––––––––
My iPhone began to jingle as I startled awake and groaned. It was the third time I had snoozed the alert, and it was already ten after eight. I didn’t have to be to the restaurant until ten-thirty, but I had some stuff to take care of before I went in for my shift.
I heard a nearly identical groan from the twin bed across from mine, and I turned to see Suzy sit up, her long blonde hair all over her head as she yawned loudly.
I could tell just by looking at her that she’d only gotten an hour of sleep at best, the dark circles under her blue-green eyes a dead giveaway. I never even heard her come in.
“What?” she asked, defensively as I smirked and shook my head.
Suzy was notorious for hanging out until all hours and then sneaking into the house afterward, hoping my parents wouldn’t catch her at it. However, this particular weekend, my parents were out of town at a local resort and Suzy and I had the house to ourselves. They were due back sometime late this morning.
She was taking full advantage, even though I was ‘in charge’ of her. I was nearly ten years older than she was, but I had no control over my sister at all.
“Were you with Derrick again?” I asked, as she smiled and laid back against her pillows with a satisfied look on her beautiful face.
“Things are really starting to heat up with him.” She gushed as her blue-green eyes sparkled, giving me much more information than I wanted to hear.
Suzy was hardly a virgin, but I worried about her dating so many guys at once and getting ahead of herself.
As she filled me in on some of her sexual adventures from the night before, I felt my face growing hot with embarrassment. I didn’t like to talk about sex and hadn’t had any encounters of my own since college, extremely rare as they were.
It was just something that I could do without, truth be told.
I had been abused by my biological parents from the time I was about six or seven years old. Regularly molested and raped by my father and physically abused by my mother. I had been yanked out of my home at the age of ten by child protective services, and promptly put into the foster care system. I wasn’t there long before a very nice couple showed up, offering to take me in as they explained that they were Brent’s parents.
Brent had been in my class at school and we’d been close friends at the time, and I somewhat knew his parents from visiting his home a time or two. He was the one who’d told them about what was going on with me while I’d been in the hospital, recovering from my mother’s attempt to murder me.
I had just turned eleven years old when Barbara and Ethan Knight had finally been authorized to take me in, the child welfare department needing somewhere to put me for just a night or two since I’d been cut by one of the other girls in the detention hall, the knife stolen from the cafeteria we ate in. It had been just a scratch, despite the amount of blood, but I was afraid for my safety if I had to stay there another night. Since it was an emergency situation, they were able to take me home with them right from the hospital. I ended up getting my neck bandaged, and when Dad was through with the director of the detention center you’d better believe that heads rolled. Dad knows just about everyone there is in family law and he got it taken care of.
That one night with my new foster family turned into a permanent stay with them and adoption into the nicest, warmest, loving family I had ever known. Instantly, I had been treated like I was one of their own.
Never again did I get slapped, punched, beaten or molested after I came to live with the Knight family.
Mom and Dad had three sons and a daughter that were like siblings to me as we all grew up together in a beautiful five bedroom plantation-style home. We’d played together, laughed, fought, cried, formed allies and made enemies, just like brothers and sisters did.
Phillip was my oldest, foster brother at thirty seven years old. Sandy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, Phil was always laughing, easy-going and just generally an all-around good guy. Philly was a doctor, general practitioner, married twelve years to Mindy. They had two and a half children; seven year old Amanda, five year old Riley and were expecting a child very soon, another little girl who they were planning to name Emily.
Andrew was my youngest foster brother at twenty-three. Andrew, or Drew as he preferred to be called, was a graphic artist and worked out of his house not too far away from home. Tall, well-built and drop-dead gorgeous Drew got attention from plenty of women. He had come out a couple of years ago when he’d graduated college, bringing home a man he’d met while on a digital art internship in London, England. He and Richard Barnes had been together ever since then, the tall dark and handsome Englishman making women swoon and fawn the minute he started speaking.
It was the British accent.
They fell for it every time.
Suzy was the baby, just eight years younger than me at age nineteen going on forty. Suzy was our little diva, with her long blonde hair, beautiful clear blue-green eyes and perfect figure. She had an enormous wardrobe and tons of girlfriends, and to the chagrin of my foster brothers, boyfriends. Too many, if any of them were asked about it. They were all fiercely protective of her and of me and more than once she’d pushed my brothers, and parents, too far with her antics.
