Chapter Twenty-Four - Summer
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Summer
“Summer, do you want more rice?” Alex asks, holding the carton out to me.
She’s come over to the cafe for dinner and we ordered chinese food, it’s the first time we’ve hung out since Fred came over and talked me down and I figured I ought to make it up to her.
Not only did I invite Alex, but also Grayson, Lennon and Fred, although Fred said he was busy tonight, though I’m not sure what he’s up to, he never usually has any plans.
I shake my head, swallowing my bite of orange chicken. “No, you can finish it.”
Grayson and Lennon apparently despise chinese food, I also found out in my time with Brooks, so does their brother — must be a family thing — so they’ve ordered pizza.
Lennon and I have reestablished our friendship and I’m proud to report she hasn’t been hanging out with her risky group of friends much, opting to spend time with me in the previous couple weeks since I put my pride aside and accepted they weren’t the people I should be mad at. I can’t fault their loyalty.
They’ve actually been a nice couple weeks, the weather got cooler so I’ve been able to fully indulge in my love of fall decorations by adding things around the cafe, like the tiny pumpkins on the bookshelves and the autumnal wreath on the front door. Also, the bouquet of yellow and orange flowers sitting on the counter add to the decor, I suppose, but I didn’t choose them.
They were one of the many gifts Brooks has sent me since he found out that I knew about him. Only took him a week to figure out that I was mad at him and even then I think it had something to do with Grayson.
After I came to Alex at her studio, making amends to which Alex couldn’t stop crying about how she was so happy I forgave her and how she loved me, Grayson came to the cafe, asking if Brooks had spoken to me like he’d asked him too. He hadn’t because I wasn’t answering his calls, but I can put two and two together and that might be why Fred came over. Though I’m not sure how Brooks would feel knowing that Fred didn’t even try and advocate on his behalf.
Along with this most recent batch of flowers, Brooks has sent me signed copies of my favorite books, a gift card to the restaurant at the end of the pier he took me to, I’m guessing so I can remember the good times I had with him, and two other massive bouquets of flowers.
And about thirty missed calls and multiple messages that have all gone unanswered.
“Gray, stop eating all the pizza!” Lennon says. It’s nice to see her interacting with her brother, it’s cute and I can tell she loves him. She’s only kind of told me about how it effected her not having any of them around once her parents left town and she really does cherish her time with them. Especially Grayson after they almost lost him once .
“Shut up,” his voice muffled from the mouthful of pizza.
My phone buzzes on the table, Brooks’ name flashing. Everyones attention turns to it, so I flip the phone over, ignoring him.
His effort is commendable, I give him that, but I just can’t let it go. He knew how I would take this, how I would feel and he did it anyway.
“Do you think you’ll answer him?” Lennon asks. I know she hates that her brother and I aren’t on talking terms, she liked talking to me about him and now feels awkward bringing him up.
“Not right now,” I say, “It’s not like we were together, we haven’t even been on a date, nothing. We were just friends. Friends stop being friends after a while.” I shrug.
“Come on, Summer. You know thats not true,” Alex says softly.
“It is.”
“Maybe in theory. But you know there was something between you two, that’s why you’re taking this so hard,” Alex explains.
Grayson stands. “I think thats my cue to leave.” He kisses Lennon on the head, to which she pushes him away with a look of disgust on her face, then goes over to Alex, placing his hands on jaw and kissing her oh-so-gently on the forehead. It makes my heart hurt at how cute those two are. They really are made for each other.
“Bye, Summer. Thanks.”
I wave goodbye as he leaves and as soon as the door closes, Alex and Lennon look at me expectantly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Lennon says, “It’s been weeks, he’s been really trying…”
“It doesn’t change the fact he lied to me.” I didn’t think I’d be having a second intervention in the space of a month.
“He didn’t exactly lie,” Alex says, and I frown at her, “He omitted the truth, it’s different.”
“It’s really not.” I start packing away some of the food, “Are you done?” I ask, not just talking about the food.
“Summer, please. You guys never even got a chance to start, you can’t be too hard on him for not telling you.”
We didn’t even start, that’s correct, so I guess he didn’t owe me anything, but I assumed if I trusted him with my past, he can trust me with this, regardless of whether we were together or not. We were friends.
“Was he ever going to tell me?” I ask.
Lennon and Alex look between each other. “We don’t know.”
“Do you think he would have eventually?”
“We don’t know that either,” Lennon says.
Alex adds with a pointed look, “He’s the only one that knows that.”
I get it. Brooks is the only one that can give me the answers to the questions I’m asking so maybe I should speak to him, not them.
I can’t bring myself to answer his calls though. The fact we never started and he lied to me, surely thats an indicator of things moving forward? A sign of things to come?
“How about I promise to think about it?” I say, their faces show they don’t believe me but it’s the best I can do for now while I’m still debating.
They both nod. “Sure thing, boss!”
