Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Trina
“You showed up,” Cole says, answering the door with a big smile.
“My stomach made me,” I joke. “It heard about the cinnamon rolls and wouldn’t stop growling.”
He laughs. “Come on in.”
I go inside and am greeted by the smell of bacon cooking. I feel like I could eat a whole plate of it. Why am I so hungry? I normally skip breakfast.
“Hey, Trina,” Scott says in a casual tone, like I’m just the girl next door and not the girl he made come on his kitchen counter last night. The same counter where he’s now making breakfast. I hope he cleaned it.
“Have a seat,” Cole says, motioning to one of the stools lined up along the counter. It’s directly across from where I was last night when Scott… I can’t think about that. I need to wipe that thought from my brain or I won’t be able to eat breakfast.
I sit down and Scott hands me a plate.
“Help yourself,” he says, setting a bowl of scrambled eggs next to me. “I’ll get you some bacon.”
I watch as he goes to the stove and transfers the bacon from a skillet to a plate. Where did he learn to cook? And how does he eat this way and still have a body like that? His butt looks really good in those jeans. Wait, I’m not supposed to be looking at that.
“Here you go.” He sets the plate of bacon next to the eggs.
“And you gotta have one of these,” Cole says, setting a cinnamon roll on my plate and licking the frosting from his fingers.
“Thanks,” I say, picking up my fork and digging into my eggs. “Do you guys really have breakfast together every Saturday morning?”
“We’ve been doing it for years,” Cole says, stuffing a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Except when I was on the team, but Hudson filled in for me.” He looks at Scott. “Has she met Hudson?”
“She hasn’t met any of the guys, except you.”
“You’ll meet them at the party tonight,” Cole says, chomping on his bacon.
“She’s not going,” Scott says, grabbing a plate and coming around the counter to sit next to me. Does he really have to sit there? He could’ve sat on the other side of Cole.
“Why aren’t you going?” Cole asks me.
“She thinks adults aren’t allowed to have fun,” Scott says, reaching across me to the bowl of eggs.
I shoot him an annoyed look. “I never said adults can’t have fun.”
“You implied it,” he says, spooning eggs on his plate. “Multiple times.”
“What I meant is that your parties are like college frat parties, not parties appropriate for someone your age.”
Cole laughs. “I think she just called you old.”
Scott turns to me. “And what kind of parties are appropriate for someone my age?”
“A nice dinner party, with maybe three or four couples.”
“You want me to have couples over? And be the only single person?”
I see his point. Bad example.
“Okay, so invite single people. The point is, there’s no pounding music, no kegs, no beer pong or dancing on tables. It’s just a few people having a nice sit-down dinner.”
“Sounds boring,” Scott says, helping himself to a cinnamon roll.
“I agree,” Cole says. “I’ve been to those parties and I couldn’t wait to leave.”
“They don’t have to be boring,” I say. “It depends on who you invite.”
“Just show up tonight,” Cole says. “Then you can decide if our parties are really that bad.”
Scott leans over to me. “Could you pass the bacon?”
I grab the plate and hand it to him, ignoring how good he smells. I really love that cologne he wears.
“So how did this start?” I ask, tearing off a piece of my cinnamon roll. “This Saturday breakfast tradition?”
The room goes silent. I glance at Cole, then Scott.
“Is it a secret?” I say with a laugh. “Or what’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Scott says, his eyes on Cole. “We can’t remember when it was. It started when we were living in California.”
“You lived there too?” I ask Cole.
He nods. “Scott and I went to college out there.”
“When did you move to New York?” I ask Cole.
“After I was kicked off the team.”
“They didn’t kick you off,” Scott says. “You were injured.”
“Which is why they kicked me off the team.”
“How’s your leg?” I ask. “Is it getting better?”
He shrugs. “Depends on the day. Like right now? It hurts like hell, but yesterday it was fine.”
“It’ll get better,” Scott says, chewing on a piece of bacon. “It just needs more time.”
“I don’t have time,” Cole says. “Soon I’ll be too old to play.” He gets off the stool and takes his plate to the sink. “I’ve got stuff to do. I’m going to head out.”
“What time are you getting here tonight?” Scott asks.
“I don’t know yet. I’ll text you later. Bye, Trina.”
“Bye!” I turn and watch as Cole leaves. When he’s gone, I look at Scott. “That was weird. He just got up and left.”
“He doesn’t like talking about his leg.”
“Oh. Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s fine. You didn’t know.”
When I’ve finished my breakfast, Scott points to my plate. “You want any more?”
“No, I’m full.”
He takes our plates and brings them to the sink.
“I can help clean up,” I say, going around the counter. I pick up the bowl that had the eggs. “What should I do with this?”
“I’ve got it,” he says, taking the bowl from me.
Our eyes meet and I feel the heat between us, rising quickly, like it can’t be contained. I want to kiss him so bad. I want him to grab me and haul me to his bed and rip off my clothes and—
“Trina, I got it,” he says. “You can let go.”
