The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned at him. “Fine, yes, just that. I thought there might be more to it, but apparently there isn’t, and I don’t think I’m going to be seeing him anymore.”

  My father eyed me for a beat before leaning back and folding his hands on his belly, sniffing loudly as he tried to read me and see if I was pulling his leg.

  “I’m serious, alright?” I said. “What happened yesterday, that was a mistake, and I’m sorry. But this really is the end of it, and I’m not just saying that to make you feel better.”

  Hank scratched his nose, sniffed again and nodded. “Alright,” he said. “You know I’m only coming down hard on you because I love you, right?”

  I nodded, smiling a little. “Sure.”

  “And you’ll always be my little girl, so don’t even ask me to stop treating you like one, although I try not to.”

  “I know.”

  “But in the back room? Really?” Hank’s face shifted into a mask of disgust. “That’s just wrong.”

  “If it’s alright with you,” I said, “I really don’t feel like discussing my sex life with my father.”

  “Then keep your sex life out of my diner,” Hank replied. “Now go wash your face, try to at least look like you’re awake, and get to work.”

  I smiled and saluted lazily. “Aye, aye, sir.”

  I walked out of the office and made my way to the lockers just beyond the storage room. There was a small bathroom there reserved for the employees, and I locked myself in and gazed at my reflection in the mirror. I really did look like shit. I had no idea how I’d left the house looking like this, and quickly washed my face and adjusted my make-up and hair. When I felt like I looked at least presentable, I walked back out and took up my regular position at the bar, sitting down tiredly and sighing as I flipped through the pages of finances I had to revise.

  After an hour, I quickly realized I was probably going to get nothing done today. I sat back, stretched, and watched the waitresses as they worked. I smiled at a few of the guests, got up to help when I felt the orders were a little too overwhelming, and manned the register while my dad socialized with some of his older friends. By the time afternoon came rolling in, I already felt like I needed at least a gallon of coffee or I’d pass out in the back office from the exhaustion.

  “Hey, waitress, what’s good to eat here?” I jumped and turned just as Samuel Logan slid into his regular seat and Kelly jumped into the one next to him. She shot me a smile.

  “Well, if it isn’t my favorite regular and his incredibly gorgeous granddaughter,” I smiled, the exhaustion taking an immediate backseat as I quickly looked over their shoulders to see if they had come alone.

  “Hi, Jenni,” Kelly greeted, immediately grabbing the menu.

  “Thought I’d show the little rascal where her grandfather has the best breakfast in Kent,” Samuel said, ruffling Kelly’s hair and rewarded with a scowl that would have burned down buildings.

  I laughed. “A little late for breakfast, don’t you think?”

  “Dad took forever to wake up,” Kelly said, rolling her eyes.

  I looked at the door again, then back at them. “Did he drop you off?”

  “He’ll be here shortly,” Samuel winked at me, and I raised an amused eyebrow at him in response.

  “He’s getting his drugs,” Kelly said. “Apparently, he can’t go a day without them.”

  I frowned and looked at Samuel for an explanation.

  “Pain killers,” Samuel said. “He got shot a few months back. Still dealing with it.”

  “Oh my god!”

  “Drug bust gone bad,” Samuel said. “But he’s fine now. Just a bad leg that constantly nags at him.”

  “And of course, it’s affected his capacity for rational thinking,” Kelly muttered.

  I laughed again, and Samuel ruffled her hair once more, quickly dodging as she tried to slap his hand away. “I say get this one some food before her mouth gets the better of her.”

  I took their orders, relayed it to the kitchen, and returned a few minutes later just as Alex walked in. He wore an open flannel shirt over a white t-shit that gave me the perfect idea of just what was hidden underneath, and I began undressing him with my eyes as he approached us, only realizing I was doing it when he frowned at me over a confused smile. I quickly snapped out of it and smiled back.

  “Good morning,” Alex said, taking the seat beside his daughter.

  “Afternoon, dad, seriously,” Kelly replied.

  “She still hasn’t eaten anything?” Alex asked, looking at Samuel.

  Samuel only shrugged and chuckled.

  “Food’s on its way,” I said. “You want to give me your order so they can fix it up and bring them all together?”

  “God no, get Kelly’s food first,” Alex said. “Or we’ll be facing the wrath of the antichrist before we know it.”

  Kelly looked at him, shook her head in disapproval, then looked back at me while rolling her eyes. The dynamic between the two of them was entertaining.

  The bickering and snarky comments went back and forth even as they ate, and I found myself amazed at just how sarcastic Kelly was, and witty. I had read somewhere once that wit was the sign of great intelligence, and the way this girl was shooting remarks back and forth had me smiling the entire time.

  By the end of their meal, Samuel had to practically drag her away from her father, making up some excuse about showing her around town. When Alex offered to join them, Samuel quickly refused.

  “I’d rather the two of you spend some quality time away from each other,” Samuel laughed and winked at me.