Which brings me now to Brent.
Brent was my age, which was twenty-eight, older than me by eight months and he was my best friend.
He was tall, about six feet, four inches in height, with a muscular physique not betraying an ounce of excess body fat. His thick golden, blonde hair was styled in gentle waves, off his face. His beautifully shaped mouth always offered an easy-going smile to everyone he met, with his white teeth straight, even, and perfect. I shook my head with faint smile at the memory of how much he’d hated wearing those damned braces.
Brent could have easily landed a successful career as a model, with blue eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea that sometimes seemed to change shades depending on his mood as they went from light to dark. He’d actually had offers to model in the past, agents sometimes stopping him on the street, but it just didn’t appeal to him.
He loved finance too much.
People never believed what he did for a living, as his size always seemed to belie his occupation, and often people showed surprise that this handsome, brawny, blonde had some serious brains in addition to his good looks.
Brent had an IQ of one-hundred and twenty-nine, just shy of being gifted. Very few people knew this about him, and he liked it that way. Despite his humbleness, people were drawn to him like moths to a flame, and he got on famously with just about everyone that he met.
I knew that Brent would do anything for me, without regard for himself. He was like that, and that’s why I loved him so much.
The first time I’d been taken out of the home, and since I had no other family, I was placed with a foster family, after suffering Juvenile Hall hell for two weeks.
I had endured more beatings, bullying, taunting and teasing. I had been beaten up more times that I could count while the people that ran the place not really caring. I was even told to ‘toughen up’ if I wanted to survive in the real world.
I had an unusual look about me due to my biracial background of white father and black mother, my head full of lush, shimmering curls, my skin a pretty caramel color, and thick eyelashes framed wide eyes of hazel made up of greens, browns, gold and ambers. My lips plump and full, the source of teasing that I looked like a fish and since my eyes were a bit large as well, it really completed the look.
I had been very self-conscious about my looks, still was in a way, but I never made a big deal about it out loud.
My father had raped me regularly from the time I was seven years old until I escaped at ten. It had all gone down one afternoon when my mother walked in on us and shot me, jealous of the sexual attention my father was giving me.
They’d found the gun registered to her in our house, after the fact.
I still had nightmares about what Eva had done, not a care in the world as she shot me twice in the back.
When I woke up, I was in the hospital and Brent’s parents were there to promise me that no one would ever hurt me again.
I was finally safe.
They had taken me in, without a second thought.
Barbara and Ethan treated me like I was one of their own, despite the fact that I was black and they were white. I was instructed to call them Mom and Dad from the day I stepped foot into this house permanently nearly twenty years ago and they became the only parents I ever knew from that point on.
All through junior high and high school, Brent and I grew very close. We formed an unbreakable bond, promising to always watch over each other, no matter what. Strangely enough, there was nothing romantic between us, even though we shared a deep love, as we had grown up together like regular siblings.
We were just Brent and Daphne, and the people in our town never said one of our names without saying the other right along with it.
When I was about fifteen, my biological father tried to reach out to me, but I had ignored him and any further contact he’d made. From what I gathered, my mother had been killed by her drug-dealer boyfriend a few years after the court hearings when I was twelve or thirteen. I had overheard Mom and Dad talking about it, but I never let on that I knew about it. Shamelessly, I could admit that her death hit me really hard and I’d cried a river. Mourning the loss of a mother who had never treated me with a shred of love or kindness, only harsh bitter words and stinging blows. But she was my mother, and I had loved her despite her horrible treatment of me.
My father had been in a wellness center for cirrhosis of the liver the last I heard, when I was about eighteen. His scant, extended family had tried to contact me via mail, encouraging me to visit him since his time was short. He wanted to make amends and see me one last time.
I had torn the letter up, never told anyone about it. Not even Ann, my therapist at the time. I felt an enormous guilt for a while about this, but I just couldn’t face him.
How could I?
My father, although he’d never struck me, had done far more damage than my mother ever had.
I felt a shudder go through me as my biological father’s face flashed in my memory, briefly, but it was enough to make me uncomfortable.
Suzy barely noticed my silence while she chattered on and on as I made my bed, and she even followed me into the small bathroom we shared as I went to start the shower.
