Imperfect Love

by Isabella White

  “Oh, he knows. You’ve raised them well.”

  “When did you say her appointment was?” the woman, who she was sure was Jake’s mom, asked.

  “At three.”

  Holly stretched her neck forward as she tried to see what his mom looked like, without making it too obvious, or falling over in her attempt. The two women continued talking until the elevator stopped and its doors opened on the second floor.

  Luckily for Holly, his mom got out with the other woman who was wearing a doctor’s coat. His mom didn’t look anything like him; she had blond hair, streaked with low lights and a long, oval face. She was tall and skinny, but didn’t really look like she was old enough to be Jake’s mom. Not to mention the fact that she did not have the figure of a woman who had given birth to six children. Quite the opposite. She made a point to ask Jake what his mom’s name was.

  When the metal doors opened one floor up, Holly got out. She found the doctor’s suite quickly and entered through two glass doors. Sitting behind the reception desk, an older woman was on the phone so Holly had no choice but to wait until she was finished, and hoped that she didn’t need to fill out any further paperwork. If Bernie had accompanied her, she could’ve helped.

  “Sorry about that,” the lady apologized, a beautiful smile adorning her face.

  “Not to worry,” Holly replied, politely. “I have an appointment for ten o’clock. I’m Holly.”

  The receptionist simultaneously smiled and winked. “And I’m Leslie.”

  Holly giggled. “Ah. Thanks for moving my appointment.”

  “You’re so very welcome. I didn’t think you would’ve wanted his mom to corner you out in the hallway.”

  Holly nodded. “Not in this lifetime,” she whispered. She didn’t like the picture everyone painted in regards to his mother.

  Leslie snorted. “It will happen one of these days, but for now you’re safe. Have a seat, Holly. The doctor should be with you shortly.”

  “Great. Thanks, Leslie.”

  Holly’s wait lasted ten minutes. Finally, when the doctor came to collect her, it was the same gentleman who had tended to her on Friday.

  “Ah… Henry. And how are you today?”

  Holly laughed.

  “Henry is feeling much better, thank you.”

  “Happy to hear that. But come, let’s have a look.”

  Holly followed him into his office, and after making sure she was comfortable he began inspecting her hand.

  “Is it sore when I move it like this?” He twisted her hand gently.

  “A little, but it’s not excruciating.”

  “Right answer. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t lying.”

  Holly chuckled.

  Just to be sure all was healing as it should, he sent her down for a few more X-rays. On arriving, she noticed they were quite busy. Taking her phone out, she sent Jake a text.

  Holly: Have been sent for more X-rays. It’s full. Going to take forever!

  Jake: No worries. Have textbooks with me.

  She giggled as she read his message.

  Holly: Is your mom’s name Mara?

  Holly had to know just to be sure before she mentioned anything else.

  Jake: Yes. Something happen?

  Replying as quickly as she could in order to set his mind at ease, Holly punched out an answer using her thumbs.

  Holly: No. Nothing. But I’ve now seen her. We shared an elevator.

  Jake: Good thing you removed your bandages! Clever girl.

  She smiled again. A hundred messages later, Holly’s name was called.

  The X-rays went pretty fast, but the wait for the processing took a bit longer. By the time she got back to the doctor’s office it was already eleven o’clock.

  He took the envelope from Holly and began examining them thoroughly against the light fixture molded to the back wall of his office. After much deliberation, he looked at Holly and stated, “I would like it if you rested your hand for another day or two if possible. But if you are not able to, you must at least take it easy at work.”

  “So I can go back?”

  “Yes, if you must.”

  “Thank you so much, and I will take it easy, promise.”

  “It’s improved substantially since Friday night. Is the guy you hit okay?”

  “I think so, but I haven’t seen him since. I do know that Jake fixed his broken nose, though. As for his shattered ego? I don’t know.”

  The doctor laughed. “Off with you then, young lady. Take care, and do tell Jake he owes me one. His mom is going to be livid when she storms into my office this afternoon.”