I continue packing the food away, while Lennon eats the last slice of pizza.
“Wait, does Nate start tomorrow?” Lennon asks, mouth full, just like her brother .
“Who’s Nate?” Alex asks.
“He’s the new chef, was meant to start in November but he was able to fly in earlier so he starts tomorrow.”
I tie my hair up in a ponytail with the scrunchie that I always keep on my wrist, with the cooler weather I don’t need the A/C on in here but the heat still fluctuates from time to time. I get up to throw out all the boxes and cartons and shut down the espresso machine, I’d left it on just in case one of them wanted a coffee, and I wasn’t wrong, Grayson took me up on the offer as soon as he walked through the door.
“Where’s he from?” Alex asks and Lennon takes great pleasure in letting her know all about him.
“He’s from Italy, he’s 29, and has been cooking since he was my age, he also sent a photo with his resume which I find strange, maybe thats a European thing, but he’s also so hot!” She says, the excitement coming off her palpable.
“Lennon, he’s older than your brothers,” I chide, although I can’t say she’s wrong. I’ve never seen anyone attach a photo to a resume before but I can’t lie and say that he’s not attractive. Although, as his employer that is a boundary that I’ll never cross, Lennon however is free to do what she will, but I can’t imagine Grayson or Brooks would be too happy with that.
“I know, I would never go there, gross, he’s old. Doesn’t mean I can’t still appreciate a fine man.”
I laugh, as does Alex. “Right, I need to go. I have work early in the morning and my boss is a real bitch when I’m late,” Lennon says, grabbing her things from the floor next to her.
“Hey, you little shit.” I take no offense because it’s not true and she knows it.
“Love you, bye! ”
“Bye, Lennon.” Alex gets up too. “My boss is a real bitch when I’m late too, so I should also head out.”
For the week I wasn’t speaking to those guys, I sure did miss spending time with them, they know how to make me laugh and their support right now is appreciated and I can’t believe I ever questioned it.
Because it’s Nate’s first day, I head downstairs earlier than I would normally so that everything is in its place and I don’t embarrass myself with not having an ingredient or something isn’t clean for what he’ll need for the beginning of the day. I’m not going to turn any equipment on, leaving that for him, my plan with Nate is to have him be in charge of the cafe one day a week so that I can have at least one day off so I’m going to train him to open up and close the shop.
I unlock the front door and open the curtains to the place so I can see and hear when Nate gets here. Although right now, I don’t see Nate, I see another box on my doorstep.
I roll my eyes, already knowing what it is and who it’s from even though, like every gift he’s sent, my heart skips a teeny tiny little beat. Just because I’m mad at him, doesn’t mean my feelings ever left.
I grab it, ripping open the tape to see another bouquet of flowers. This time they’re a mixture of pinks and purples. I admit, they’re beautiful, my favorite out of the ones Brooks has sent me so far but I’m running out of places to keep them in the cafe.
I’ve not wanted the blatant reminder of him in my apartment, refusing to have any of the flowers up there.
I look around at the three other vases around the cafe. He is trying.
I chose the older vase to empty out to replace with this new bunch, feeling bad about throwing away a perfectly good bunch, but quite frankly I’m out of vases.
I should call him if only just to tell him to stop sending me gifts.
As I’m arranging the new bunch, the door opens and I look up to see Nate.
“Hey! Nice to finally have you here,” I greet, washing my hands in the sink by the espresso machine.
“Ciao! Summer?” he asks and I nod. His accent is thick but his English is excellent from what I can tell. I spoke to him on the phone once, we had an interview of course before I hired him and because he wasn’t in the country it had to be over the phone.
“Thats me!”
I shake his hand once he reaches me. The photo doesn’t do him justice, his hair is long, longer then Brooks’ but it’s all swept back and off his face, and it has a reddish hue that couldn’t be seen in his picture. If you thought of a beautiful Italian man, this would be him.
He points to the bunch of flowers, looking around at the rest of them too, “You must have an admirer,” he says.
I press my lips together, nodding slowly. “Something like that,” I breathe.
“He must like you a lot.” His comment isn’t meant to mean anything but it hits me harder than it should.
Anyone else would have given up by now, especially knowing they’re not going to see each other for a while, not even living in the same province, they would have given up. But not Brooks.
I know he must be busy. I’ve been secretly watching some of his games — a guilty pleasure — e’s been playing three or four a week for the last 3 weeks, yet he’s still trying to get hold of me, still calling every night and its commendable. I just wish I knew how to go about it, how to go about forgiving him once I hear him out. If I hear him out.
“Well, let’s get started, I’m going to show you how to set up and then we’ll start on the baking,” I say, clapping my hands together, changing my line of thought.
I can’t be thinking about Brooks right now, not when I have a business to run.
Brooks can wait, he’s waited this long, he can wait a little longer until I figure out a plan of action.