She left me alone long enough for me to get dressed, since she had gone back to bed while I’d been in the shower.
I shook my head as I listened to her light snores, as she slept long, tanned arms and legs in a tangle on the bed.
She was responsible enough with her excursions, but Mom and Dad didn’t like her being out so late with her many friends.
I was pretty sure they didn’t know about the many boyfriends she had either.
She’d gotten busted a few nights ago, slipping into the house just after two in the morning from hanging out with a large group of her friends, and my parents had been waiting up for her.
“But there’s safety in numbers!” she’d wailed, as Dad put his foot down and told her as long as she lived under his roof she had to be home at a decent hour.
She’d rolled her eyes, huffing and puffing about needing to be treated like an adult, but Suzy had gotten the message and all was forgiven.
I took a quick look at myself in the full length mirror at my crisp white blouse and black pants. I glanced at my caramel colored skin, twisting my lips as I saw that I was beginning to get worry lines deeply etched into my forehead. I already had my apron tucked in my purse, along with the small spiral notebook full of my plans.
I hoped to have my own restaurant someday and I had an appointment with the Small Business Association in regard. I managed to get a meeting with an advisor when someone else canceled and I was hoping that my ideas wouldn’t sound too stupid to them.
My poor self-esteem was one of the many things I still carried around from my early childhood, despite being raised by Mom and Dad. I was often afraid to try new things, for fear that I would be laughed at, or someone would think my ideas were stupid.
But just a few nights ago, Mom had praised my cooking skills as I made dinner for my parents. I had tried a new dish I’d seen on The Food Network and the delicious beef medallions and baby vegetables had been pretty damned tasty, if I did say so myself.
I planned on going straight in to work from my meeting and then Brent was going to meet me at Tao, which was an Asian fusion restaurant we frequented.
Right on cue, my cell phone rang and I smiled as I saw Brent’s name scroll across the top of my screen.
“You just caught me.” I said, grabbing a yogurt out of the refrigerator and a nectarine as I let myself out the back door.
“I tried.” He said, already sounding apologetic. “I may have to take a rain-check for Tao.”
“Oh.” I shrugged, as I fished the keys to Mom’s car out of my purse. She had been nice enough to let me borrow hers for the day while mine was in the shop for the umpteenth time this year so far. “That’s okay. I have a lot of stuff going on today anyway.”
“Yeah, today’s the big day huh?” Brent asked, with a smile in his voice. “Just take it easy, and tell them exactly what you want to do.”
“I’m still nervous, though....”
“Daph, you gotta quit being so hard on yourself. Everyone knows that you should have opened your own restaurant years ago. And if you need someone to give a testimonial, just have them call me.”
I laughed.
“Will do.” I said as I opened the driver’s side door and tossed my purse on the passenger seat. “Call you later?”
“You better.” Brent said, just before hanging up.
I followed Mom’s built-in GPS system to the address I had programmed into the unit the night before, which was in Albemarle County and very close to Charlottesville. I lucked up on a parking spot and took deep breaths as I made my way towards the building.
I didn’t even have to wait, as they were ready for me as soon as I gave them my name.
“So, Daphne.” Jill, my new advisor said as she looked over the brief application I’d already filled out online. “Do you have a business plan with you today?”
I nodded, handing her the presentation booklet I’d filled with spreadsheets, charts and other data to show how much revenue I expected, as well as how much I thought I’d spend for the first year in business. I was already planning to bring some samples of my food to the financial advisor that they were going to set me up with, so they could taste for themselves that me owning a restaurant would bring a profit. The biggest plus was that I already had both front and back of the house experience. I was management material, or so my boss said.
We went over my ideas and the business plan, and before I knew it my hour was up.
“Very impressive, Daphne.” Jill said, nodding as I told her that she could keep the binder since I had another copy at home. “I am sure that we can get you on your feet within a short period of time once you can secure a loan.”
I nodded, feeling my heart race with excitement as I imagined actually owning my own restaurant.
I beamed as I walked back to my car, and then headed to work.
I might just be able to pull this off.
***
I walked into the service entrance of the upscale restaurant and clocked in right behind Bridgette, who was one of the other servers.
