Chapter Two #2
Since then, with helping to save her from a burning building, they were friends.
Good friends. She told him they could be the kind of friends that talked to each other about anything and everything.
Sometimes, she had even stayed up with him at night when he didn’t want to sleep.
Lidia was a good friend. She had Aria’s back.
And, it would seem she had the club’s back.
“I’m going to have to take a rain check. I’ve got club business.”
Lidia sighed. “Figured. Fine. Fine. I guess I’ll just stick around the clubhouse again. Aria said she’d hang out, but if Grant’s around, all they do is make out and that is so gross. Not that I’m not happy for her, I am, you get it.”
Pat couldn’t help but smile. He did get it, and a little part of him was envious of what the two brothers had been able to find.
****
“Y ou’re looking a little pissed off,” Ava said, placing a fresh mug of coffee in front of Pat.
He was typing rapidly on his cell phone and instantly stopped. The moment he lifted his head, she got to look into his soft brown eyes. She didn’t know what it was about his eyes, but it looked like he had seen a lot in the world. He was ex-military, but there was more to him than that.
“Just having a bad day,” he said.
“Ah, you’re part of the bad day crowd?”
He nodded.
She hated that he didn’t seem quite as talkative as usual. It was a slow day. They randomly had them from time to time.
“What cake are you having today?” she asked.
He glanced past her shoulder and quickly perused the board she had scrawled all over just a couple of hours before after Lauren had finished preparing the day’s cakes and cookies.
“Lemon drizzle, and make it a big old slice.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. She disappeared into the serving kitchen, going to the freshest lemon cake she had ever tasted, and took a nice big slice. Once that was cut, she made her way back to Pat and presented it to him.
She couldn’t linger as another customer had a hand in the air, wanting attention. She excused herself and made her way to the new customer, serving him with her usual politeness.
She had an odd sensation to keep looking back at Pat to see if he had stayed. Sometimes he stayed until closing, other times he had coffee and cake, and was gone.
Violet was already insistent on asking questions.
Her sister clearly sensed something was going on.
Nothing was going on, but that didn’t seem to stop her sister from asking endless questions.
All she had done on Saturday and Sunday was help her mother and sister with their sale items. She packed and worked her ass off, all the time trying to avoid Violet.
Her sister was a nosy little busybody when she got started.
Ava knew she wasn’t being very nice, as her sister loved her. She got that. Violet had always looked out for her, and seeing as she was a twenty-four-year-old virgin, it wasn’t like she could argue with her. She didn’t know what she was doing.
How did she end up a twenty-four-year-old virgin? After her father died, boys were just not on her radar. Then as she got older, working hard, getting good grades, helping her mother, being there, and then immersing herself into her sewing had been essential.
Once she got a job, that became a priority and, well, she had seen the men of Chaos and Carnage MC and the way they were around town.
She had seen men one day with one woman, on another day with a different one.
She’d seen women get their heart broken, and that was not something she wanted to experience. This was why she remained single.
It also helped that no guy had ever appealed to her. Not until a sexy-ass biker had walked into The Late-Night Coffee Shop, looking like he needed one big hug and an ear to talk to.
Not that Pat said a lot. She got the sense he wasn’t used to talking, but it was like he made an effort for her.
Once she finished with her customer, giving him fresh coffee and caramel cake, she returned behind the counter. No one else had arrived, so she made her approach to Pat once again.
“How was the cake?” she asked, seeing nothing but crumbs left behind.
“Delicious, but then you already knew that.”
“That I did. I make it my mission to try every single item Lauren, the owner, makes. There are some things I don’t like.”
“Name one?”
“I’m not keen on anything with beetroot, and it’s touch-and-go with zucchini.
But to be honest, I struggle with zucchini anyway.
” She wrinkled her nose. “From time to time, I’ll buy a couple of them, thinking they’ll be delicious, but guess what, they’re not.
I even attempted to create myself some zoodles. You ever heard of them?”
He pursed his lips as if he was thinking.
“No, I can’t say I have.”
“Well, it’s making pasta out of vegetables—zucchini, making them zoodles. Yeah, they are nasty. I tried that and you know what, just stick to pasta. If you’re not going to eat pasta, why even try a substitute?”
She heard his chuckle.
“Yeah, you’re not going to catch me eating zoodles.”
Ava looked at him and frowned. “I bet you have tried them and I bet you love them?”
He held his hands up. “Not at all. Trust me, I like some veggies, and I don’t mind me some vegan stuff, but there are limits.”
“Vegan?”
“Yeah,” he said.
This made her smile.
“Some food is good, and I’m not going to turn any of it down. Trust me, when you ration yourself for a period of time, it helps you appreciate all food.”
