by Maise, Ella
Then again, who was I kidding? Everything about Jack was starting to become too appealing for me. I was starting look forward to seeing his stony and sometimes aloof expression at the end of the day…every day. I chatted more than him, but he was talking, too, much more than he had in the beginning. I hardly did the ‘talking to myself as Jack’ thing anymore, and when I did, it was for the fun of seeing his troubled expression as if he was considering his life choices of ending up in a fake marriage with me. I wasn’t making fun of him or anything even remotely close to that. I just enjoyed the way he glowered at me a little too much.
It was the highlight of my day.
And that smile…gosh, he had finally smiled, and it had absolutely been worth the wait to see his face transform. You could fall in love with that face, with that smile, even if the package came with the frown and the prickly personality. I just couldn’t decide which expression I preferred more on him, because I thought you could easily fall for that stony, grumpy expression just as hard. Then again, the way I was feeling after that dream, my unexpected attraction to Jack had tripled overnight. Clearly I couldn’t be trusted to be around him until the effects wore off.
“What are you smiling at? That was a complete disaster,” Sally mumbled as she sidled up next to me, licking her fingers, presumably after snacking on sticky banana bread.
I stopped daydreaming about Jack and tried to focus on Sally. She wasn’t exactly pouting, but she was getting there.
“I didn’t realize you were interested in him,” I replied, ignoring her question.
She reached for a mint from a small bowl next to the cash register, unfolded the wrapper, and popped it in her mouth.
“I can see how it might be a little too late to ask after what you just witnessed, but do you have a rule against employees dating?”
Stacking the last turkey sandwich, I put the glass dome back in its place and turned to Sally, thinking about my answer for a moment. “I mean…you two are my only employees, obviously, so I’ve never even thought about it. You’re into him that much? I thought maybe you were just messing with him.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s fun to get him all riled up?”
Sometimes I thought it was fun to rile Jack up.
“Nope.” She shook her head and glanced toward the kitchen over my shoulder. “I mean, he is really attractive, don’t you think?”
I looked over my shoulder to try to see what she was seeing. Owen was rolling the dough, his biceps flexing. He actually was attractive when you took a long look at him, not in the sense that Jack was attractive, but in a more…different way. He looked more like a French guy without the romantic and charming part. His brown hair was curly and fell over his forehead, and you could see the edges of the tattoos on his strong arms curling under his shirt. He was skinnier than Jack but still lean. Jack felt stronger to me. When I looked at Owen, I didn’t feel like You know what, I think I would like to hug that. He was just…Owen, a friend. When I looked at Jack, I was very interested in hugging him and staying in his arms for as long as possible.
Sally waved her hand in front of my face. “Earth to Rose?”
I snapped out of my Jack haze.
“Sorry. I guess he is attractive.”
“And he has this intense air about him. It seems to be working for me. I don’t know, I wouldn’t say no to a date.”
“Well I think it looks like you’ll be the one asking in this case.”
I reached for the brownies and pushed them in front of the chocolate muffins, rearranging things so the sandwiches would be on the far left next to the register, tempting the customers.
“So you have no problem with this, then? I really like working with you, and I won’t risk that for a guy, but if it’s okay with you, I might go for it one of these days.”
How the hell was I supposed to decide on something like this? “As long as it doesn’t affect your work, I think I’m okay with it? You sure about this, though? I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable if he isn’t interested.” It probably wasn’t one of my finest ideas, but I didn’t know how to say no. I was still a romantic at heart, despite my own marital status.
“Oh, no. He isn’t ready yet. I’m gonna have to work on him little by little, which is the fun part, to be honest.” She gave me a blinding smile, bouncing twice on her feet. “Okay, I’ll go wash my hands and unload the last batch of coffee cups then get everything else ready.”
Before I could say okay, she was already back in the kitchen, her eyes lingering on Owen as she walked past him.
If I wanted something real with Jack, would I have to work on him little by little? Not that it didn’t sound fun. But would I even want to complicate things like that? He wasn’t the romantic type; he was a whole different type of his own. Sure, he was my husband, but that was all just an act, nothing more, and the erection…well, I thought it was pretty much involuntary when kissing someone. He didn’t have a special erection for me. It wasn’t a special erection.
There was a hard knock on the glass door that jolted me out of my thoughts and I turned to find a young guy, maybe in his early twenties, looking inside the coffee shop with a huge bouquet of roses in his arms.
With a big grin blooming across my face, I rushed to the door and unlocked it, the cold air hitting my cheeks a refreshing welcome after all my thoughts of Jack Hawthorne and his not-so-special erection.
“Rose Hawthorne?” the guy asked. He was bundled in a blue jacket and was jumping in place, presumably to keep warm.
“Yes, that’s me.” I could barely keep my hands to myself as he checked something on his notepad then finally handed me the flowers wrapped in brown paper, but there was no note. “Who are they from?”
“It says Jack Hawthorne.”
The grin still going strong on my face, I hugged them to my chest then signed where he was pointing at.
