“Two years. Really?” he asks around a mouthful of hamburger. The smell permeates my senses and my stomach growls in protest. Riley’s eyebrows raise and he smirks at my flushed face. “Have you had dinner yet, or breakfast?”
Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten since earlier today and that was only a cup of fruit. “No, but I’ll get something in a little while.” I look at the clock on the wall above the dessert case. “I still have a couple hours before I get off.”
He lifts a napkin from the counter, and wipes his mouth. “Why don’t you get something and eat with me?”
It’s an innocent enough request, but for some reason, butterflies soar in my stomach at warp speed as I answer with a shrug.
“I told her to eat earlier, but she’s stubborn, so after she passes out and wakes up, she might do as she’s told,” Dante says from behind me with a grin pulling at the corners of his lips. This only causes me to scowl at him over my shoulder.
“Will you please eat?” Riley asks.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Why? Yes, I’m hungry, but like I said, I’ll eat before I get off. It’s no big deal, really.”
He points his fork at me. “You see, that’s where you’re wrong. It is a big deal.”
“Oh yeah? And why is that?”
“Because see, if you pass out, then I’ll have to rush behind the counter to make sure you’re breathing. And of course, that might result in a little mouth to mouth.” He shakes his head. “And I don’t think you’re ready for any of that.”
My jaw drops from his self-confidence. “You seem pretty sure of yourself. What makes you think I would want you to give me mouth to mouth? Why not just check my pulse?” I retort.
“Because that would consist of me putting my hands on you, and when I do that, you. Will. Not. Want. Me. To. Stop,” he states matter of fact.
Dante laughs out loud. I’ve completely forgotten he is there and I’m sure my face is as red as a strawberry ready for picking.
“Man, you don’t know what you’ve just started,” Dante says.
Riley takes another bite of food before washing it down with some water. “What did I just start?”
“This one here,” Dante points at me, “is a firecracker.”
A mischievous smile lights up Riley’s face. “Well, if she’d just eat with me, we could get back to getting to know each other.”
I drop my arms back to my sides as I shake my head at his audacity. “If I eat something, will you stop with the inappropriate comments?”
“Yep.”
I turn to look at Dante. “I’ll just take one of your famous grilled cheese sandwiches, please.”
“You got it.” Dante’s eyes dart between Riley and me before he smiles and turns to walk back into the kitchen.
Just as I turn back to Riley and start to say something, he pats the stool next to him. “Come on. Have a seat. No need to stand when you can sit.”
I roll my eyes and make my way around the counter to take a seat next to him.
“Now where were we before your stomach interrupted us?” he asks with a grin on his face.
“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”
He nods. “I’ve been told I have a sense of humor a few times.”
“Ha, ha. Well, I’m glad to know you were only joking with your mouth to mouth and touching comments.”
He slides his plate to the side and turns sideways, his knees touching my thigh. “I wasn’t joking about that,” he says in a serious tone.
I laugh this time.
“You laugh now, but there will come a time that, when I do touch you, you will not want me to stop.”
“I don’t even know you.”
“True. But you will.”
“And how do you plan on making that happen?” I ask.
He taps his finger against his temple. “I have my ways, Kelsey Connor, who works the night shift at Smokey’s Diner.”
I roll my eyes at him. “I hope stalking isn’t one of them.”
He laughs. “All kidding aside, I do want to get to know you.” His sincerity catches me off guard.
“Why?” I whisper.
“Because you’re the first woman who hasn’t batted her eyelashes at me as soon as I walked in a room and actually laughed at me when I told you my rank in the military.”
No. I just made a complete ass out of myself.
“I don’t care about titles. Your rank doesn’t make you who you are,” I reply in all seriousness.
For all but the last two years of my life, titles and rankings were all that mattered. Not to me per se, but everyone else around me. There was always a campaign of some sort or a function that took my parents away from me. Not that they cared. I always felt more like an inanimate object to them instead of a daughter they created and were supposed to love. In the material sense, I always had everything I needed and then some. I never wanted for anything a day in my life, but I would have traded all of it, every single thing, for them to love me for me. When I left them two years ago, I left that life behind as well.
He places his hand over mine and my breath catches from the contact. My eyes dart up to his and I’m held captive by his cerulean blue ones.
“And that’s what makes you different.”
After a few seconds I clear my throat. “Um… where are you from?” I ask, needing to change the subject.
Dante comes out and puts my plate down in front of me, interrupting Riley before he can answer. “I’m going to take out the trash and then take a break. If you need me, come and get me, all right?”
I smile at him. “Sure and thanks.”
He nods and walks off into the back.
“Alabama,” Riley answers.
“You miss it?” I ask while laying a napkin on my lap.
“Yes and no. I like Georgia, but it’s not home. Know what I mean?”
I shrug. Sometimes I feel like I miss Virginia, but then I remember there’s nothing there for me and Savannah is my home now.
“Are you from here?”
I shake my head no as I take a bite of my sandwich. After I swallow, I add, “Originally, I’m from Virginia, but I guess you could say I grew up in Connecticut.”