“Hey Daphne.” She greeted as I smiled back at her, admiring her new hairstyle.
Her brunette hair was usually long and coiled up into a bun, but now she had a pixie cut which made her look very chic.
I loved it.
“Hey.” I replied as we chewed the fat for a minute as we both tied our aprons on.
Michael, one of the busboys came over to clock in quickly and get back to the kitchen, barely saying hello. Yet again, he had forgotten to clock in first, before going back to the kitchen. He was relatively new and eager to please, and I knew that before long he’d get his rhythm for restaurant life.
I prepped my tables and made sure I had at least three pens, as I lost two on average at some point every shift.
I groaned inwardly as Steven made his way towards me, a smile on his handsome face.
He was another employee that was relatively new, and he’d been after me for a date ever since he’d joined us two months ago.
Oliver, our boss, had a strict policy about employees dating, of which I was glad. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Steven, but I just didn’t feel comfortable with dating in general. I liked my social life the way it was and I didn’t need a man to complete me.
“Hi.” He said, getting a little closer to me than I would have liked as I gave him a soft hello in return. At that moment, Oliver came out to call us together for a quick pre-opening staff meeting. He usually did them on Friday mornings since that’s when we started getting busy for the weekends. He’d usually do one on Monday mornings also, to address any problems or issues that had occurred during the weekend.
After the meeting, the doors opened and Donna, our hostess, took her place at the front desk and started getting the menus together.
As usual, the place was quiet as we waited for the lunch hour to draw near. There were a number of small offices and a few buildings that supplied diners throughout the week for lunch and dinner. We usually got a lot of families during the weekends or people on date nights and that kind of thing. I loved my job, loved dealing with people and I was happiest while I was in my element.
I went to check my tables one more time to make sure they were all ready and I turned to see Donna leading a group of men my way.
Suits.
White-Collars, to be exact.
These guys usually had money to spend, which made me happy because they tipped very well. I put on a smile as the five of them took their seats and Donna handed them their menus before going back to her station.
“Good afternoon.” I said, smiling at each of them in turn. “My name is Daphne and I will be your server this afternoon. May I start you off with drinks?”
Two beer orders, one whiskey, one scotch....
“And for you, sir?” I asked, as the dark-haired man gazed at me thoughtfully with a hint of a smile on his handsome face.
“Bourbon. Dark and sweet.” He purred as I nodded and jotted it down before excusing myself.
I didn’t dare look back at him, but I knew that man was staring at me as I hurried away. A moment later, I heard them all guffaw as Mary, another server, caught my elbow.
“Oh my God.” She whispered, staring at the handsome man. “I would give my right eye to have your table right now....”
Bridgette showed up, stealing peeks at the man now, her green eyes widening as she and Mary whispered back and forth, giggling.
I went to the bar and put the drink orders in and asked Steven to give them a bread-basket and water.
Cameron, the bartender, smirked at me as he loaded my drink order onto a tray.
“Girl, that luscious hunk of man-meat is checking you out.” He simpered, as I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment. “Too bad he’s not gay....”
I pasted on a smile as Cameron stared over at my table. He went through men like Kleenex, not wasting time before latching onto another one.
I thought of my brother Drew, and how he had just come out of the closet a year or so ago. He wasn’t ashamed to be gay, but he certainly wasn’t as vocal about it as Cameron was. My parents, particularly my dad, hadn’t taken it too well. I made a mental note to give him a call later, or better yet, stop by his place for a visit.
I hadn’t seen him since he’d returned from his business trip to London, but I was definitely going to make time for him. We often talked long into the night, about deep subjects and I knew that it had been a while since we’d caught up.
“Two beers...” I said, setting them down when I got to my table, “Your whiskey, sir. Scotch for you, sir...and...”
“And one dark and sweet...” The handsome man said, as I did everything I could not to meet his gaze. “Bourbon.”
Ignoring what he’d said and standing as far from him as I could without offending him, I took their entrée orders and hurried back to the kitchen.
By now, Tiffany, another server had learned of the handsome man at my table and she was peering at him from the safety of the kitchen as the other two giggled and whispered.
“Don’t you dare turn him down if he gives you his number.” Tiffany warned. “Remember that guy from last time?”
I did.
