7. Willow
7
WILLOW
My feet hurt.
I sighed as I kneeled on the booth next to the diner’s front window and flipped the O pen sign to C losed . I moved to stand, pressing my hands into my lower back to stretch out my muscles before I straightened and glanced around.
Patricia and Breia normally helped me close the diner, but tonight, Patricia had to pick up her husband from the airport. And Breia’s boyfriend had an AA meeting that he went to in Powta, so she’d left early.
That meant it was my job to clear all the tables, wash the dishes, and make sure that Brody closed the kitchen.
Jasper’s TV show blared from his tablet. I peeked in his direction to see that he was lying flat-backed on the booth nearest the kitchen, with his right ankle resting on his left knee and the table held up above him. His little hand appeared to grab a French fry from the plate I’d had Brody whip up and then disappeared as he munched on it. I hoped the setup would keep him distracted long enough for me to clear all the dishes out of the dining room.
I hurried to the kitchen and pushed through the swinging door. I plugged the back sink and started the water, letting it fill up as I grabbed an apron from the hook on the wall and collected three grey tubs from the stack. Once the sink was full, I headed back out to the tables.
I started in the farthest corner from the kitchen, stacking plates and dumping the different drinks into a community cup before stacking them together and setting them next to the plates. When one tub was full, I pushed through the kitchen doors and brought the dishes over to the sink and set them inside of the hot, sudsy water.
With half the dining room cleared, I paused and straightened my back before I rolled my shoulders a few times and dabbed my forehead with my wrist. I was hot and tired, and I was ready for a bubble bath and my comfy pajamas.
Movement by the front door caused me to glance over. From where I was standing, I couldn’t make out who it was, just that someone was standing at the entrance. I frowned, hoping that they would eventually figure out that the diner was closed and head home.
Uncle Doug used to keep the diner open all hours of the night. It was never really known when he was open or when he was closed. When I took over, I created a set schedule, much to the chagrin of the residents of Harmony. It was taking some time for them to get used to the diner being closed after eight, but they were coming around.
Three solid knocks on the door made me sigh.
Well, most people were coming around to it.
I wiped my hands on my apron as I turned and started toward the doors. I grabbed my keys from my pocket as I approached. Whoever was at the door had their back to me like they were looking around the parking lot.
I slipped my key into the lock and cracked the door open. “We’re closed…”
Cole Watkin turned to face me, his familiar brown eyes meeting mine.
“You.” I glared at him. “What are you doing here?” The memory of his threat that he was going to come back in a month’s time rushed through my mind. I realized that I hadn’t actually thought about this man in weeks.
I’d intended to ask Uncle Doug about the contract after Cole walked out the front door, but by the time I got around to going to Uncle Doug’s house, he’d left on a three-week fishing trip to Montana. When he got back, I’d been so busy with the diner and Jasper that I’d forgotten about Cole.
Apparently, he had not forgotten about me.
I shivered against the cool night air that surrounded me as I held the door open. “Why are you back?”
He reached out and shoved a piece of paper at me. “Here.”
I didn’t want to take the paper, but he didn’t look like he was going to leave until I did, so I gingerly pinched it between my thumb and forefinger.
He dropped his hand, and the weight of the paper fell toward the ground.
“What is this?” I lifted the paper. “From the law offices of Turner and Windrow.” I read the letterhead before I glanced up at Cole. Was he serious?
“You said I needed to come back with something legal.” He nodded toward it. “Read it.”
“Dear Willow Gentlesman, it is our finding after discussing things in-depth with Mr. Douglas Gentlesman and Mr. Nicholas Watkins that this contract was in fact created and signed by both parties. Legal action will be taken if the contract and terms are not upheld.”
I didn’t need to read the rest of the letter to know what it said. My expression stilled as I lowered the letter and let my gaze fall on Cole. Confusion coated my mind. He didn’t live here. Why was he so determined to own half of a small-town diner?
From the look of his clothes and shoes, he had money. He had to know that the diner was barely breaking even. Why him? Why now?
“I just want what’s rightfully mine,” he said, his voice softening like he had read my mind. “That’s all.”
I stared at the piece of paper before I slowly lifted my gaze to meet his. “So, what’s your plan?” I asked, hating that my emotions had chosen this exact moment to ball up in my throat and stay there. It hurt to swallow. It hurt to talk. I wanted to be stronger, but it was like I physically couldn’t.
“We’re going to make some changes so this place stays open, and then I’ll be out of your hair. I’m okay with being more a silent partner than a hands-on one.” His gaze drifted over my shoulder to the inside of the diner. “I have a life in Miami. I’m not looking to replace it with a life here. I just want to make sure…” His voice drifted off like he was reliving a memory. A memory that held a certain reverence for him.
I waited for him to finish his thought, but it never came.
Instead, the air between us grew silent. He cleared his throat and glanced down at me. “I want to make sure that the diner’s doors stay open. And to do that, I need to make sure that the business is optimized.”