  Holly covered her nervous laugh with her good hand. “Sorry. I’ll tell him.”

  Holly gave Jake a call, letting him know that she was finally done and more than ready to leave. After listening to his directions of where she should meet him, she disconnected and made her way outside.

  Jake picked her up about a hundred meters from the entrance and drove back to Bernie’s house. He wasn’t able to spend any more time with her as he had a class to attend, but Holly was grateful for his help and the time, however short, they got to spend together.

  As soon as Jake left, Holly started to dissect his mom’s words. Would she really be that upset that Jake had met someone, or would this be another broken heart episode? Was what they had only to be a fling, where when Jake had had his fill, he would waste no time in getting over her and moving on with his life?

  The butterflies in her stomach were silenced as Holly pondered her dilemma. Surely, his mom wouldn’t be so callous as to request he break up with her. Would she? Then again, Jake did say they fought on a regular basis. She just hoped and prayed that this time mommy dearest wouldn’t get her way, and that Jake would choose to remain with Holly, come what may.

  Feeling drained, coupled with the headache that was making itself known, she took an aspirin and decided that the best thing to do right then and there was have a short afternoon nap. Naps were more often than not a good remedy for life’s little disturbances.

  WAKING UP FROM HER NAP, SHE FELT a whole lot better. And with feeling better, decisions were always easier to make, so Holly decided to hell with her insecurities. She hated feeling insecure about stupid stuff and was determined to go with the flow and enjoy whatever they had right now, no matter what.

  When Holly got to work, the first thing she did was go in search of her boss, Marabella. Cindy, her daughter, who also worked at the lodge happened to be in her mom’s office.

  Once the welcome back greetings were out of the way, all three made themselves comfortable. Mother and daughter listened attentively as Holly recounted her wonderful weekend, as well everything and anything that had taken place during the past couple of days. Holly glowed and Marabella continued to compliment her on that the entire day.

  On Thursday, Holly found herself in a conundrum. Jake wanted to take her to a fancy restaurant on Friday, but Marabella had asked her to fill in for that particular shift. Cindy couldn’t do it because she had a function she had to attend with Mark, her boyfriend, and none of the other hosts were free. Having had no luck, she had no choice but to give Jake a call that night.

  “I’ve got bad news.” Holly almost felt like crying. She couldn’t wait to see Jake again and now she had to work.

  “What’s wrong?” His tone dropped a few octaves, which made him sound as depressed as she felt.

  “I’ve got to work Friday night. None of the others can fill in for me and Marabella really needs me. I couldn’t tell her no, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s fine, Bee Puke, there’s always another day. What time do you finish? I’ll pick you up.”

  That put a smile on her face. “Elevenish, although the restaurant doesn’t stay open that late, so guests usually leave around ten thirty.”

  “I’ll see you at ten-thirty, then.”

  “I can’t wait,” slipped out. These little confessions had started to happen on a daily basis now. The oth
er night she’d had to bite her tongue, or she would’ve said I love you.

  They chatted for a while longer about the test he had taken that day. It had been a hard one, according to Jake, and one he hadn’t expected. But as doctors in training, they needed to be prepared for anything at any given time. Jake, however, came across as the prepared kind of person.

  He also went on to tell her that the lion cubs had finally gotten picked up for their transfer back to Africa. Holly could sense a tinge of emotional tension in his voice, but didn’t say anything. She loved that about him, that he loved animals. They said goodbye around ten, and after her bath she went to bed.

  Friday ticked by slowly. She couldn’t wait for ten-thirty to come so that she would finally get to see Jake again.

  At around twelve, a delivery was dropped off at the lodge for a Mr. Frabriusa, an extremely difficult guest who was going to celebrate his anniversary with his wife later on that evening. It was one of the biggest bouquets of flowers she had ever seen. The arrangement was made up of tiger lilies, huge leaves and the most beautiful, salmon pink roses. The whole thing was covered with brown paper and bound with raffia. It also happened to be Holly’s absolute favorite kind of flowers, too.

