Chapter 3 #2
“Mom, this lasagna is to die for. I’m going back for seconds.” Standing from my seat and making my way to the kitchen, I grab the lasagna dish and bring it back to the table to serve out my piece because I know Autumn will say she doesn’t want any more but will then steal mouthfuls off my plate.
Autumn waits until I have a mouth full of lasagna before asking my mother a question she knows I won’t be able to shut down because I won’t talk with food in my mouth.
“So, tell us all about Landon and the boys next door. What’s their story?” She sits back in her chair and makes herself comfortable, while I sit glaring at her from my chair and chewing aggressively.
“Oh, my little Nash and Kade are the sweetest boys. They’re a little shy at times, but that’s understandable. They have been through a lot in the last two years, losing their mother and then moving houses.” I can see the love my mother has for these little boys.
“What about Landon?” Autumn asks so innocently.
“Yes, he’s a mixed bag. I see him being so patient, loving, and a good role model with the boys, and he’s always such a gentleman to me, but I think he is struggling to move on.
He is stuck in that last part of his grief—acceptance.
I know, because I’ve been there.” Reaching out, I take Mom’s hand in mine and give it a squeeze, which has her smiling.
“Oh, I’m fine, honey. I lost your dad a long time ago, and I just live with my happy memories now. ”
I never had the chance to know my father; he died before I was adopted by my mom.
They were on an adoption waiting list for a baby when he was killed in a workplace accident.
But luckily, my mother was still considered a good candidate to adopt me on her own.
Especially since my father was a fireman and it was the Safe Haven baby box at his firehouse where I was surrendered just six months after he died.
It was almost like he had placed me there from up above, to give my mom a reason to move on without him.
So, ever since then, it’s just been me and her against the world.
She has never complained, and although it has been hard on her, she is proud that I chose to become a firefighter to honor the father I never met.
And I’m just thankful that his firehouse gave my birth mother a safe place to leave a baby she didn’t feel she could raise, and I respect her for that choice.
One day maybe I’ll know her story, but until then, I’m blessed with the life I have.
I need to change the topic before Autumn keeps hounding Mom for more information about Landon.
“There is nothing like a home-cooked meal by your mom to make you feel loved.” Standing from the table, I kiss Mom on the top of the head and collect all the empty plates.
“I must admit I do love when you are home too. I get to pull out some of my favorite recipes that just aren’t the same to cook for one.” She sits back in her chair, smiling brightly across at me.
“I’m always available to come to dinner, Alice, as your substitute daughter.” We all start laughing at Autumn.
“Like your social life can fit in dinner with this old lady. Go out and live your life, sweetheart. Speaking of going out, I hope you two have plans for tonight to test out those new outfits you showed me.” Mom looks between the two of us as we voice our different answers.
“No,” I reply with the simple answer.
“Hell yeah, we are going to check out Landon’s bar.” Autumn stands, swaying her hips like she is dancing.
“What a great idea,” Mom declares.
“When was this discussed? I don’t remember ever mentioning any desire to visit Landon at work.
You have already embarrassed me twice in front of him.
Why would I ever give you the chance of doing it again for a third time?
” I put my hands on my hips but know I’m in trouble when Mom steps beside Autumn.
“I think it’s a great idea. I’m sure Landon will love to see you and show you around. He might even give you a free cocktail to say thanks for last night. I’ll message him and tell him you’re coming in.” She looks sideways at Autumn and gives her a not-so-subtle wink.
“Stop encouraging her, Mom,” I chastise her, but it makes no difference because Mom pulls her phone from her pocket anyway.
“Don’t you dare.” I lunge at her, trying to grab the phone out of her hand, but Autumn beats me to it.
“Ughh, I’m not going to win this argument, am I?”
“No,” they both sing at me in unison.
“Fine,” I huff, which has Autumn clapping and jumping up and down.
“Look out, town, here we come! The girls are back!” Autumn exclaims, putting her arm around my shoulders.
And right there is why I’m scared. The memories of our wild nights out in the city during our early twenties are not something I want to repeat.
I’m not sure my liver would cope with that anymore.