“Have a good day,” he offered before running back to the white van that was apparently waiting for him.
“You too!” I shouted, waving even though he wasn’t looking back.
I pushed the door closed with my hip and locked it back up, my eyes on the roses as I made my way back toward the kitchen and Sally appeared in the doorway.
“Did I hear a kno—oh, Rose! Look at them!”
I was. I was looking and trying to contain the smile on my face while also trying to ignore the lightness I was feeling in my heart.
“They are gorgeous,” I mumbled, almost to myself, as I touched a few rosebuds. This week there were pinkish purple and white roses.
“Okay, I’m officially in love with your husband. He is too cute.”
I laughed, feeling all happy from head to toe. “He doesn’t like it when people think he is cute, but yeah, I wholeheartedly agree.” Still smiling, I looked around the coffee shop. Some of the roses he had brought in the previous week were still going strong, but I had switched the ones that had started fading with fake ones just half an hour earlier. I was going to switch them all out for the fresh ones.
“Do you want me to help?” Sally asked, leaning in to smell the roses.
I didn’t know why I was feeling protective, but I wanted to handle the roses myself and only barely stopped myself from snatching them away from her nose. As stupid as it sounded, I tried not to think about it too much. They were all mine.
“No, I got it, but can you gather the fake ones and bring the mini vases to the back so I can change them all out?”
“Of course.”
It took me ten minutes to have them all out on the tables, and the remaining twelve were set on the counter next to the cash register so I could constantly see them and maybe put a little smile on the faces of my customers too. Placing the last one on the table in front of the bookshelf, I reached for my back pocket and took out my phone. We still had eight minutes before I would unlock the doors and welcome our first customers.
Not wanting to wait any longer, I quickly typed a text.
/> Rose: Hi.
Jack: Something wrong?
I laughed and sat down in the chair closest to me.
Rose: Nope, just saying hi, and thank you.
Jack: Hi. Thank you for what?
Rose: The flowers. I still can’t stop smiling.
Jack: Glad you liked them.
Rose: I love them, but I might have liked the ones from last week more.
Jack: Did they mess up the order again? I’ll call them.
Rose: No! Wait.
Rose: They didn’t mess it up. It’s just that…last week you brought them in yourself, and that was more…something, I guess.
I closed my eyes and groaned, loudly. I couldn’t possibly be cheesier, and I was officially flirting with my husband, officially poking the beehive, knowing it couldn’t possibly end well.
Jack: I see.
I see. That was all he gave me. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Rose: Will you drop by before work? I make good free coffee.
Jack: I’m afraid I’m already at work. We have an early meeting.
I tried not to feel disappointed, but it was hard.
Rose: Ah, okay. I’m sorry, I know you don’t like texting so I’ll shut up. Hope you have a good day. Again, thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful.
I hit myself on the forehead with the side of my phone a few times. I needed to get it together. I was not in love with Jack Hawthorne, and he was most definitely not in love with me either. It had just been a very, very convincing dream and kiss and touch and…that was it. Also, I just found him attractive—any woman would. That wasn’t a crime. Deep down, as prickly and cold as he seemed, he was actually a very good person.
Just as I was getting up to finally unlock the front door, my phone buzzed in my hand with another text. Glancing at the screen as I was walking, my heart soared when I saw his name, and I stopped next to the cash register.
Jack: Do you want to see me?
Rose: What?
Jack: You said you liked the flowers I brought in more and you offered me free coffee. Am I assuming…
He was flirting back. As unbelievable as that sounded, I still hoped.
Finding it—him—stupidly charming, I quickly wrote back.
Rose: I mean, you’re my husband, so I think I’m bound to look at you. Thankfully you’re not too bad-looking, so I wouldn’t cover my eyes if you showed up.
The second I pressed send, I wanted to take it back, delete it, and write something more…smart and witty, but it was too late.
“Hey, again, earth to Rose. Can you hear me?” Sally yelled from somewhere behind me. “We have two customers waiting—maybe we should open a few minutes early.”
I looked up in surprise and only then noticed the two girls waiting for me to open the door. I rushed forward and invited them in, apologizing.
As Sally started on the coffee orders, I served them one sandwich and one blueberry muffin. As the next customer and the next started to file in, my phone buzzed twice in my pocket, causing an irrational excitement in me as I tried to ignore it and chatted with the customers.
When the last customer in line left, Sally and I looked around the place. Some were on their laptops, some just chatting with their friends. One person was reading a book they had picked up from the bookcase, and nine tables were already full.
“This is a great start to the week,” Sally commented while wiping down the counter.
“It is, isn’t it? I think we’re doing very well. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you—I have a doctor’s appointment at two PM, so I asked Owen to stay until I get back. Do you think you two can handle it? I’ll get back as soon as I’m done.”
She stopped and turned her worried gaze to me. “Something wrong?” Then her eyes widened comically. “Are you pregnant?”
I frowned at her. “No! I just got married! What are you talking about?” My frown deepening, I looked down at my stomach. “Do I look pregnant or something?”