“Why’s that?”
“I moved there before I started the sixth grade. Right before I turned eleven.” It’s true. As soon as my parents enrolled me in boarding school, they shipped me off, and I’m more than positive they never thought twice about it.
“That must have been hard, leaving all your friends behind.”
“Not really, I guess. It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter.” Which is also true. I still remember the day my parents told me I was leaving.
I was sitting on my bed, listening to my Discman when both my parents walked into my room. Immediately, I sat up, pulling the ear buds out. I knew something was up. It was rare that either of them came up here to my wing of the mansion, but for both of them to grace me with their presence immediately put me on alert. I knew my dad was having a tough time with his campaign. Automatically, my mind jumped to the worst scenario possible, but before I could say anything, my mom started. “Kelsey, we’ve enrolled you in boarding school.” She never was one to beat around the bush. I would have cried, but I honestly didn’t think my tears would do any good.
“When do I leave?”
“On Saturday,” my father said.
In one week. “That’s only a week away.” Hurt was the only emotion I felt at that moment. My head fell forward, my hair falling like a veil around my face, the carpet holding my interest. They couldn’t even wait until the end of the summer. No, they wanted me gone as soon as possible. I begged the tears that were welling up to go away. Crying showed weakness, and my parents hated weak people.
My mother sighed loudly. “All well-bred children go to boarding schools, Kelsey. It’s just a part of who you are.”
“But what If I don’t want to go? What’s wrong with the school I go to now?” I don’t know why
I even bothered to ask; I knew it wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
My mother completely ignored my questions. “You need to start packing.” She strolled through my room to the closet. She pulled the doors open and walked inside. “Only take the things that you will need.”
“You all right?”
I snap out of it, shaking my head as I try to clear my thought. “Huh?”
“You spaced out on me there for a second.”
With my sandwich only half eaten, I push the plate aside, my appetite completely lost. As I stand from my stool, Riley places his hand over mine. “Did I say something wrong?” he asks concerned.
I shake my head, slipping my hand from beneath his. “No. I’m just really tired, and if I don’t keep moving, I’m sure I’ll curl up somewhere and go to sleep,” I answer, laughing.
He turns his head, looking around the diner before his eyes land back on me. “Go ahead.” Riley nods over to the booth he occupied earlier. “I’ll keep watch.”
“Ha!” I laugh. “O-kay.”
The muscles underneath his flight suit contract as he crosses his arms over his chest. He tilts his head to the side.
“What? I’m used to working overnight.” He shrugs. “There’s no one in here. I’m sure I can keep watch.”
He’s completely serious. And I can’t believe I’m actually considering taking him up on his offer. What’s the worst that can happen? It’s not like Dave can fire me without getting himself fired too. I’d sing like a damn canary to any and everyone in the corporate office if he even entertained the idea.
“That’s really sweet, but you don’t have—,” I’m cut off by my cell phone ringing. I pull it out of the apron pocket and see Dante’s name flashing. “I’m sorry. I have to answer this, it’s my roommate.”
“Take your time.” He nods.
“What’s up?”
“Need me to come save you yet?” he asks, laughing on the other end of the phone, which in turn causes me to laugh. I look over to Riley and he raises an eyebrow at me in question.
“I’m okay.”
“All right. I just thought I’d check on ya.”
“Thanks.”
“Anytime. You know where to find me if you need me.”
As I hang up, I look at Riley. “Sorry about that.”
“Husband?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“Boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Okay. Since I don’t seem to be up against any competition, would it be too soon to ask you on a date?”
“Well, that depends.”
“Depends on what?” he asks intrigued.
I walk around the counter, grabbing two hand towels. I dip them in sanitizing water and ring them out. “On whether or not you’re willing to help me clean this place up.”
Riley stands and grabs his wallet from the front pocket of his flight suit. He pulls out a twenty-dollar bill, and I can’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment that he’s about to leave. For the first time in a long time, I’ve found myself actually having fun with someone other than Jen and Dante.
As I go to take the money from him, he pulls it back out of my reach. “I’ll help, on one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“If you’ll agree to let this be our first date, and let me take you on a second one.”
I tilt my head, mulling over his proposition. Would it be so bad to go on a date with him? I’ve enjoyed his company tonight. He’s witty and the first person to intrigue me in a while. I decide to throw caution to the wind.
“Okay. But I have a condition of my own.”
A smile spreads across his face. He leans against the counter and stares back at me. “Go on.”
I lean against the counter, matching his movements, our faces inches apart. A slow smile spreads across my face. “You have to actually take me out and not to a truck stop diner again.”
He chuckles as he sticks his hand out for me to take. With the decision made, I place my hand in his as he says, “Deal.”
My eyelids are still heavy as I try to pry them open. I don’t want to get up. By the way my room is pitch black, I can tell that I’ve slept the day away. My limbs ache when I stretch them out. Working for almost two days straight will do that to a person. I reach for my phone on the nightstand as I wonder what time it is. My eyes squint against the bright light coming from the screen. Three missed texts and it’s nine at night. Fourteen hours of sleep still doesn’t feel like enough. A yawn escapes me only to be replaced by a smile as I click on the icon to open my texts. Riley. I click on his name first.
