His Secret Baby

by Ashlee Price

  “Well, speak for yourself. If a guy like that asked me out, I would jump on it in a heartbeat. A guy like that could change a girl’s outlook on life.”

  I just shook my head and laughed at her. She was man crazy and I knew she was always going to be that way. Her optimism was something that I’d always been jealous of, though, and it was times like this, smiles like that, that made me wonder if I myself didn’t need a new outlook too.

  “Well, I think you have a good outlook on life. You don’t need a man for that, Melissa.”

  ***

  My friend’s words lingered in my mind longer than I would have thought. Just like when my aunt talked, I had to wonder if there was anything to what she was saying. Was I really wasting my time being so picky? But even as I thought that, I had to wonder if it would be worth it if I wasn’t so picky. There had been a time that I’d taken what I’d gotten and just dealt with it. I didn’t want to be that way again. The dysfunctional relationships I’d had, the crap I’d dealt with – I didn’t see how that would ever be better than the quiet life I had now.

  When I got back upstairs to my apartment, I wasn’t ready to go through the closets that I’d planned to do the week before. I was still working on it, and although I knew it had to be done, I was feeling a little strange. Adding thoughts of my father to that wouldn’t have helped anything. Why did I let them get to me? Why had I let that man get to me today? I just didn’t understand it. Before long I was settling down to a book and some wine, trying to convince myself that everything was how I wanted it to be.

  By morning I was feeling worse. The dreams that I’d had were still making me breathe a little faster. I’d dreamed about the man from the day before, the rude one that Melissa had pointed out was cute. I couldn’t help but think about him when I took my shower. I knew that I wouldn’t see him again, so I let my imagination get the best of me. Just for a moment, though.

  I went downstairs when I heard the knock at the door. I thought it was Melissa, so I didn’t even bother to get dressed. I was still in my towel with my hair up. I stopped when I saw the same man from my dreams staring back at me through the glass door. I wanted to run, I really did, but he had already seen me and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

  “What are you doing here? We don’t open for another half an hour.”

  He just smiled and shrugged. “I just wanted to make sure that I was first in line for a cup today. If I’d known that you come out like this, I would have started coming here every morning long ago.”

  I looked down at the towel that I was wearing. I could feel my face getting red, so I turned away before he could see the way he affected me. It took everything in me to not run away up the stairs. What was wrong with me lately?

  To be continued in Part 2…

  Served Part 2: Grate

  By: Ashlee Price

  Prologue

  Scott is quickly becoming a fixture at The Ground Bean. Jesse let him come back to the kitchen once while she was making his order, and ever since then Scott has been making himself at home there. Jesse doesn’t know what to do with him. Scott is too handsome and too appealing for her to ignore, even though she knows she has to. He’s bad news. That much is clear.

  But Jesse is drawn to him, and the more she tries to fight her feelings, the harder it becomes to resist him. She has to wonder why he’s even pursing her. He’s way out of her league, so it doesn’t make sense. Jesse has nothing to offer him. But Scott doesn’t seem to see it that way. All it takes is one look from his dark blue eyes and Jesse finally understands. Scott wants her, and Jesse has to resist him.

  Chapter 1 – Jesse

  What in the world was he doing here? I didn’t want to believe that he was still down there, but I heard the door open downstairs and I knew that Melissa was now inside. I just hoped that she didn’t let that man in. With the way she was acting about him the day before, I doubted that she would leave him out in the cold. It didn’t matter that it was already 55 degrees.

  “Jesse?”

  I could hear Melissa while I was searching for something to wear. I don’t know why I was so worried about it, I never was before, but I knew deep down that it was because of the man who was waiting for his coffee. He was persistent, I would give him that, but I didn’t like the way my hands were shaking as I was trying to button up the blouse that I’d chosen.

  When I saw Melissa, I smiled at her, but there was something in her eyes that told me that she had let him in. He was no doubt waiting for me downstairs.

  “You’ll never guess who’s down there right now, waiting for you.”

  “It’s that guy from yesterday.”

  She pouted, upset that she didn’t get to surprise me. “How did you know?”

  “I went downstairs because I thought it was you knocking. I was in a towel, so good times.”

  I could tell she liked the idea of it all, but I can’t say I was too happy to see the glee on her face. Why was that so funny to her? I was embarrassed enough that I didn’t even want to go downstairs. I wanted to tell her to just take care of him so I wouldn’t have to see the look in his blue eyes. I just couldn’t do it.

  “Okay, well, since you’re the one who let him in, you go take care of him while I get ready for the day.” I didn’t look at her, sure she would see right through me and I would be even more embarrassed. I knew that there was going to be some backlash, but I would rather get ribbed by my friend than deal with that man again. There was something about him that put me on edge, so serving him was the very last thing that I wanted to do.

  But Melissa shook her head and told me that she wasn’t going to. “He’s here for you, Jesse, so why don’t you just go down there and see what he wants. A man who’d let you yell at him like that and still come back, that kind of guy is a keeper.”

