18. Quentin
Chapter eighteen
Quentin
I looked up at the sign, Liberty Diner & Grill. I’d eaten there before, plenty of times, but this time was different. Kelsey was somewhere in there, serving customers. I tried to will my feet to move, but nothing happened. How could I — a decorated Afghanistan war veteran — be too scared to ask a woman out on a date?
I stepped a little closer, peeking through a window to catch a glimpse of her. Yes, there she was. I would recognize her red hair anywhere. Instinctively, I took a step back. My heart was in my throat. Maybe this was a bad idea? She was working. Surely, she wouldn’t appreciate the distraction.
No. No retreat. I came all this way to ask her out. I would go through with it. What was the worst that could happen? She could say no, sure. Or laugh at me. Or get angry and never talk to me again. I blew out a breath through my nose, rubbing my sweaty hands against my pants. That line of thinking wasn’t helpful. I needed to do this. The plan to keep my distance had fallen apart within days. Being close to her was just too addictive, so the only way left was forward .
I clenched my hands into fists and forced myself to walk through the door.
The place was quite busy inside. People were talking, and the TV on the wall was on, showing a 24-hour news channel. And there was Kelsey, wearing a teal uniform blouse and a white apron around her hips, skillfully balancing dirty plates with half-eaten fries on them. She hadn’t seen me yet.
I was still mustering my courage when Leah almost bumped into me.
“Quentin? What are you doing here?”
Upon hearing Leah call my name, Kelsey promptly turned around. Her eyes widened in surprise. Then she smiled, and for a moment, the radiance of her smile was enough to drown out my anxiety.
“Hey there, stranger,” she said as she approached me, “What brings you here?”
I’d prepared a little speech before coming, but it evaporated the moment I stepped through the doors. “Um… I wanted… I want… something to eat. I’m hungry.” Very smooth.
I felt like everyone was staring at us. Out of the corner of my eye, I even noticed the cook leaving the kitchen, leaning casually on the sales counter to listen in.
Kelsey looked amused. “You’re hungry, hmm?”
“Y-yes,” I lied, “I had some business nearby, so I thought I would stop here.”
“Oh, what have you been up to?”
An innocent question, but it derailed me completely. My mind was racing, trying to find a believable excuse to save my dignity. “I was looking… for a book.”
“A book?”
“A rare one. The second-hand bookshop here was the only one who had it,” I said, hoping Kelsey didn’t know yet that the only second-hand bookshop was only open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays because the owner, James, had to take his elderly mother to dialysis the other days of the week.
She looked me up and down quickly. “Where is the book?”
I noticed Leah listening in as she cleared the table next to me, and the cook still hadn’t returned to his kitchen. He exchanged a glance with Leah and smirked. God, why had I decided this was a good plan? I thought asking her in public would be less intrusive, but I hadn’t planned for her co-workers’ eavesdropping. They probably thought I was completely ridiculous.
I had to talk myself out of this situation somehow. “I was out of luck. He’d already sold it.”
Kelsey studied me intently, her eyes searching my face. She was seeing right through me, wasn’t she?
“Too bad,” she finally said.
“Yes, too bad.” I mustered a feeble smile.
“So, pick a free table.”
“What?”
She raised her eyebrows. “I thought you wanted to eat here?”
“Oh… yes! Yes, of course.”
She smiled at me. “Sit down. I’ll be with you shortly to take your order.”
I scouted out the closest table and walked over, trying to look as unfazed as possible, just a half-burned man running into his beautiful neighbor. At her workplace. Coincidence, obviously. Nothing to see here, people.
I sat down and watched as Kelsey disappeared into the kitchen, shortly followed by the cook and Leah. I knew exactly what would be said behind the doors with the sign Kitchen - Employees Only . I would laugh at myself too if I had witnessed my little show.