Chapter 9 Negotiations. #2
“That bitch knew better than to say it to my face. I would’ve punched her in the stomach and undone some stitches, I’ll tell you that much.”
Was it messy to tell Esther what Hope said? Yes.
Did I care? Not really. No.
“Will you calm down?” I said, lowering my voice. “I told you this because I want to get to the bottom of your beef. You two are making the rest of us miserable.”
“There is no beef,” Esther shot back. “The girl is psycho, and that’s all on her.”
I sighed. “Can you think of why she feels this way about you?”
“Elliot.” She exhaled sharply. “The girl is jealous. She’s jealous of our friendship, she’s jealous of EL’evation, and most importantly, she’s jealous of you.”
I frowned. Hope? Jealous of me?
“Impossible.”
“Girl, yes, possible,” Esther said firmly.
“Why would she be jealous of me?” I asked, almost as if I was asking myself as well.
“Because,” Esther sang out. “You are extremely talented, beautiful, and successful. So she’s in competition with you.”
“But… for what purpose?” I asked, shaking my head. “We’re all friends.”
“She doesn’t see it that way,” Esther said, her voice softer now, almost tired. She sighed. “Where are you anyway?”
“I’m at Lizzie’s,” I said, stepping into the café. “That expensive-ass iced coffee from wherever the hell Hope took me was not it. I need something with flavor.”
Esther let out a laugh. “Ouu, get me a slice of her pound cake. She gotta be putting crack in there.”
I chuckled. “Anything else?”
“She got any cheesecake?”
“I don’t know, I’ll have… to… see.”
My steps slowed, my breath catching in my throat.
At the back of the café, sitting in a corner but still within a perfect view of the entrance, was him. The man from the other day.
Elliot.
His eyes met mine, and for a moment, everything else faded. Damn.
The man was sexy, okay?
It was no use denying that. Those strange greenish blue eyes held me captive for longer than I’d like, but I couldn’t look away. He looked…relieved to see me. Or maybe I was imagining it.
“Hello? E? You there?” Esther’s voice crackled in my ear.
I swallowed, my fingers tightening around my phone. “Let me call you back.”
I hung up, breaking eye contact as quickly as I could, then made a beeline for the farthest corner of the café.
“Ellie! How are you, babe?” Lizzie called out, grinning.
“I’m good,” I said, glancing around behind the counter at fresh faces. “I see you’ve got some new staff.”
Lizzie scoffed. “Had to. As amazing as I am, I can’t do it all. What about you? Trying something new or the same as usual?”
“The same, please. Oh, and can you add a slice of cheesecake and one of the pound cakes?”
Lizzie gave me a knowing look. “Esther?”
“Yep.”
she shook her head. “No problem. By the way, that guy from before—the one who drank your coffee? He’s been in here every day since.”
I froze. “Really?”
Lizzie nodded as she punched my order in. “Yup. And he asks for you, too.”
I felt a strange flutter in my chest but quickly shoved it down. “Oh, God. For what?”
Lizzie shrugged. “I don’t know, but maybe you could ask him yourself because he’s coming over here right now.”
My eyes widened. “He’s what?”
Lizzie tilted her head toward the back of the café, where he was sitting, but I didn’t dare look.
“Be nice,” she whispered. “He’s become a valuable customer.”
“Yeah, right,” I muttered, gripping the counter.
A second later, I felt his presence beside me before I even turned my head.
“Hey, Elliot.”
His voice was smooth, confident, but not overly cocky. Just enough for me to stand at attention from his tone and contemplate if I’d need new underwear every time he spoke. He said my name like it was an intimacy shared between us. Like because our names were the same, we were close.
But that was not the case.
I turned to face him, keeping my expression neutral. “Hi. And you can just call me Ellie. I think it’ll make things less confusing.”
He nodded, then corrected himself. “Right. Ellie.”
Damn it! That sounds intimate, too.
“I’ve been looking forward to running into you again,” he continued.
I raised a brow and asked dryly, “Why?”
He exhaled, shifting slightly. “I feel like we may have gotten off on the wrong foot the other day. I don’t like how we left things.”
He stood so close that I had to tilt my head back just to meet his eyes. The space between us was almost nonexistent, making me question if I had ever truly valued personal space.
“Like I said before, it’s okay.” I gave a small shrug. “Believe me, I’ve gotten over it. Hasn’t even crossed my mind since it happened.”
I lied. It did—a few times, actually—but that was only because I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the man with whom I shared my name. Especially after the way he looked at me that day.
“Well, unfortunately,” he said, his voice lower now, “It hasn’t left mine.”
I glanced at him, caught off guard by the sincerity in his tone. “Oh?”
