Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Hazel stepped back from the mirror in her bedroom and turned slowly from side to side, inspecting her appearance. She’d done her hair simply but effectively and had put on a little more makeup than usual. She was wearing a light green dress paired with a leather jacket and heels, and she felt wonderful in the outfit.
“I’m ready,” she mouthed to her reflection. “I’m ready with my gift. I’m ready to tell Jacob how I feel about him.”
She took a deep breath, smiled at herself, and then stepped out of the room and made her way downstairs.
“You ready?” Alexis was perched on the end of the couch and she grinned at her sister. “You look incredible!”
“Thanks.” Hazel blushed. “Yes, I’m ready. Thanks for coming with me into town.”
“Of course! I know you need the moral support, and I’m only too happy to give it. I can’t wait to hear about how this goes. It’s going to be amazing.”
Hazel blew out a breath and then grabbed her purse. “Okay, let’s go. I need to keep moving or I might chicken out.”
They stepped out of the house and climbed into Hazel’s car. As they began to drive into town, Alexis continued to hype her up.
“It’s going to go great. You’re going to walk in there to his—what is it again? An office building?”
“Kind of. He’s got his own office where he keeps his supplies and where people come to him for consultations sometimes. He said people tend to take it better that you’re going to have to charge them a lot of money if you’re sitting behind a desk instead of standing in their kitchen.” She laughed at the memory, remembering the playful grimace he’d made when he’d said the words.
“Well, perfect. You’re going to go to his office, and he’s going to think, ‘Wow, Hazel is going to hire me for a job,’ but then you’re going to show him that basket and he’s going to say, ‘For me?’ and be totally thrilled. And then you’re going to say, ‘Yes, for you. I like you. Come get dinner with me, I think you’re handsome.’”
Hazel knew that her sister was trying to get her to laugh, and it was definitely working. “That sounds like a Samantha version of the story.”
“Mm, it sounds like an accurate version of the story to me.”
“Yup, I’m definitely going to say everything just like that.”
“Well, of course.”
Still chuckling, Hazel pulled into the parking lot of The Salty Spoon. “What do you say to grabbing some coffee first?”
“I say, you shouldn’t procrastinate too long, but also I love coffee. Sounds great to me.”
They got out of the car and stepped inside the bustling, savory-smelling restaurant. Hazel had the gift basket for Jacob hanging on her arm, since she didn’t want the candies that she’d put inside it to get too hot and melt in the car. The Salty Spoon was both a sit-down place and a coffee shop, and the rich, nutty aroma of coffee filled the air as she and Alexis approached the counter.
Hazel and Alexis were whispering and giggling to each other, and for a couple of moments, Hazel didn’t realize who was in line in front of them. But when the barista said, “Coffee for Jacob,” her heart rate suddenly picked up.
Jacob was standing there at the edge of the counter, wearing a nice t-shirt and a baseball cap. He was being handed a couple of coffees by the barista, and he was smiling and looking as charmingly amiable as ever.
“It’s Jacob!” whispered Alexis, looking ecstatic. “This is it! It’s your moment. Tell him.”
Hazel’s heart was hammering, and even though she was thrilled to see Jacob, she suddenly felt as though she couldn’t breathe. Now that the moment had arrived, she wasn’t sure she was brave enough. What if he turned her down?
Alexis squeezed her sister’s shoulder. “You can do it,” she whispered. “Now is the time. Just take a deep breath and go for it. I’ll be waiting back in the car. Get me a coffee.”
Alexis turned around and scampered off before Hazel could protest. For a split second, she considered following her sister, but then Jacob turned around and saw her. His face lit up into a grin.
“Hazel! How are you?”
“Great.” She smiled back at him, feeling calmed by his sturdy, cheerful energy. “How are you?”
“Oh, good, good. Can’t complain. Good things are happening.”
“I was actually on my way over to see you. I have something I want to talk with you about.” She was a little breathless, but proud of herself for doing what she knew she wanted to do.