She knew he was referring to his time in the military.
“So, would you like to tell me what brings you back here every day?” she asked.
This was not flirting, was it? She was so tempted to ask him on a date, but she didn’t know how to get the words out of her mouth and just ask. She had never asked any guy out on a date. Also, for all she knew, Pat could just be being nice to her for the fun of it.
“I love the cake, the coffee, and the company.”
Now she felt her cheeks start to heat, and she was just about to ask him out to the bar but his cell phone began to buzz. She gritted her teeth and watched as he glared.
“I’ve got to take this.”
She nodded. What could she say to him? Tell him not to answer his phone because she wanted to ask him something really important—that was pointless. Taking a deep breath, she got back to work. Several men and women had entered as Pat left. She kept trying to see his shadow in the distance.
With Fall fast approaching it was getting darker a lot faster, and colder.
She loved Fall and Winter. There was just something about the darker seasons that made her feel at peace.
Of course, it helped that it came with pumpkin, candy, fairy lights, and turkey.
She didn’t have any of these things throughout the year. Maybe some candy at Easter, but rarely.
She liked to keep things festive, and candy came with Halloween. She had grown out of going trick-or-treating, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying parties.
Only, the last few years, she hadn’t gone to any of the parties. She, Violet, and their mother had a two-day movie marathon, where they snacked on candy and ice cream, watching horror movies, and giving out candy to anyone who rang the bell. She always stayed in her old room. It was a lot of fun.
Well, she knew her mother loved it, but then Hazel loved watching horror movies.
She hadn’t quite figured out that her two daughters spent most of their time behind a pillow.
When they were kids, their dad would sit and watch every scary item he could get his hands on.
She always found it strange as her mother was so loving, calm, and gentle, yet loved and relished every moment of horror.
Not that there was anything wrong with that, but it freaked her the fuck out.
Since their dad’s passing, she would start on Halloween and go into November first, watching a hell of a movie fest, and that would finish with the animation.
She would stay home until she could finally sleep with the light off once again.
That was how much of a coward she was. Yep, and before bed, she would check to see if there was a monster under her bed.
The horror movies of recent years had gotten a lot scarier. If she was able to go to a party and convince her mother to go, she would. She spent the whole year trying not to remember a single horror moment. There was no way to get out of it either. Lauren closed up for Halloween.
One person left, so she went and cleaned up after him, picking up his cup and plate, and taking them to the back. Lauren always stayed in the back.
“Are you okay?” Ava asked, moving into the main kitchen.
Lauren pulled out her earbud, and spun around. The baker was so damn cute and lovely. Long blonde hair, intense blue eyes, she was one of the sweetest people Ava had ever met. She was soft spoken, and she never cussed. Ava believed she was in her thirties, or at least late twenties.
“Yeah, I’m good. Listening to a book as I clean. How is everything?” Lauren asked.
“It’s going well. The lemon drizzle cake seems to be a hit.”
“Awesome, I didn’t know if that one would be. I thought I had squeezed way too many lemons.”
Ava chuckled. “I better get back. You know, there is nothing wrong with you coming out and seeing them enjoy your cake?”
Lauren held her hands up in surrender. “No, thanks. I’m happy with our arrangement. I hope that is okay?”
“Yeah, of course. You’re the boss, not me.” She winked at her boss, and then made her way back to the main part of the shop.
Pat was back, standing at the counter, and she felt that disappointment swirl in her gut as he had his wallet out. He was off for the night.
She approached him. “Is everything all right?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve got to call it a night. Thank you for the company, Ava. You’re a doll.”
Great, a doll. She was going to see that as a compliment.
“See you next time.”
Ava held her hand up and she felt so damn awkward. So much for asking him out Friday night. She took a deep breath, took his money, and went to the till, ringing him up. The best part of her day was talking with Pat.
How did women ask men out on dates? How did women get men to ask them out on dates? The dating scene confused her. Her parents’ story was no good, as they met in high school. Pat was older than her, and high school boys hadn’t appealed to her.
Pat was all man. Every single part of him. A rough, sexy, biker man.
Fuck, what was wrong with her? If her dad knew she had a mega crush on a rough-and-tumble biker, he’d be out of his grave so fast and wagging a finger right at her.
Damn it!
She clenched her hand into a fist.
It had been ten years since he passed away, although it had gotten a little easier to keep moving.
To keep breathing. There were moments like this, where she thought about a man she had a crush on, and the fact her dad was not there.
If she ever got married, he was never walking her down the aisle. Now that was a reality check.
She missed her dad so damn much. Even though he wouldn’t like that she was into older guys, she would give anything just for him to be wagging his finger in her face right now.