better than you do. Your hands are full. You’ve lost perspective. Going on a little date isn’t going to make your life implode. You’re so dramatic sometimes.”
“I’m not dramatic. I’m practical. And I don’t have time to see somebody right now. I’m busy enough as it is without trying to make extra time in my week to see some guy.”
Tara shook her head at me. “You’re wound like a spring, Mel.”
“So?”
“So you need to get laid. Again.”
I felt my cheeks start burning and knew I was turning bright pink. “I do not need to get laid.”
“Aren’t you bored of taking care of yourself all the time? I mean, come on. There’s only so much a vibrator ca
n do. It can’t replace a man’s touch. Let alone a man with a body like Hayden’s. Just indulge a little. Enjoy yourself a bit.” She lifted her chin when I opened my mouth to protest. “You’re going on this date whether you like it or not, Mel. I won’t let you throw it out the window.”
I frowned.
“Good. No more protests. It’s like music to my ears.”
I rubbed my temples in exasperation. “Okay. Fine. I’ll go. But only because he’s under the impression that I’m on board.”
Tara laughed. “I don’t think he’s under that impression. I think he just knows how lucky he is that I was here to agree on your behalf.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Well, I don’t want to be rude and blow him off once he already thinks the date is happening.”
“However you want to justify it is fine with me, girl.” Tara smiled. “At the end of the day, you never stepped in and corrected me. There was plenty of time for you to tell him no, but you didn’t. You let him walk out of here. Which tells me that maybe you do want this. Or at least, the small human part of you does.”
I blinked at her. Maybe her logic wasn’t all that far off. Good grief, maybe it was spot on.
Had I wanted this all along with Hayden? It was true that since our random hook up in the kitchen, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. I’d also been pining after cute relationships and couples and wanting to have that for myself again.
But it was all so complicated. I had to sacrifice things if I wanted that in my life. A lot of things. And I wasn’t so sure I was willing to give that up yet.
Still, like Tara said, it was just one date. Just because I was seeing Hayden tomorrow didn’t mean I was agreeing to be with him forever and commit to a relationship. We were just going to get together and get to know each other a bit. Maybe it would be as fun as the other night. Maybe it wouldn’t be, and I could walk away without giving him another thought.
The latter seemed highly unlikely.
“I’m going to get you back for this one of these days,” I said to Tara as she tied her apron around her waist. “Just you wait and see.”
“Maybe you could force me to go on a date with a hot guy that I was into, too.”
I shook my head at her but felt a smile tugging at my lips.
We both went our separate ways after that and went back to our business at the restaurant. I worked as a filler person, filling in whenever someone needed to take a break or stepping in to lend a helping hand if any of my staff were overwhelmed. I liked spending my days like this because it gave me a chance to connect with the customers again.
I enjoyed my days in the back doing office work, too. It was nice to sit in a cool, isolated space and just get my work done. I’d listen to soft music and work on my schedules and payroll while my business bustled all around me. I’d pop my head out every now and then and chat with my staff when I was bored, and then I’d go back to my office feeling refreshed and ready to get more work done.
Today, I wanted to be at the front of the restaurant, flitting from table to table, chatting with regulars and new customers I’d never seen before. People came to Searing from all over the country, and it was always fun to get their stories, learn where they came from, and discover what brought them to the little town of Searing.
When I stopped at a table occupied by a middle-aged couple, they both smiled up at me. He had short gray hair and glasses, and she had an edgy pixie cut with purple streaks in it. She was covered in jewelry and had dark eye makeup on.
“Is there anything else I can get for the two of you?” I asked.
They both shook their heads politely, and then the woman leaned over the table closer toward me. “I hope this doesn’t seem rude,” she said in a quiet voice, “but my husband and I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation you were having with the other waitress a little while ago.”
“Oh,” I said as heat rose up into my cheeks. “I’m so sorry. That wasn’t a very professional conversation.”
The woman shook her head and smiled. “Don’t apologize, dear. I just wanted to tell you that the date is a good idea. Hayden Miller is one of the good ones.”
I blinked. “Do you know him?”
The man nodded and pulled off his glasses. They left little indents on the side of his nose. “Hayden was almost drafted into the NFL when he was young. He’d basically earned his spot on the team when he blew out his knee in practice. Poor lad never played again.”
The woman sighed. “It was a sad thing that happened to him. He was a great player. He had the potential to make it to the very top of the sport. His father took it pretty hard.”
“It’s just football,” I said.