“Oh, really?” He looked worried. “Is that pipe not behaving the way it should? It’s not leaking, is it? Or is your bathroom sink acting up again?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “It’s nothing like that. No, it’s?—”
An espresso machine behind them made a whizzing sound, and she jumped at the sudden noise, startled. Her words broke off, and it hit her in a rush how jittery she still was.
I’ve got to just do this, she thought, feeling her heart race.
She took a deep breath. “It’s something far more important.”
Jacob opened his mouth, about to speak, but then he noticed something over Hazel’s shoulder and his face lit up into a grin.
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” a light, feminine voice called out from across the coffee shop.
Seconds later, a woman appeared, stepping up to Jacob and giving him a sideways hug. She was very pretty, with straight dark hair and smoky eye makeup, and she was wearing chic heels. Hazel gazed at her in confusion for a heartbeat or two, wondering if Jacob had a sister that she somehow didn’t know about.
And then she realized what was happening, just before Jacob said it out loud.
“Hazel, this is my girlfriend, Beatrice.”
“Hi, so nice to meet you.” Beatrice smiled at Hazel, seeming a little distracted as she took her coffee from Jacob.
“Nice to meet you,” Hazel stammered. “I—I didn’t know you had a girlfriend, Jacob.”
“Well, I didn’t not too long ago.” He turned to Beatrice with a grin. “Our relationship is very new. This is our what, fourth date? She lives pretty far away, so I have to travel back and forth to see her. I was just visiting her and some friends yesterday.”
Hazel felt a pit form in her stomach as she realized what Jacob’s day trip had been about. In a flash, she remembered the gift basket hanging over her arm, and she tried to drape her other arm over it casually to hide the contents.
“Well, that’s great.” She forced a cheerful smile onto her face. “I don’t want to keep you both from your date. I should get going.”
“What was it you wanted to talk with me about?” Jacob asked. “I can spare a minute.”
Hazel’s stomach did a somersault. “Oh, it’s not that big a deal.” She scrunched her toes together in her shoes tightly, hoping that she wasn’t blushing. “I—well, my washer was acting weird, but I—it’s probably nothing. It might just be one of those things that fixes itself.”
Jacob looked confused. “Well, can you tell me what’s wrong with it?”
Since there was, in reality, nothing at all wrong with her washer, Hazel just shook her head, smiling. “I’ll take another look at it first. I was just going to talk to you later because I knew I’d be passing by your office. Not a big deal at all. You two enjoy your date.”
She waved, doing her best to look cheerful and relaxed, and turned around and walked out the main doors. The second her feet hit the sidewalk, tears sprang into her eyes and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying.
She forced herself to walk slowly back to the car, since she didn’t want anyone to see her running away, especially Jacob and Beatrice if they followed her out of The Salty Spoon. She reached the car and climbed inside, letting the first few tears finally spill out of her eyes.
“What happened?” Alexis was sitting in the passenger seat, and she looked at the basket in Hazel’s hands with confusion. “You didn’t give it to him?” Then she looked up and saw that Hazel was crying and she gasped. “Oh, no! Did something happen? What happened?”
“He has a girlfriend,” Hazel sobbed, hiccupping a little. “She walked up to us just as I was trying to work up the nerve to tell him how I feel.”
She took a shaky breath, feeling relieved that she hadn’t gotten a chance to ask him out. As sad and disappointed as she felt, at least she didn’t feel embarrassed on top of it. Jacob had no idea that the basket had been for him.
And he never will know, she thought, the tears coming quickly again. I so wanted to give it to him. But I can’t now. It’s too romantic of a gesture to give to someone who has a girlfriend.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Alexis reached over and squeezed her sister’s hand. “I can’t believe he has a girlfriend. Since when? Who is it?”
Hazel shook her head. “I just want to get out of here. We can talk about it later.”
She turned the key in the ignition and handed the basket to Alexis. She didn’t want to look at it ever again.