  We watched them leave before Alex turned back to me and shrugged. “Sorry about that,” he said. “We do get along on most days.”

  “I think it’s cute,” I replied, gesturing to the coffee pot. He nodded and refilled his cup. “You’re doing a great job with her.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m in over my head, but she’s quick to put me back in my place.”

  I laughed at that. I could only imagine what it was like behind closed doors between the two of them. Alex watching TV, Kelly glued to her phone, the two of them throwing side remarks at each other every few minutes just to see who cold annoy the other more. I felt like their life mirrored the life of roommates more than that of father and daughter. I found myself wondering what it would be like to share a living space with the two of them.

  Careful, there, missy. You’re treading into dangerous territory.

  “You never mentioned you were a cop,” I said.

  Alex nodded. “DEA,” he explained. “Fighting the never-ending war on drugs and losing miserably one day at a time.”

  “That’s a bit cynical,” I laughed.

  “It’s the truth,” he replied. “Sure, we do the best we can, but the truth is we’re only getting small wins here and there. You’d be lucky to take down any of the big fish.”

  “Must make the job hard.”

  “It does,” Alex replied. “All you can really do is wake up, go do your job the best way you can, and pray you don’t get shot in the process.”

  “I guess sometimes the prayers go unanswered?”

  He looked up at me with a frown, then smiled. “Samuel told you about my accident, huh?”

  “I wouldn’t really call getting shot an accident.”

  “Yeah, I guess not,” he said, his voice drifting off a bit as he sipped on his coffee.

  “So, is that why you’re really in Kent?” I asked. “Rehab?”

  Alex looked at me, and I mentally slapped myself for prying. It really wasn’t any of my business. One dinner with the Logan family didn’t make it alright for me to ask too many questions.

  “I’m sorry,” I quickly apologized, giving him a weak smile.

  “It’s alright,” he assured. “Partly, yes. Was forced into a vacation, needed to reevaluate a few things, and decided to do that thinking here where I didn’t have the Miami hustle a
nd bustle to distract me.”

  “Well, I’m glad you did,” I said.

  He smiled, took a sip from his coffee and just looked at the cup in his hands. The distant look in his eyes made me feel like I had just fucked up.

  “So, what do you have planned for the day?” I asked, trying to change subjects and bring the conversation back to more comfortable ground.

  “Nothing, really,” he said. “Wanted to look into a few things regarding investors who have been harassing my father about buying old family land. Want to figure out what it will take to get it to their heads that no means no.”

  “Alexis?” I asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The company that wants to build a casino, right?”

  Alex nodded.

  “Alexis Hope,” I replied, shuddering at the disgusting taste the name left in my mouth. “She runs Hope Enterprises, or at least the branch of it that deals with real estate. Her company’s behind the compounds and dorm buildings all over town.”

  “Really?” Alex asked. “Hope Enterprises? Sounds familiar, just can’t place it.”

  “As much as I know, it’s a pretty low-key company, but definitely Fortune 500. Just doesn’t make a big craze about everything it does.”

  Alex frowned and shrugged. “Why would they be interested in Kent?”

  “The university,” I replied.

  “We don’t have a university,” Alex smiled.

  “We will in about a year,” I said. “Big plans, already bought the land and started digging. It’s supposed to bring in up to five thousand students. That’s a lot of business for Kent.”

  “Right, and more investors, I get it,” Alex nodded. “Where university students go, the money follows.”

  “Pretty much.” I leaned in and scratched the back of my head. “I mean, Kent’s seen major change just because of the college. Imagine what an added university is going to do.”

  “Well, at least you’ve given me a place to start,” Alex said, “and why Heath Collins is the middle of this.”

  I cringed at the mention of Heath’s name, and decided to avoid talking about Garth’s involvement as well.

  “Thanks, Jenni,” Alex said, standing up and pulling out his wallet.

  “On the house,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, Samuel’s in here every day, so your breakfast basically been paid for a hundred times over.”

  Alex laughed and pocketed his wallet. “Fine, then at least let me get you coffee later.”

  I felt my heart jump and smiled. “Coffee sounds good.”

  “When do you get off?”

  “Usually at three, but I’m going to have to be here until the paperwork is done,” I said. “So maybe six or seven.”

  “Seven it is,” Alex said with a wide smile. “I’ll see you then.”

  I watched him walk out the diner, giving my father a quick wave before he disappeared out the door. I looked at the time on my phone and already began counting down the minutes.

  Chapter 11: Alex

  I found out very little about Hope Enterprises, the company pushing to bring a casino to Kent.

  I didn’t know if it was because they were intentionally keeping a low profile, or simply the fact that everything they were involved in seemed far too boring to make any headlines.

  My research online resulted in a bunch of websites outlining just what the company was all about, their achievements, and basically a bunch of praises from obscure names I had never really heard of. Other than that, they seemed clean. A little too clean, but nothing that threw up red flags in my mind.