  I rolled my eyes and tried my best not to make too many sounds in the back of my throat. I knew that she wasn’t going to help me, so I finished getting dressed before I went downstairs to the bistro. The man who’d given me trouble before was looking at the menu. I asked him what he wanted.

  “Well, I know that I want some coffee, but I’m feeling pretty hungry too. What would you suggest?”

  I suggested an omelet. It was quick and would have him out of there sooner rather than later. It also gave me the chance to run away into the kitchen where I wouldn’t have to see him while I was making it.

  “Sounds good. Whatever you think I’ll like, I’m sure I will.”

  I wanted to ask him why he was being so easygoing today. Yesterday he was ready to cut twenty people in a line and now he was acting like he had nothing to worry about, like he could just go with anything. I didn’t trust such a change in a person, but there was really nothing that I could do. I moved to the back of the bistro to the kitchen. Breathing a sigh of relief to be away from him, I tried to figure out what it was about the man that made me feel so jittery inside. I was sure that it was the way he looked at me.

  When I heard the door behind me open, I jumped to see him standing there.

  “You’re not allowed back here, sir.”

  “My name is Scott.”

  “Well, Scott, you aren’t allowed back here. I’ll have it out to you in a minute.”

  He kind of shrugged and moved closer to me. His easygoingness apparently wasn’t going to go that far. “I wanted to talk to you, and I can’t when you’re back here. What’s your name? Usually when someone gives you their name, it’s customary to return the gesture.”

  “Jesse, and most of the time the customers stay up front, so I don’t think that this is customary, sir.”

  “It’s Scott, remember.”

  “Scott, why don’t you just give me a few minutes and I’ll have it out to you.”

  I knew that he wasn’t going to budge, but I felt like he should know that I didn’t want him there.

  “I’m going to stay, if that’s okay with you. I want to see what you’re doing back here. I’ve never been very go
od at cooking.”

  “So what are you good at?”

  The words were out of my mouth before I could really think about it. I shouldn’t have said it; it left me up for ridicule, and the look on his face told me that he’d taken it the wrong way.

  “Well, there are many things I’m good at. You should give me a chance to show you sometime. I’m sure that I could get a smile on your face.”

  Turning away, I hid the reaction that he wanted. My face was hot, and I was still thinking about the blue eyes that had seen me first thing this morning. He had seen too much of me, and for some reason my body was being ridiculous around him.

  Cracking the eggs, I started the oil and tried my best not to look at him. I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world I was letting him stand there watching me in my kitchen. I should have told him to leave. That’s what I would have told anyone else. It was reinforcing his belief that he didn’t have to play by the rules.

  “So how long have you worked here?”

  I shrugged and told him I’d been here since it opened. I didn’t say anything about who I’d opened it with or why he wasn’t there any longer. I didn’t want to talk about it, and I certainly didn’t want to blab on to a guy like Scott. He didn’t care. I wasn’t sure what he was there for, but I knew that it didn’t have anything to do with wanting to hear my little sob story.

  I put the omelet into a to-go box. I wanted him to get the hint that he shouldn’t eat it on one of the few small round tables in the front. He needed to leave before my body became anymore retarded than it was acting right then.

  “This smells wonderful.”

  Taking his money, I told him to have a good day. I tried not to make eye contact, knowing that my eyes would give away what I was feeling. When Scott left, I felt relief wash over me and I was finally able to breathe. I hoped that he’d gotten whatever he’d come in for, because I didn’t know if I wanted to deal with another run-in with him.

  Chapter 2 – Scott

  The coffee was good, I had to admit that, but it wasn’t the greatest thing under the sun. That went to Jesse. She had let me watch her cook, and I’d gotten the impression that she was letting me be there because she was interested in me. I knew that I shouldn’t have done it, but the urge to go back there had been too strong. I should have let it go. But I was trying to charm her, and I knew that I had to be in front of her to do that. Although I’d fought the other urges, like the one to touch her, I was still not convinced that I wanted anything to do with my father’s plans for her.

  Jesse was not someone that I would usually have looked at. She was a business owner, but of a very small business. I wasn’t sure that it was worth the time for my father, and I planned to tell him that. I was going to try to convince him that she wasn’t a good mark. I wasn’t going to tell him that it was because when she had smiled at me, I’d swallowed my heart in my throat. She wasn’t my type, in any way, but I couldn’t help but want to protect her – and I knew that the biggest predator around was my dad.

  Stepping up to the door, I tried to clear my thoughts of Jesse and the morning. I still had the coffee cup from the bistro in my hand, and I was sure that my father was going to be too busy to see me. He usually wanted to talk on the phone so he didn’t have to spend any more of his retirement than necessary on business. That was of course why he had given the business to me, but I was sick of being the lackey who did anything that he wanted.

  Maria answered the door and I could tell that she was a little surprised to see me. “Good morning, Scott. How are you today? It’s been a while.”

  “It has. I’m good, Maria. How are you and the kids?”

  She said that she was well as well. Opening the door wider, I walked in past her and asked if my dad was around.

  “He’s upstairs. I’ll go tell him that you’re here.”

  I waved her off and told Maria that I would go up there myself.

  “He’s not alone.”