A few weeks ago, there was a situation with a man who gave me his number and then got upset because I never called him. He had come into the restaurant and I’d been put on the spot as he questioned me as to why. Thankfully, Oliver had taken care of the situation, but of course I’d been mortified.
“I’m not interested in him.” I lied, even as I stole a look at him as he sat at the table.
His expensive grey suit seemed like it was tailored just for him, complete with a dark blue tie to match his gorgeous, sapphire eyes. His thick dark hair was styled neatly and I felt my heart begin to pulse as I watched him laugh at something that was said. I was still watching him when he suddenly turned and looked right at me. I quickly looked away and the other girls took my place at the door. I got the entrees and got Raul, one of the other busboys to help me carry them out to the table.
“Daphne.” The handsome man said, drawling my name out as he stared at me with a sexy smile that made my breath quicken, “The lovely Daphne. This looks fabulous.”
I stared at the steak he’d ordered and nodded dumbly, as if suddenly forgetting how to speak. “But I know of a much finer restaurant that makes a similar dish. Maybe we could try it some time?”
I gulped as the other men, snickered behind their hands and I backed away.
“I’m sorry, but I have to get back to the kitchen.” I fibbed, as I fled the table.
“What the hell.....” Tiffany groaned, “Daphne!”
“I am not interested in him. Why don’t you see if he wants to date you instead!”
“Well, you don’t have to get huffy.” Tiffany said in an injured tone, and I immediately regretted snapping at her.
“Sorry, Tiffy.” I apologized, “But really, I am not interested in him.”
She nodded quietly, but I could tell that she was still miffed by my treatment of her a moment ago.
Thankfully, the men didn’t have dessert and the handsome man handed me the billfold with his credit card in it.
I looked at the name on the American Express Black card.
Wow.
This guy had money if he could get one of these.
“Evan Mitchell.” I said, softly, just before I ran the card for the one hundred and sixty dollar bill.
I finished putting in the sale and Donna gave me back the card. I thanked them for dining with us as they all began getting to their feet.
Evan stood up, my eyes following him as I looked up into his handsome face.
“For you.” He said, in almost a whisper as he pressed a bill into my hand and then he was gone.
He had given me a hundred dollar tip!
My mouth fell open as I watched him leave, the sly smile on his face as he sauntered out of front doors of the restaurant. He looked over his shoulder at me one last time before he disappeared.
“What did he give you?” Bridgette asked. “His phone number?”
“No....” I said, still staring at the front doors as if that would make him magically reappear.
“Mary, that guy gave her a hundred bucks!” Bridgette squealed as I shook my head.
I had never gotten a tip that big.
Not ever.
***
I hummed as I drove along after my shift was over. We’d had a busy day and try as I might, I could not get Evan Mitchell out of my mind. My cell phone rang, startling me out of my reverie and I saw Brent’s name parade across the top of the screen. Smiling, I answered it.
“Change your mind?” I asked, as he laughed.
“No. I’m still at the office, actually. Just wanted to find out how things went since you never called me back.”
Jesus.
I had been so caught up about Evan Mitchell, I’d forgotten all about the appointment with the Small Business Center. I quickly filled him in on what had happened, and he made a sound of approval.
“All right. So far, so good.” He said, which made me feel good. Brent and I were like two halves of the same whole at times. His opinions really mattered to me, and I knew that he would always look out for me no matter what. “When do you see them again?”
I told him about the appointment I had in two weeks with the financial advisor and how I planned to make a sample tray to take along.
“Want me to come with you?” he asked.
It might be a good idea, since Brent was a whiz with financial issues and he worked at a major bank. Their main offices were in Washington, D.C. but he’d gotten a stroke of luck with a position right here in Charlottesville in the branch office.
His apartment was somewhat in the vicinity of the office, so his commute was a matter of minutes some days.
“If you want. But promise you’ll let them do all the talking.” I begged, as he laughed.
“Don’t worry. I will be there just in case you need a second set of ears on this.”
“Thanks, Knightley.” I said, smiling as I pictured his ruggedly handsome face in my mind. “Don’t work too hard.”
“Yeah, right.” He muttered.
All Brent did was work hard, as he usually kept ninety hour weeks by bringing work home often.
“Well at least take a break once in a while so you don’t overdo it.” I pleaded with him.