The man clapped his hand on the table and laughed. “Just football? Make sure you don’t say that on your date tomorrow. For some kids, especially kids like Hayden, football is their life. It’s their identity. When he got hurt, it was like a rug had been pulled out from under him. It took him some time to find his way again.”
“We were all hoping he’d make a recovery.” The woman sighed.
“I didn’t realize he was such a celebrity,” I said.
The man nodded. “Most people around Searing know him from his football days. He’s traded in his pads and cleats for fire and smoke, it seems. A good fit for him, too, if I do say so myself.”
I offered them a kind smile.
The woman straightened in her seat. “Sorry to meddle, dear. I just had to say something. You seemed so hesitant about this date of yours, but Hayden is a good catch. He’ll treat you well.”
“It’s no problem at all, really. Thank you.” I excused myself and retreated to the back room.
It was a little odd to have had a conversation about Hayden with complete strangers, but for some reason, it had eased my mind. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as I seemed to think it would. If I put in a little bit of effort, I might just enjoy myself.
I spent the next hour or so organizing my office. I was starting to get a bit stressed out about the looming date, and de-cluttering was a good coping mechanism for me.
When I was close to being done, Tara appeared in the doorway. She rested one shoulder against the door frame and crossed her arms as she watched me wipe my desk down. “Are you stress cleaning?”
I glanced up at her and shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe a little.”
Tara smirked. “Well, for the record, it looks really good in here. It smells good, too.”
I stepped aside and pointed at the coconut cucumber candle I’d been burning since I started cleaning. The flame danced like a seductress in the mason jar container.
“Ah.” Tara smiled. “I should have known.”
I set everything back in place on my desk and tucked my hair behind my ears. “Is it quieting down out there?”
Tara nodded. “Yep. Hey, Mel?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry that I overstepped. I didn’t mean to put you in a tight spot or make you do something you didn’t want to. I just love you too much to keep my mouth shut sometimes. I want you to have good things in your life, and I might be wrong, but Hayden really seems like a good thing to me.”
I went over to her and pulled her in for a tight hug. “I know you only ever have good intentions, Tara. And I’m not mad. I promise. It’s just been a really long time. I think I’m just scared.”
“Of what?” Tara asked as we broke apart. Her eyes were a little glassy. Mine probably were too.
I shrugged. “Of the whole thing. Of not knowing what to say or what to wear or what to—”
“I can help you with the whole ‘what to wear’ conundrum.”
I grinned. “Yeah?”
“Oh, hell yeah. I’ll come over tonight when my shift is over, and we’ll pick through your closet to find the right thing. It’s an afternoon date, so we can’t go too sexy or fancy. We’ll find something that’s just right.”
“Ugh. You’re the best, Tara. Seriously.”
“I know,” she sa
id simply. “I’m not off until ten. Is that okay?”
“Of course. Kylee will be in bed, so we’ll have to keep it down.”
“No problem at all. Maybe I’ll bring a bottle of wine over?”
I nodded eagerly. “I’ll whip up some snacks.”
Tara winked. “I’ll try to get off early if this place winds down fast enough.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
Tara gave me another hug before heading out the door. She caught herself on the frame and looked back at me. “Love you, bestie.”
I smiled. “Love you too.”
19
Hayden
The Glade wasn’t even open when I showed up to pick Mel up for our date, but she was there, sitting outside on the patio furniture with one leg crossed over the other.
Her long brown hair cascaded down her back in loose curls. She had on a white sun dress, gold sandals, and a loose shawl draped over her shoulders. As always, she looked incredible.
“Hey,” I said when I came around the corner of the patio.
She smiled up at me and got to her feet. “Hi.”
“You look great,” I told her.
Her cheeks turned a little pink, and she looked down. “Thank you.”
I looked out across the sand and down the beach. The day was warm but not intolerably so. “I was thinking we could just take it easy today. Maybe walk down the beach and walk the boardwalk? Grab a cold drink or something?”
“That sounds perfect,” Mel said.
She seemed much more relaxed out of her element than in the restaurant. It made sense. At The Glade, she was the boss. There was a lot of pressure on her, and she was constantly juggling several things at once to maintain top-notch service.
Out here on the beach, she was just Mel. And it was easy for me to see that I liked this side of her. The authentic side of her.
She took off her sandals and walked with them in one hand. A gentle breeze picked up off the ocean and blew her hair off her face as we walked down to the edge of the water. She went straight in, letting the waves roll up the beach to engulf her ankles. She walked slowly, letting the waves push and pull at her, until she finally looked over at me. “Did you grow up here?”
Light Up The Night: A Bad Boy Firefighter Novel Page 11