“You must promise me, though, that you will behave. Especially in front of Landon,” I urge her, even if I already know it’s no use, because after the first drink, all bets will be off.
“Of course. I can’t believe you even have to question me,” Autumn sarcastically replies, and both Mom and I burst out laughing.
“Uh-huh,” I reply as she drags me to my bedroom so we can start getting dressed up.
So much for my peaceful, relaxing vacation.
For the second night in a row, sleep is not happening anytime soon.
LANDON
“We can’t possibly fit any more people in here tonight. The place is rocking,” Charlene says loudly next to me as we both reach for clean glasses to make our next orders.
Emile and Jasper are still off sick, but working the bar tonight is probably a good thing for me; it will keep me distracted and stop me from worrying about how to solve my problem.
“Yeah, helps keep the doors open and pays your wages, but I’ve got to admit it makes me happy to see people love it at as much as I do,” I answer while looking at my screen to see what drink order I need to prepare next.
“Oh, and here I thought it was my amazing personality that kept them coming back night after night.” She chuckles and hurries off down the bar with her order.
“In your dreams,” I yell after her, even though I know I’d be lost without her. She’s right, the customers love her, and she had my back when Lucinda died. She is a damn hard worker and kept the bar going while I picked up my life.
At one stage I thought that she and Adrian were sleeping together, but when I brought it up one night during after-shift drinks, they both broke into fits of laughter and told me I was crazy.
Charlene has a strong personality, and it will take the right man to make her look sideways.
He is a strong man, but she sees him more like a brother.
I finish mixing cosmopolitans for the two women sitting further up the bar, and as I turn to walk back toward my order screen, I catch a glimpse of the blonde hair and blue eyes that were inhabiting my dreams last night, slipping into a gap in the crowd to order a drink.
But she doesn’t look anything like the disheveled woman I found asleep on my couch last night.
Her hair is pinned back into a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, leaving soft waves falling down her back.
Her makeup hasn’t been plastered on her face, like so many of the women in here, but rather it highlights her blue eyes, making them sparkle more than they already do.
And the black, body-hugging, V-neck, long-sleeved top she is wearing shows me enough of her skin to make my cock pay attention.
Something it hasn’t done in a very long time.
Poppy catches me looking at her and gives me a slight wave before turning her attention to Garth who is asking for her order.
I wonder what she drinks—is she an espresso-martini girl or is a whiskey sour more her poison?
I lift my head to acknowledge her, then shout to Garth to get his attention.
I give him the signal of pointing to my right pocket which all my staff know means the drinks are on the house.
He just nods and gets on with it, as do I.
It’s so busy, I can’t let her distract me tonight.
But as I get back to my order, all that is running through my mind is, what the hell is she doing here?
I hear my name being yelled from her direction and look up to see her weird friend holding her glass of complimentary champagne in the air and shouting out a loud thank-you over to me.
I notice Poppy cringing a little at her friend’s antics, and I can’t help but smile and give them a wave, before Poppy turns to make room for the next customer at the bar.
“Fuck me,” I mumble under my breath as I take in the view of her bare back under her blonde hair, where her shirt dips down almost to her waist. If my cock wasn’t already paying attention, then that’d do it.
Charlene smirks as she steps in beside me. “About fucking time, I thought your sex drive had turned to stone. That’s the first time I’ve seen you even look since… um, in a long time.” She tries to recover, but I know what she was going to say. And she’s right.
“Isn’t your job to serve the customers, not be watching your boss?” I bite back, and she just laughs because she is used to my temperament and knows she has struck a nerve.
“Grumpy ass.” She laughs and keeps moving.
For the next hour, I put my head down and try not to scan the room every few minutes to keep track of where Poppy is.
But there is something about that woman, because on the few times I look around, it’s as though my eyes are instantly drawn to her.
She and her friend are now sitting on stools at one of the high-top tables toward the side of the room, and I watch as a couple of guys sidle up to them.
As the one in the brown shirt leans in closer to Poppy, I see her withdraw from him, while her friend is too busy laughing at whatever his buddy is saying to notice.