We chatted for a quick minute before hanging up. I dialed Drew to see if he was around, but he didn’t answer so I headed for home.
I sent him a text asking him to meet me for coffee one day next week. I usually had Tuesdays and Wednesdays off and I really did miss seeing him.
He texted back agreeing to meet me on Tuesday morning and I smiled.
***
“Daphne? Is that you?” I heard Mom call out as I came into the back door of the house and into the kitchen.
“Yes.” I said, as I kicked off my shoes and padded out to the family room where I knew they both were. Every night I came home to Mom and Dad watching the news on the large screen television we had in the family room. Mom in her chair and Dad in his as the news droned on. I came into the room and flopped onto the chocolate brown leather sofa as I let out a sigh.
“I’m beat.”
“You’ve been working too hard, dear.” Mom said, her beautiful face a mask of worry as she took me in, barely looking up from her knitting.
“Girl is a go-getter, Barbie.” Dad defended me. “She can handle it. Right kiddo?”
I sighed, but smiled.
I needed some tea.
I got up and went to start a kettle, pulling three mugs out of the cabinet and putting them on a tray.
Just like at work
I laughed to myself as I got the teabags next and prepped the tray. God, I was the most boring person on the face of the earth.
What twenty eight year old woman spent every night at home with her parents?
Evan Mitchell would never want to bother with someone like me. But he had been so flirtatious and his eyes had drunk in every inch of me. My heart fluttered as my eyes closed and I saw his face, his lips, those eyes....
“Daphne? The kettle is ready!” Mom called as I startled back to reality and took the stainless steel pot off of the burner, embarrassed that I had spaced out.
“Coming!” I said, getting the tray and leaving the room after I filled the mugs with hot water.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Dad said as I handed him one, and then Mom who smiled as I took my place back on the couch.
The chamomile was just what I needed to settle down so that I would sleep well tonight.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me, mooning over some guy I didn’t even know. But I knew that he would be in my dreams that night and I tried to hide my smile as we sat quietly and continued watching television.
I spent most of my time reading and re-reading my beloved Jane Austen novels, knitting, doing needlepoint, gardening or just hanging out with my foster siblings on the weekends, friends and co-workers after work.
Yup.
I was a real dullard.
Everything I did was in a group setting, and I found that suited me. True, I didn’t have the normal life that most people did, but it was my life and I had learned how to live a comfortable existence.
I knew I’d probably die alone, a spinster, but I’d come to grips with it.
An hour later, I had pulled on a nightgown and was just crawling into bed when Suzy came into the room.
“Hey you.” She said, kicking off her gladiator sandals and then wiggling out of her short skirt. “How did it go today at your meeting?”
“It went well.” I said, nodding as I smiled at the thought of opening my own restaurant.
“Are you finally going to tell Mommy and Daddy about what you’re up to?” she asked me as I gave her a secret smile.
I wanted to be sure that everything was in order before I spilled the beans to my parents. I wanted them to be proud of me and I hoped that my dream would really come true.
“When the time is right.” I said, climbing into bed and snuggling down underneath the covers.
Suzy stared at me for a long moment before a beguiling smile began to spread across her face.
“Okay.” She said, sitting down on my bed after she took off her top. Her lacy bra barely covered her breasts and she wasn’t at all shy. “Out with it. What else happened today?”
Damn.
“What do you mean?” I asked, innocently as Suzy laughed.
“You look like something special happened today. You know I’ll find out anyway so you may as well spit it out.”
“Well...” I hedged, as Suzy inched closer and her artfully made-up eyes widened slightly.
I told her about Evan to which she let out a shriek and bounced up and down on my bed.
“Did he give you his number?” she tried to pry out of me.
I shook my head, but told her about the tip. I didn’t dare tell her how giddy I’d been just in Evan’s presence.
I was too embarrassed.
“It was just some guy.” I said, turning onto my side as I fluffed the pillow behind my head. “I’ll probably never see him again.”
“You never know.” Suzy giggled as she continued undressing for bed and I closed my eyes to go to sleep.
***
I had just finished my apple while sitting on one of the benches in the small park across the street from the restaurant when I got the feeling someone was standing behind me. When I turned, I damn near fainted when I saw Evan standing there looking just as handsome as I remember.