  Alexis Hope was a completely different persona altogether. From the scant number of pictures of her I could find, she seemed like the type of woman who would walk through a steel wall to get what she wanted, and do it without breaking a sweat.

  Black raven hair, blue eyes that promised to bore into your soul and learn your darkest secrets, and enough of a poise that radiated confidence and control to make any man uncomfortable.

  She was not a woman I wanted to cross paths with.

  When you put her next to the information I could find on her company, something just didn’t add up. It was hard to believe that someone like her would lack the ambition to be front cover news on every magazine in the country. I rarely met a woman in my professional career who was in a position of corporate power and had no desire for the spotlight. Alexis Hope radiated ‘newsworthy’, and the fact that I could find out so little about her made me skeptical.

  I placed a call in to Raul in Miami, and after about fifteen minutes of assuring him that I was good, that Kent was beautiful, that Kelly was doing great, I filled him in on what I needed. He didn’t seem all too convinced that doing a background check on Hope Enterprises was worth his time, but the minute I told him I’d drive back to Miami and do it myself, he promised he would. Anything to make sure I got the rest I needed, or at least what everyone thought I needed.

  I spent the couple of hours before my meeting with Jenni in the park. Samuel had shown Kelly most of the town, and from the looks of it, she wasn’t all too impressed. The park, though, was different. We took her to the duck pond where I had spent most of my afternoons with my father after my mother had died. It was a magical little place, secluded from the noise of the rest of the park, nestled amid large maples that hung over it like a protective veil. At night, if the moonlight was just right, you could easily lose track of time here. And there were nights where Samuel and I stayed there until dawn.

  I drove them home, literally pulling Kelly away from the pond, and parked my car in front of the diner at exactly seven. Jenni came out a few minutes later, looking like she had had the worst day of her life, eyes droopy as she opened the passenger side door and all but collapsed in her seat.

  “Home?” I asked. She looked beautiful, despite how tired she appeared to be. I caught myself tracing the lines of her cheek and jaw down to her neck and collar. I imagined my lips there, and quickly shook the image away.

  Jenni shook her head quickly. “God, no, I’ve actually been looking forward to this,” she said.

  “Actually?”

  She giggled. “Yes, actually. If I go home now, I’ll crash, and that means the day’s been a complete waste.”

  I shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

  * * *

  “You’re kidding!”

  The coffee shop was a cozy little establishment just off North Main Street, surrounded by quaint little houses and with an evening crowd that wasn’t too much of an ear sore. We were sitting at a table by the large window looking out onto front garden that was decorated with enough gnomes and flamingos to make your mind spin, but the atmosphere was welcoming, and the soft rock music playing mixed with the aroma of fresh coffee splendidly.

  “Nope, I’m serious,” Jenni said, laughing.

  “Erotica?” I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. “I would never have imagined.”

  “Why?” she asked, sipping at her coffee. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Agent Logan.”

  “Apparently so,” I chuckled. “So why ghostwriting? Why not try publishing your own work.”

  Jenni shrugged. “No idea, really,” she said. “Competition’s fierce, and getting a leg into the market’s hard. I got enough rejection letters to bind into an encyclopedia. Besides, it pays the bills.”

  “But your ideas, you’re just giving them away.”

  “Not really,” she explained. “Most of the time, they’re not my ideas. I get an outline to work with most of the time. So basically, I’m just filling in the spaces, if you think about it.”

  “Wow,” I said, leaning back in my seat, and eyeing her. In the dim light of the coffee shop, she looked even more beautiful, and I found myself staring a little too hard. “Wow,” I repeated, not really knowing what else to say.

  “I’ll send you a few things I’ve written,” she smiled. “Get your opinion and all.”

  “I’m no
t much of a reader, to be honest, but sure, why not?”

  She smiled wider and nodded, gazing out the window as we sat silently for a few minutes, just enjoying the coffee and each other’s company. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt this comfortable, and it was strange. I found it funny that in Kent, of all places, I’d come across someone who didn’t make me want to immediately shoot myself in the head.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” I said. “Shoot.”

  “Did you ever think of quitting?”

  I frowned. “The DEA?”

  She nodded.

  I thought about her question for a few seconds, wondering just what I could say that wouldn’t make me sound too cliché. “Not really,” I finally answered. “I love the job. Small wins or not, I feel like I’m making a difference.” Yeah, not cliché at all.

  “You’re not worried?” she asked.

  “About what?”

  “Well, you know?” She hesitated. “I mean, you were shot.”

  I shrugged, trying to look like it wasn’t a big deal. “Part of the job.”

  “Come on,” she scoffed.

  “Okay, maybe that’s playing it down a bit,” I admitted. “Sure, it’s crossed my mind a few times. Especially since Kelly’s only got me and Samuel. I’d hate her to grow up without both parents.”