“No, you don’t look pregnant at all. My mistake. With that husband of yours you could get pregnant just by him looking at you, so I’d say watch out.”
I just stared at her in something close to horror, and she laughed.
“Fine. Pretend I didn’t say anything. Of course I’ll handle it. The lunch rush will be over by the time you leave so we’ll be fine until you come back. Everything all right? Still the cold?”
“Yeah.” I gingerly touched my nose, glad it wasn’t runny at the moment. But it had been when I first woke up. “I think it’s just allergies if not a weird cold. I just need to get a nose spray or something. I won’t take long.”
“Okay. You go do whatever you gotta do.” Her smile turned into a grin. “It’ll give me time to start working on Owen, so great timing on your part.”
As soon as Sally headed to the kitchen, I reached for my phone to read my texts.
Jack: I’m glad I’m considered not too bad to look at.
Jack: Are you free for dinner tonight?
It didn’t seem like he was flirting, because he asked if I was free for dinner every night anyway. My excitement slowly deflated, and before I could type something back, a new customer walked in.
* * *
After I walked out of the doctor’s office, I took the train to Midtown instead of heading straight back to Madison Avenue. I was still feeling a little dizzy, but if I was being honest with myself, I’d started feeling dizzy the moment the doctor had started talking.
One time I’d been prescribed antibiotics for my sore throat when I was twenty-years-old, and I’d ended up at the emergency room. As it turned out, I was allergic to penicillin. Giving my blood was a whole other…experience. To say I didn’t like needles, doctors or hospitals of any kind would be an understatement. Because of all that, I could do nothing but feel dizzy, thinking the worst.
As to why I was standing in front of Jack’s building near Bryant Park, I didn’t have a straight answer for that. I walked through security, got in the elevator with six other people, and got off on Jack’s floor. I walked up to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed receptionist, the same one I’d seen the only two times I’d been there.
“Hi. I wanted to see Jack?”
“Hello, Mrs. Hawthorne. You don’t have to stop here—you can go straight to his office.”
Dazed, I nodded and thanked her. I had forgotten I was the wife for a second there. While heading to his office, I bumped into Samantha, who was walking next to two other suits.
“Rose?”
I stopped moving my legs one in front of the other. “Oh, hello Samantha. I’m here to see Jack.”
Her perfectly shaped and perfectly arched eyebrows drew together. “Are you okay?”
I held on to the bag on my shoulder tighter. “Yes. Good. Thank you. Do you think Jack will be in his office?”
“I think he is out, actually, but check with Cynthia and she’ll let you know.” The two suits kept talking and walking without her so she glanced at them over her shoulder then faced me again. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little pale.”
Surprised that she sounded genuine, I forced a smile onto my face. “Oh, yeah. Just a little sick. It was nice to see you again.” Without waiting for another question, I walked toward Jack’s office, taking the left turn at the end of the hall. Cynthia was on a call so I cast a quick glance into the office as I got closer; it didn’t look like Jack was in there.
“Hello, Rose. How nice to see you here.” Cynthia’s voice made me turn back to her.
“Hey, Cynthia. I just needed a few minutes with Jack. Is he around?”
“He had a lunch meeting with a client.” She looked down at her wrist, checking the time. “Did he know you were coming?”
“Oh, no. I just dropped by. I need to head back to work soon. If you think he’ll be much longer, I can just leave. I’ll catch him tonight.”
“He should be here in five or ten. You can wait in his office. Would you like me to bring you some tea or
coffee while you’re waiting?”
I shook my head and managed to offer her a small smile. “I’m good. Thank you.”
When she pushed the heavy glass door open for me, I walked straight toward the two comfortable chairs in front of his meticulously organized desk and sat down.
When I looked back, Cynthia was gone.
Having a moment to myself, I grabbed a clean Kleenex from my bag and, holding it tightly in my hand, leaned back and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down and give my wildly imaginative mind a break.
I couldn’t believe this was happening. I didn’t even know how many minutes had passed when the office door behind me opened and I looked over my shoulder. I wasn’t sure how or what I was feeling when Jack’s head lifted up from the phone in his hand and he noticed I was waiting there.
“Rose?” His brows snapped together in confusion as he paused with one foot through the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
I lifted my hand halfway up in a weak wave and then dropped it.
Cynthia appeared behind him, a little breathless. “I’ve been trying to catch up with you to tell you Rose was waiting for you. Do you want me to call George and push back that meeting?”
“Oh, no. Please don’t,” I cut in, standing up before he could answer her. “I just dropped by. I don’t want to mess up his schedule. I’ll leave.” I bent down and collected my bag from the floor. Keeping my eyes down and feeling like I was about to break down at any second now that Jack was actually standing in front of me, I tried to walk past him, but he used his body to block me and gently gripped my wrist before I could do anything else.
Jack turned his head toward Cynthia but kept his searching gaze on me. “Give us a few minutes before you do that, okay?”
“Of course.”
My eyes met Cynthia’s and she gave me a small smile right before Jack shuffled me inside and she closed the door on us.