“Hello, Daphne.” He said, in almost a whisper as I croaked out a response.
I almost couldn’t believe it when he came around the bench and sat right next to me.
“How are you doing today?”
“I’m fine.” I said, recovering quickly. “How are you?”
“Feeling a bit foolish.” He admitted.
“What do you mean?” I asked, intrigued.
“I may have come across as a bit of a jackass yesterday and I just wanted to apologize if my behavior offended you.” He said, those deep, dark blue eyes boring into mine as I struggled to understand what he’d just said.
“Not at all.” I said, smiling in spite of myself as he did too.
“I’m not usually such a forward jerk, but I was so stunned by your beauty I guess I just wasn’t thinking straight.” He said as I felt a blush heat my cheeks.
“Please don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” I said, glancing across the street as I realized that I had an audience.
I groaned inwardly as I saw Bridgette, Mary, Tiffany and Donna staring at us through the window. I knew I’d never hear the end of it now!
“I’m so relieved that you’re not mad.” He said, giving me a sexy smile which caused my heart to flutter as he leaned close to me.
“Maybe I can take you to dinner sometime? If you’d do me the honor.” He said as my heart slammed against my chest.
I couldn’t believe he was asking me out!
Sure, I’ve had guys hit on me before but never one that looked and acted like Evan Mitchell.
“Uh....I don’t know...”
“Okay, I understand.” He said, reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket. “Maybe we can just have coffee or something one day instead. Get to know each other a little better?”
He handed me his business card, which included social media information.
He was an architect for a firm located in Washington D.C.
Evan placed the card in my slack hand as he got to his feet.
“Think about it. I’d really like to see you again, Daphne.” He said, smiling at me before he gave a little wave and walked away.
My hands were trembling as I tucked the card into my apron and headed back across the street to the restaurant.
All four women were smirking as I walked back in, and I ignored them and got right back to work.
They didn’t know too much about my personal life and that’s how I planned to keep it. I made it clear from day one that I didn’t date customers or co-workers, which seemed to satisfy everyone.
When my shift was over, I headed over to my car and drove over to Brent’s place. Suzy was there already and Brent and his date were joining us for a bite to eat at Applebee’s.
“Hey, Daph.” Brent said, opening his front door as I stepped inside and reached up to give him a brief hug.
At six feet, four inches tall, that was the only way you could hug him. Nobody knew where Brent had gotten his height from, but he was the only one out of three boys that had this attribute.
He had on a pair of blue-jeans, basketball shoes and a white hoodie that boasted a Washington Redskins logo on the front. His blonde hair was mussed somewhat and upon closer inspection, there were pink lipstick marks on his lips.
I looked over at where Brent’s date sat on the sofa, applying the telltale pink lip-stain and I waved at the blonde-haired woman in greeting. Undoubtedly, they had been keeping themselves occupied while they waited for Suzy and I to arrive. Her name was Kate and Brent had dated her a time or two in the past. Suzy came out of the bathroom where she’d been freshening up her makeup.
“Excuse us for just a second.” I said, as I moved towards Suzy.
“Daphne!” she cried out as I gripped her by the wrist and pulled her back into the bathroom. This was too good to keep to myself.
I told her everything and showed her the card, which was somewhat worn from me studying it in secret throughout the day as I’d taken it from my apron pocket.
“So are you going to call him?” she asked.
“You think I should?” I asked, warily.
“Um, hello? The way you describe him, he’s a hunk! I say call him. Who knows? Something bigger could come out of it.” She said as I felt somewhat at a loss on what to do.
“I don’t know, Suzy. I mean.....”
“What don’t you know?” she asked, smiling. “This Evan is all into you and if you feel like taking certain steps with him, I say go for it.”
I blushed at what she was saying.
“I doubt that will happen....”
“It will if you let it.” Suzy said, softly as she put a hand on my shoulder. “I know that stuff’s kinda hard for you, but don’t you want to sometimes?”
I knew she meant well, but I just felt extremely uncomfortable about it and I knew right then and there I wasn’t going to call Evan.
I didn’t say anything else and Brent rapped his knuckles on the door.
“What are you two up to in there?” he asked, impatiently. “Let’s go already!”
“We’d better go.” I said, effectively ending the conversation.