Riley: When is your next day off?
I can’t help but laugh when I see that he sent the message at eight this morning. It’s good to know that he’s thinking about me already, too. He left the diner an hour before I was scheduled –no, not scheduled, conned is more like it– to get off. Dante helped me fix my car. Luckily, the battery cable had only come loose and it wasn’t something major. I look at the other two texts as I sit up, throwing the covers off me.
Work. Deleting that one before I even open it. There is no way in hell I’m going in.
Jen: Hey bitch, we’re going out tonight, so don’t try and get out of it ;)
A laugh escapes me at that thought that it’s already night. As if she’s psychic, Jen barges into my room. I shield my eyes, trying to block out the light she flips on.
“About damn time you woke up,” she says sarcastically.
I groan in response and set my phone back down.
“I know. I still can’t believe I slept so long.” I stretch as I stand. “You know how I didn’t get home until what, five yesterday morning, and you woke me up at dawn’s early light? Well, I got called back in to work the day shift, then Dave bailed out when he said he’d work my night shift.”
“And let me guess. You stayed and worked the night shift too, didn’t you?” she asks, her arms now crossed over her chest.
Deciding to change the subject because I really don’t want to get into this with her again, I say, “You look nice.”
And she does. In a pair of dark wash denim jeans, a cream, sequined halter-top, fitted, black leather jacket, and black stilettos, she really does look stunning. She’s pulled her hair back in a messy up-do that only she can pull off and her makeup looks flawless.
She smirks at me with her eyebrows raised, knowing exactly what I’m doing.
“Thanks,” she finally says after a few seconds of debating whether or not she really wants to tell me to dump my, as she calls it, ‘piece of shit’ job. “Did you get my text?” She walks over to my closet and begins rummaging through it.
“Yeah. What time did you want to leave?”
“How about eleven? I know you need to get ready and all that jazz,” she says, turning to face me with a pair of denim cutoff shorts and a red strapless top with a sweetheart neckline in her hands. My lips screw up and I shake my head, disagreeing with her choice of attire. “Well, what do you want to wear then?” she asks with a shrug of her shoulders.
“I don’t know, but not that. I’m sure you’ll find something else warmer.”
I walk out of the room, but pause to yell at her over my shoulder. “I’m taking a shower.”
“Oh, by the way,” she says, stopping me in tracks. I look back, her head poking out of my door. “We’re going to City Market. Turner from work is going to meet us there, and he’s bringing a friend,” she says in a singsong voice.
I grimace at the thought of her setting me up again. My hands find my hips as I turn around to stare at her while shaking my head.
“You are not setting me up.”
“I’m not.” She smiles sweetly at me. “But if you like Turner or the friend he brings along, what can it hurt?”
“Jennifer.” Her eyes widen in surprise. Rarely do I ever use her whole first name but when I do, she knows I mean business. “I know what you’re doing, but I’m not interested, okay?”
“Listen. I’m really not setting you up. I was talking to Turner about you and me going out and invited him along. We work together. I don’t see what the big deal is. You haven’t dated in, what,” she ticks numbers off her fingers, “five months? If you don’t like either one of them, it’s fine, really. Then at least we can say that we had a good time and possibly made some new friends.”
“I met someone,” I blurt out. My eyes go wide at the fact that I’ve actually announced it to her. Yes, Jen is my best friend, but I normally don’t provide information to her like this unless I’ve been out with someone on a couple of dates first. No need in getting her hopes up.
One side of her mouth tilts up as she blinks at me in surprise.
“Okay, then. Who?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes. Do I know him?”
“His name’s Riley Jackson and no, you don’t know him. He’s in the Army and works at Ft. Stewart.”
“And where did you meet this Riley Jackson?” One perfectly manicured eyebrow rises as she stares at me with a grin.
I know she’s going to give me shit when I tell her. Guys always hit on me at the truck stop. Granted, most of them are truck drivers older than dirt, but she doesn’t like it. Jen always tells me how it’s unsafe working at the truck stop, let alone the night shift. My silence obviously gives me away.
“You didn’t?” she asks in disbelief.
I shrug in response. I love my best friend dearly. She’s the only family I’ve got left, but sometimes, she scolds me like I’m a child.
“Kels? Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“What?” I snap. My defenses are going up and she knows it. “So what? I met a nice, good-looking man where I work. I may not take advantage of my degree like you do, but that’s my business. And before you ask,” I hold up my hand, stopping her before she can say anything else, “yes, I gave him my phone number, yes, he texted me this morning, and yes, I plan on going out on a date with him. But don’t worry, because it probably won’t happen.”
“What won’t happen?” she asks softly.
“The date.”
“Why would you think that if he’s already texted you?” She shakes her head. “I don’t know why you think so little of yourself sometimes?”
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