I wanted to continue fighting for sole ownership of the diner. I wanted him to go away. I hated that I was going to share this part of my life with a stranger. I hated that I couldn’t refute his claims. I hated that I’d be stuck with him for the near future. And I hated even more that I would have to report back to him once he left.
I wanted freedom, and this diner was rapidly becoming a jail cell.
But what could I do? I didn’t have the money or connections to fight this letter. The contract was real and preceded me, which meant I was going to have to abide by it even if I didn’t want to.
Divorce had taught me that.
“So, where do you want to start?” I asked as I slowly started to fold up the piece of paper before tucking it into the front pocket of my apron.
He glanced over at me and then back into the diner. “Let’s start here.” He leaned back and ran his gaze over the front window before he straightened. “Why are we closed at eight?”
I sighed. Ugh. He was going to come in here and change everything. “Well, I’m the only one here. I know my Uncle Doug used to keep the diner open until all hours of the night, but I can’t do that. I have…” My thoughts turned to Jasper. I’d completely forgotten about him, and the fact that things had been quiet enough that I could forget had my mommy-senses on high alert.
I didn’t finish the rest of my sentence. Instead, I turned and headed back into the dining room, not caring if Cole followed me or not. Quiet Jasper was a thousand times more dangerous than loud, bouncing-off-the-walls Jasper.
When I got into the dining room, my gaze snapped to the booth I’d left him at. My entire body relaxed when I saw his little hand shoot up and grab another fry. It looked like he hadn’t moved from where I’d left him.
Movement next to me let me know Cole had entered the diner. His gaze was dark as he studied me. “Do you normally stop mid-sentence and leave the door to the diner unlocked?”
Ugh. This man was an ass. I was not looking forward to spending any time with him, much less having him looming over my shoulder at every turn.
“Yes. As a mother, sometimes I have to stop mid-sentence to go make sure my son is safe.” I glared at him as I marched back over to the table I’d intended to clean up before I was interrupted by Cole’s sudden appearance. I gathered the garbage first before I started to stack the plates in the tub, waiting for Cole to say something.
From the corner of my eye, I saw him scan the dining room before his gaze landed on Jasper’s booth. There was a part of me that wanted to keep my son a secret from him. I’d only known the guy for a total of ten minutes. I wasn’t ready to share with him the one thing in the world that I valued more than anything. Jasper made me vulnerable, and that was the last thing I wanted to be around this man.
“You have a son?” he asked, glancing back over to me.
Did he think I would lie about something like that? “Yes,” I said, my emotions getting the better of me and causing my voice to come out all breathy. “His name is Jasper.”
Just as his name left my lips, Jasper popped up from behind the table. There was ketchup smeared across his cheek. His blond curls were disheveled and stuck up in the back from where he’d been lying on them. He had his dad’s blond hair and blue eyes but my nose and lips.
“Mommy, I’m out of Sprite,” he said as he held up his cup.
I nodded as I set down the plate I’d just picked up and wiped my hands on my apron. “It’s just water now,” I said as I took the cup from him and pulled off the lid.
“Mommy…” he whined, but I shot him a look that I hoped told him to knock it off.
Jasper was a good kid. He was high energy and struggled to listen sometimes, but everyone who met him fell in love with him.
I doubted that Cole was big on kids. His clothes were neat, and his hair was perfectly styled. It didn’t look like there was any part of his life that was out of place—unlike me. I’d pulled my hair up in a messy bun this evening, and from the way I could feel it flopping around, I was certain I looked like a wreck.
For some reason, I wanted Jasper to be on his best behavior in front of this stranger. I wanted Cole to think that I was a put-together mom and business owner instead of the disaster that I really was.
I sighed as I forced out all thoughts of Cole and what he thought of me from my mind. I didn’t want him here, so I needed to worry much less about how he saw me. If he didn’t like what his partner looked like, then he could leave. I was done making myself into someone I wasn’t just to please a man. I did that for Harold, and all I was left with was a broken heart and a child without a father.
I was determined to shore up my son’s future. That was my only focus.
After I filled Jasper’s cup with water, I dropped it off to him. Thankfully, he didn’t whine about it not being Sprite and, instead, happily picked it up and took a sip. He was sitting upright now with his device propped up in front of him. I could see Jasper’s black sneakers as he wiggled his feet that were resting on the seat across from him.
With him taken care of, I turned my attention back to the table I had been cleaning. Cole was still standing nearby. He had his phone out and was busy typing on the screen. I felt like an idiot. Here I was, all worried that this man was judging me and my mom skills when, in actuality, he couldn’t care less. He wasn’t even paying attention.
I shook my head slightly as I focused back on the table. I was not going to let that happen again. I was going to do what I needed to be the best mom for Jasper. I wasn’t going to care what Cole thought of me. He was going to leave eventually, and I would be left to pick up where he left off.
I was going to live my life like Cole Watkins wasn’t a part of it because, the truth was, he wasn’t. He was an annoyance in my life that was eventually going to grow bored and leave.
Just like my ex.
I blew on a wisp of hair that had fallen from my bun as I emptied the liquid from the cups on the table before placing them into the bin. The hair floated up and then settled right back down on my face.