  Mr. Frabriusa had phoned Holly about three times a day all week to make sure that everything would be ready for that evening. He had some sort of European accent, but she couldn’t place the country.

  The one thing she did know was that Mr. Frabriusa was extremely difficult and Holly didn’t like difficult, especially in people. Thank heaven she was working as a host tonight, not taking orders like Marabella and two of the head waiters.

  The phone rang just as she was about to place a call to Mr. Frabriusa in order to let him know that his flower arrangement for his wife had arrived.

  “My flowers there?” Mr. Frabriusa asked, and Holly cringed at how rude he was. Hello wasn’t a foreign word.

  “They’ve just this minute arrived, Mr. Fabriosa. I—”

  “It’s Frabriusa,” he corrected, cutting her off.

  Holly rolled her eyes. “My apologies, Mr. Frabriusa.”

  “Everything set for tonight? You’ve got all the arrangements in order?”

  “Yes, sir. Marabella has everything you asked for.”

  “Hmmm, we’ll see about that.”

  He slammed the phone down, making Holly want to scream. What could be so horrible in this man’s life that he had to be so rude?

  Five o’clock finally came around, and Holly went to the bathroom to change into a beautiful black suit. She loved her outfit and only wore it on special occasions, or when she needed to work. It was a pantsuit that connected the top to the pants at her waist. The pants fit her hips perfectly, and the sleeveless top hung loose and went all the way up to her neck. Marabella loved it. She always joked that it made Holly look professional and sexy at the same time.

  Slipping on her black heels, she was grateful that she wasn’t going to have to stand all night; she’d be working in the restaurant. One of her tasks was to ring up bills for every waiter, as well as make sure everything was punched into the computer correctly and that every bill was paid in a timely manner. Not a job anyone could get right, except for someone who could multitask.

  At six, some of the guests began to arrive. Those who were waiting for friends, were led to the bar with its comfy chairs and African décor so they could enjoy a drink until the rest of their party arrived. Couples were taken directly to their table, unless they specified they’d like a drink at the bar first.

  Marabella was a queen when it came to running her restaurant. She treated her guests like they were gems, and that was one of the reasons both the restaurant and lodge did so well.

  Holly tried her hardest to be friendly to every single guest, but found it damn hard as all she could think about was Jake, and that she could’ve been spending this time with him.

  Closer to seven, yet more guests poured in and the phone rang non-stop; there were always those who hadn’t booked but tried their luck nevertheless, hoping to get a table.

  Holly had just placed the phone down when she heard Mr. Frabriusa’s accented voice greeting Marabella. She took a deep breath and closed the reservations book while he continued to discuss all his requests with her boss. Holly tried to pretend she was none the wiser and kept herself busy with absolutely nothing. She did, however, try to keep from looking up. Anything in order to avoid having to speak to the arrogant bastard.

  “Holly, would you mind escorting Mr. Frabriusa to his seat?” Marabella asked.

  Fuck! Holly plastered a smile on her face, finally looked up and pinned the idiot with her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. Jake was grinning from ear to ear. “You’re Mr. Frabriusa? I’m going to kill you!” She stood up and pinched him playfully. “Rude bastard.”

  Jake laughed. “Good surprise?”

  “Enjoy your dinner!” Cindy sang as rounded the corner.

  “You set this up?” she asked Marabella, who was still watching them with a genuine guilty smile on her face.

  “He begged me so nicely.”

  “I could really kill the both of you. And you…” She pointedly jabbed in Jake’s direction, but all he did was pull her into a hug.

  “Come on. Admit it… it’s a good surprise.”

  “Whatever. Rude bastard.”

  Both Jake and Marabella shook their heads, but Holly could see they thought the whole situation funny. She suddenly remembered the flowers. “The flowers are mine?”

  Marabella nodded.

  “They’re gorgeous!” she squealed, and went to retrieve them from behind the bar.