  Shaking my head, I just kind of smiled at her. “I know. He never is. I don’t think my father has ever been alone for more than a couple of nights in my whole life. I got used to it a long time ago.”

  She gave me a sad look that I tried to ignore as I made my way up the tall staircase. There was no telling what I was going to find up there, but I liked the idea of catching him off guard. It just seemed like it was the thing to do after he had done it to me so many times in the past.

  Knocking a scant moment before I pushed the door in, I was rewarded by furtive movement as soon as I got in there. “Hey, dad.”

  He yelled my name as the girl who’d been on top of him grabbed the sheet and scampered off to the bathroom. She was about my age, brunette and rather beautiful. I wondered if he had paid her to stay the night, though I knew that my father had a charm about him that was hard to resist. He liked to think it was his wit and good looks, but I had a feeling it had a lot more to do with the money in his pocket than anything else.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Scott?”

  I sat down on the chair near the bed and smiled at him. I could tell that he wanted to wring my neck, but he couldn’t. I don’t think that he wanted me to see him that way, and I honestly didn’t care to think of him in that way either.

  “I thought I would come by and let you know what I found out about that little bistro you sent me to yesterday.”

  “You could have called.”

  “Yeah, I could have.” But I hadn’t wanted to, and now that I was there, I was starting to think that this was what I needed to do when I had to see him. It wasn’t as fun when I called. I was finally feeling like I had the upper hand, and that wasn’t something that happened often. It wasn’t something that I wanted to give away. I could feel myself smiling at the idea of it all.

  “So what is it that’s so damn important that you felt the need to come over here and disturb me?” My father was red-faced, and I knew then that I looked the same as him when I was upset. I didn’t like us being that much alike, but it was easier to see the resemblance when he was mad. It made me grit my teeth, and soon I was mad as well. I didn’t need a reminder of where I came from. I’d spent a lot of years trying to find out, but I was only now realizing that Jackson had not been worth getting to know.

  “I wanted to let you know that it’s a bad idea to mess with the bistro. It’s small, disorganized and the owner is not at all what you think she is. I don’t think that she’s grieving, and if she is, there is not a lot to tell you that she is. I think you’ve the wrong business opportunity. That place is just going to take your money and waste it.”

  I hoped that he would believe me. I didn’t want to say more, but I would if that meant that he would back off of her.

  “I heard that the business is in trouble. Did you not find anything out about that?”

  Sighing to myself, I admitted that I hadn’t talked to the owner about it. I’d been more worried about watching her cook and the way that her hips had swayed as she moved. I could tell him everything about that, but I’d completely forgotten about the rest of it. I didn’t want to admit that to him, but there was nothing that I could do about it now.

  “Well, I don’t think that your information is right. While I couldn’t find an angle to ask the question directly, there was no hint that the place was in financial hardship. Matter of fact, it was so busy in there, I would think that they are doing better than ever.”

  My father sat up and lit a cigarette. It was one of those nasty habits that I hated, and I tried not to crinkle my nose as the smell got to me. “Scott, you really just don’t get it. You can’t go off of appearances. I heard under very good authority that they are about to lose everything. I don’t think that the business they are getting now will help. You need to go back down there and make sure that you find out everything that you can. This is a good opportunity, I just know it.”

  I left his house without the grin on my face that I’d had coming in. Here I’d been enjoying making him uncomfortable, bu
t now it was me who was feeling uneasy. The last thing that I wanted to do was help him hurt Jesse. I did like the idea of seeing her again, though, so that’s what I focused on more than anything else.

  Chapter 3 – Jesse

  “You again? This is becoming a habit, Scott. You know that I don’t open for a while.”

  He looked at his watch and smiled at me like he was sorry or that he was there by mistake. But I knew there wasn’t a mistake. He was there because he liked to mess with me. Every day this week he had knocked on the front door a while before we opened. I didn’t know what he was planning to do, but his actions were driving me crazy.

  “I can’t get enough of your cooking, what can I say?”

  “I thought you were a busy man. I don’t think that coming here every day is going to get your work done.”

  He smiled as I let him in, and so help me, I was finding it harder to keep the grin from my own face. He was handsome, that was true, but when he smiled, his eyes did too, and it made me feel all warm inside. It kind of made me wonder if he realized how far out of my league he was.

  After the third time that he came in, I’d looked into Scott and found out that he was a lot richer than I’d guessed. As the CEO of the large tech company on Main Street, I knew that there was no reason for him to be there. It didn’t make sense to me, unless he was one of those guys who pursued me because I’d told him no. It wouldn’t be the first time that it had happened, but I didn’t want to get wrapped up in all of that.

  “I’m never too busy to see you.”

  Waving him off, I went and got the pad of paper that I wrote orders on.

  “So where is your friend at today? Is it just you here?”

  I was there alone, but the way he said it made me not want to tell him that it was just us in there. He was looking at me as if he was hungry, but I didn’t think that food was what he was really after. The look gave my body a new reason to act ridiculous. I was sure it was turning against me. That’s how it felt, anyways. It was impossible to feel any other way when my mind and body were so at odds with each other.