I wiped my fingertips on my apron and tucked my hair behind my ear. Then I lifted the bin and rested it on my hip. “Have you seen the kitchen?” I asked, not really wanting to leave this strange man alone with my son.
“No,” he said as he slipped his phone into his back pocket and glanced up. “Will you show me?”
“Yep,” I said as I nodded toward the back swinging doors. “It’s through here.”
I took a few steps toward him, and suddenly, he extended his hands and lifted the bin from my hip. I startled, my hands gripping onto the sides with confusion. I whipped my gaze up to meet his.
“Wha—?”
“I’ve got it,” he said. And before I could stop him, he had pulled the bin from me and was holding it in front of him.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Did I ask for him to give it back? Did I just take it? In all my years with Harold, he never once took a laundry basket or dish from me to put away. He’d spent all of his time sitting on the recliner with his feet kicked up and the latest sports show on the TV.
Cole must have sensed my confusion. He met my gaze before he shrugged. “I was raised by my grandma. She would murder me if she knew that I just stood by and watched as a lady carried something heavy without offering to help.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. Why was he being all gentlemanly now? Earlier, he’d basically waved that letter from his lawyer in my face. Now, he was taking the bin and offering to carry it for me?
Something wasn’t adding up.
But my feet were sore, and my hands were tired. If this man wanted to do the heavy lifting, who was I to tell him no? There were times I got sick of doing all the work.
With nothing to carry, I grabbed some glasses from a nearby table and nodded toward the doors. “This way,” I said.
Cole followed after me as I pushed into the kitchen and stepped to the side to get out of the way while propping the door open with my foot. Once Cole cleared the door, I moved my foot and allowed the door to swing shut behind us.
“So how many employees work here?” he asked as I directed him toward the back of the kitchen, where the dishwasher and sink were.
“Well, there’s me, Breia, and Patricia that are the waitresses. Brody is the chef, and he has Zaiden and Molly to help as well.” I paused as I counted those up in my mind. “So six of us full time.” I nodded toward the counter next to the sink, and Cole set the bin down. “We do hire some part-time work over the summer when it’s tourist time.”
I dumped the contents of the cups down the drain before I dropped the now empty cups into the soapy water. I gathered the garbage from the bin and turned to throw it in the trash in the corner. When I turned back around, I saw Cole had moved to pick up the plates and slip them into the water.
For so long, I’d done everything by myself. It felt weird, standing there watching someone help me. I wasn’t going to lie, though, it was nice…if only it wasn’t Cole who was helping me.
His movements put me into a trance as I watched him rinse off each plate before he arranged them into one of the light-blue trays that fit into the dishwasher next to him. It was strange watching a man dressed in dark blue dress slacks with a tie around his neck load the dishwasher. Normally it was Zaiden with his long black hair and checkered pants or me.
I stupidly allowed myself to admit that this man was attractive. It had to be the rolled sleeves of his button-down shirt that accentuated his forearms that was distracting me. Every time he reached for a dish, the sleeves would move up, revealing a tattoo on the under part of his right arm.
This man was a mystery, that was for sure.
And then reality hit me like a ton of bricks. This strange, handsome man was currently trying to take half the diner from me. I wasn’t supposed to be attracted to him. He wasn’t my friend, and he certainly wasn’t my love interest. I needed to build a wall between us and keep it there.
I didn’t know this man or his intentions. It was best to keep my distance until he grew bored and left Harmony for good.
“So, what’s your plan with this place?” My confusion had finally boiled over, and I needed some answers or I was going to burst.
He paused while loading the last plate to look up at me. “What do you mean?”
I frowned. “You look like you’re living a good life. Why are you messing with a small-town diner? What are you going to get from it that you aren’t getting from your life now?”
He studied me for a moment before he dropped his gaze and finished racking the last plate. Then he lifted the basket and set it inside the commercial dishwasher, which had a habit of not starting—much like most of this diner.
Once he’d closed the door, he brushed his hands off as he glanced over at me. Then he sighed. “Listen, my life is none of your business. If we can keep our conversations professional, that would be best.” He held my gaze. “I’m not here to make friends, but to do a job. Can you respect that?”
His words startled me. I blinked a few times as I compared his reaction against the words I’d actually spoken. Had I overstepped? It didn’t feel like it. My questions seemed legitimate given our current circumstances.
But as I chewed on his words, I began to realize that maybe the problem hadn’t been what I’d asked but, instead, that the issue was with him.
He was just a jerk, through and through. Who would get offended by a simple, normal question?
Cole Watkins, that’s who.
His words still stung as they settled in my mind. Tears pricked my eyes from the mixture of his sharpness and my habitual exhaustion. So instead of saying anything, I just turned and walked away.
I wasn’t going to cry over Cole Watkins. I wasn’t going to care what he thought. For a brief moment, I’d thought we might be able to find some common ground. That we might be able to connect through a normal human conversation. But he’d made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t interested in any of that.
Cole Watkins was never going to be my friend.
Ever.