  When she returned, Jake and Marabella were chatting, while Cindy was escorting guests to their table. When Holly got close to Jake, he put his arm around her waist and followed Marabella to their table. She couldn’t stop smiling, thinking about how many times she’d wanted to swear at the stupid idiot, who’d turned out to be her romantic idiot.

  Their chairs were pulled out by waiters and Marabella placed menus in front of them.

  “What may I get you to drink?” Marabella asked in her professional voice.

  “I’ll have a champagne cocktail, please,” replied Holly.

  “Cocktails?” Jake pulled a face. “No, thank you. Make mine a Chivas on the rocks.”

  “Certainly. Enjoy your evening.” She gave them her super smile.

  “She’s nice,” Jake whispered when she walked away.

  “Oh, she can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I love her.”

  Jake smiled broadly. “So. This is where you work.”

  “This is the place you wanted to bring me?”

  “You said it was one of the best restaurants in the city. I hope you don’t mind?”

  “Are you kidding me, not at all! I love this place. I could eat their food for the rest of my life.”

  “Good. So what’s up with all the African décor?”

  Holly laughed. “Jerry has something for Africa. He goes there once a year on a hunting trip and apparently, just has to be surrounded with everything he can get his hands on that resembles his favorite activity.”

  “I take it Jerry is her husband?”

  “Yes, and the chef.”

  “Oh, wow.” Jake seemed impressed.

  Peter, one of the waiters appeared with their drinks. He was one of their best, and that had been the reason why Holly had placed Mr. Frabriusa on his list. Nobody complained in Peter’s section. He chuckled when he saw Holly.

  “You knew about this, too?”

  “C’mon, Mrs. Kensington couldn’t keep her mouth shut if you paid her to.”

  “You could’ve told me, Peter. I thought that’s what friends did.”

  “I wanted to, but then I would’ve ruined everything this young man here worked so hard on.”

  “Appreciate it. Thank you, Peter,” Jake said with a friendly slap to the arm and a handshake.

  “You are so welcome, sir.”

  “Jake, please.
I’m too young to be a sir.”

  Nodding, Peter began reciting the evening’s specials. He was good and extremely professional, and one of the reasons why Holly didn’t mind hanging out for dinner at the restaurant in her free time. It was as if they treated her extra special simply because they worked side by side.

  “You going to go for the steak tartar?” Jake asked.

  “Ha-ha. No, I don’t like steak tartar. It’s raw.”

  “So, you like raw.”

  “Not that raw. I like the fact that when I’m hungry, my food doesn’t get up and make a run for it.”

  Jake chuckled and took a sip of his Chivas. “Your turn to enlighten me. What would you suggest I order?”

  “Everything’s good here. But if I had to pick something for you, I’d suggest the smoked duck with nectarine coulis for your starter, or the crocodile tail—it’s pretty damn good. I’m going to have the first. And for my main course, I will have a ladies steak with mushroom sauce. The Springbok shank is a really fast mover here, too.”

  “I was just thinking about that. The way Peter described it, sounds amazing.”

  Holly smiled at his words.

  When Peter returned ten minutes later, they ordered their starters along with their main course. Jake ended up having the crocodile tail, while Holly enjoyed her smoked duck breasts.

  Between bites, he kissed her hands about a million times, as they talked everything and anything; her future plans, as well as what he’d like to accomplish. Holly could listen to him for hours.

  She was also impressed with how good a head he had on his shoulders, especially when he started talking about his family again. She only wished that she’d had the opportunity to know what it would be like to have lots of siblings. She’d give anything to meet his family. However, her fear where his mom was concerned and what she’d said in the elevator on Tuesday, still weighed heavily on her mind. It was one of the reasons why she wasn’t yet ready to meet them.

  The evening was amazing. They’d chatted, drank and laughed so much that time was forgotten. When Holly finally looked around the restaurant, she noticed that they were only one of two couples who still lingered.