He nodded while raking his strange eyes over my body, “Seriously. I can’t go on knowing I’ve wronged you. I’m stuck, Ellie.”
Don’t blush. Don’t blush. For Christ’s sake, Elliot Sawyer, do not blush.
Thankfully, Lizzie chose that moment to place my coffee and desserts on the counter.
I cleared my throat, trying to keep my composure. “Well, how about you get this round, and we’ll call it even?”
His lips curved into a slow smirk. “Thank you.”
As he pulled out his wallet and paid, I found myself watching him longer than I should have.
The way his biceps tensed slightly beneath the crisp fabric of his dress shirt caught my attention.
His hands were rough, worn—calluses forming along a few fingers, making me wonder what kind of work had left them that way.
When he pulled his card from the machine, a glimpse of ink peeked out from beneath his sleeve before he shifted, covering it again, leaving me curious about what was hidden away.
Lizzie shot me a look before walking away, but I ignored her. When we were alone again, my attention returned to his eyes.
“So,” I said, stirring my coffee. “Satisfied?”
“Not entirely. No,” he confessed.
I sighed in defeat at his difficulty. I thought Hope was hard to please.
“What more do you need, Elliot?”
“El.” His gaze held mine. “Please. Just call me El.”
I cleared my throat. “Okay, El. What will satisfy you?”
He bit back a smile, and I could see him fighting the urge to say something wildly inappropriate. It took everything in me not to react to his facial expression.
“Maybe dinner sometime this week?” he asked finally. “My treat.”
My playful attitude disappeared as quickly as it came. Why this week of all weeks?
I leaned against the counter. “Sorry, I’m working all week. I can’t.”
His head tilted slightly in curiosity.
“Really? What do you do for work?” His genuine tone was refreshing. I felt like he actually cared about the answer, and I appreciated the interest. Even if it was faked.
He propped himself up against the counter, positioning himself directly in my line of sight, making sure he had my full attention.
“I own a salon,” I said sheepishly, now nervous with him so close.
His brows lifted, clearly impressed. “That does sound like busy work. I definitely don’t want to mess up your schedule, but is there any way you can squeeze me in?”
I faltered, and the blush I had been fighting slowly crept its way up. “I—I don’t know.”
He studied me for a second, then smiled. “How about this? You seem to like this café, so maybe we can grab coffee before your day starts?”
I bit my lip. That… didn’t sound so bad. Right?
It was still a move in a direction I wasn’t sure I’d be ready for, but if it got too inappropriate, I could still graciously bow out.
“Um, okay.”
“What time do you usually open up your salon?” He asked softly.
“Around nine.”
He nodded like he considered the options. “Okay. Tomorrow at eight sounds good?”
So soon?
I barely knew anything about him besides his name. In fact, our name was the one thing I was sure we had in common. Besides a mutual need for mocha lattes. But, like a curious cat, I didn’t mind knowing more. It couldn’t hurt.
I hesitated, then nodded. “I mean… sure.”
“Great,” he said smoothly. “I’ll see you then, Ellie. Have a beautiful rest of your day.”
And just like that, he walked away.
Lizzie leaned over the counter, eyes wide. “Girl…”
“That was…”
“Yup.”
I exhaled sharply, collecting myself before grabbing my coffee and desserts and heading for the door.
That man was dangerous.
I made it back to the salon, my heart still beating a little too fast.
My mind was in tatters because I couldn’t believe I’d agreed to… a date? I hadn’t gone on a real date in years.
Dating required trust. And trust? I wasn’t sure I had it in me to give it to a man anymore.
El seemed nice enough. But wasn’t that how it always started? They lure you in with a false sense of security—then, before you know it, they’re sleeping with your sister while you’re too busy grieving your dead father.
Chill.
I was getting ahead of myself. It was just coffee. Barely even qualified as a date. Just a casual way to get to know the mystery man who shared my name… and my taste for chocolatey caffeinated drinks.
Esther spotted me as soon as I walked in. “Finally! Girl, I thought you got lost.”
“I got held up.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You good? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I forced a laugh. “Ha. I’m good. Here.” I handed her the bag of desserts she’d requested.
“Yes!” She dug through the bag, pulled out a wrapped treat, and immediately took a bite of the pound cake, groaning in satisfaction.
“Mm, she does put crack in here,” she muttered, then turned her attention back to me. “You sure you okay?”
I hesitated. “Yes, I am.”
But was I? I felt off. Unsteady. Like something was set in motion that I wasn’t ready for.
I turned back to my workstation, pretending to focus on setting up for my next appointment.
But my hands were slow and distracted, and my thoughts tangled.
After a while, I discretely pulled out my flask and tipped a little into my coffee, watching the liquid swirl together before I took a slow sip, letting the warmth settle.
“Let’s get some work done,” I said firmly.