Looking down, I notice I’m gripping the bowl, not letting him have it. I release it and he sets it on the counter.
“You can get to work,” he says. “The key’s on the table by the door.”
“Okay. How do I inflate the chairs?”
“There’s an air pump in the storage room,” he says, his back to me as he rinses the bowl in the sink. “If you need help using it, just let me know.”
He no longer seems angry at me, but he’s not the guy I was with last night. Or even last week. He’s not flirting. He’s not making any sexual innuendos. There’s no ‘accidental’ touching of my hand or arm. Instead, he’s all business.
I leave his apartment and go down to the storage room. It’s a mess, like everything was just thrown in here after last week’s party. The boxes on the shelves look like they’re about to tip over and fall on the floor. Scott should hire me to organize this room when I’m done with the others.
Two hours later, I’ve got everything moved down to Scott’s apartment and all the party furniture inflated. I think I’m done, but I need to check with Scott and he’s on the phone. From what I’ve overheard so far, it sounds like a work call.
“No, we’re not agreeing to that,” he says to whoever he’s talking to. He’s sitting on the couch, leaning forward, looking very serious. “The limit is two million. If they want more, we’ll shut down the deal. No more negotiating.”
Hearing him talk business is getting me aroused. I can’t help it. I’m attracted to professional men. Guys in suits. That’s what attracted me to Asher. He was a finance major in college and worked as an intern on Wall Street.
I’d love to see Scott in a suit. I’m getting hot just imagining it.
“Let me handle it,” he says. “As your lawyer, I need to be involved at this point. We’re close to a deal, and if I show up at the meeting, I’m certain we can wrap this up at the price you want.” He listens and nods. “Yeah, let me check my schedule. I’ll make it work. Bye, Steve.” Scott gets up and notices me by the door. “Hey, I didn’t know you were there. Did you need something?”
“Yeah, I think I got everything set up, but I wanted to check with you before I locked up the storage room.”
He looks around the apartment. “I think we’re good. Thanks for helping out.”
“Sure.” I open the door. “So I guess I’ll see you Monday.”
“Yeah,” he says, looking at his phone, not even glancing up at me.
As I’m getting ready for my second job, I can’t ignore the disappointment I feel that Scott no longer wants to be friends. I guess I shouldn’t assume that, but that’s what it feels like.
Why do I care? It’s not like anything was going to happen between us. He’s a party boy and I’m a… I don’t know what I am anymore. A single girl with no social life, stocking shelves for a living?
This is not how my life was supposed to go. I need to make some changes. I need to figure out what I want, and who I am without Asher. I hate to admit this, but Scott was right. I’ve forgotten how to have fun. Let loose. Be spontaneous. I was like that in high school, and even in college. Then I met Asher, who’s very proper and serious, and I changed myself to be like him. But I don’t have to do that anymore. I can be whoever I want.
Maybe I’ll go to the party tonight. It’d be better than sitting in my room, listening to people having fun next door.
Later that afternoon, as I’m stocking the canned vegetables, Frank comes up to me.
“How was your date?” he asks, a big grin on his face.
“My date?”
“Last night. With Scott.”
I forgot I told Frank about that.
“It was good.”
“So you’re going to keep seeing him?”
“Um, maybe. We haven’t decided.”
“Then you’re open to dating Wally.” He winks. “That’s good, because he’s coming by later. I can introduce you.”
“Yeah, about that. I don’t think Wally and I are a good match.”
“You won’t know until you meet him. I think you’ll really like him. He’s a little on the heavy side, but you know what they say. More to love!”
I’m not going out with Wally. I saw a picture of him in Frank’s office and he is definitely not my type. He’s short, wide, and has a mohawk.
“Hey, Frank!” Rose, the eye-rolling cashier, yells. “I’m supposed to be on break.”
“Be there in a minute,” he says, then he says to me, “I’ll let you know when Wally gets here.”
“Great,” I mutter.
“Oh, I need you to stock the prophylactics. They’re almost out.”
“The what?” I ask.
“The prophylactics.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
He sighs. “I guess your generation calls them condoms. Anyway, I need to go watch the register.”
He leaves and Rose appears. “I heard you’re going out with Wally.”
She smiles. She never smiles. Apparently, she finds this whole Wally situation humorous enough to warrant a smile.
“I’m not going out with him,” I say, keeping my voice low so Frank doesn’t hear.
“He collects stuffed unicorns,” Rose says, laughing a little. “Maybe he’ll let you play with them.”
“Don’t you need to go on break?”
She steps closer to me. “Just so you know, you’re not getting my job.”
“I’m not trying to get your job. I already have one.”
“All Frank talks about is how great you are and how the customers like you and all this other crap. I bet he offers you a job at the register, but you better not take it.” She points her finger at my face. “If you do, you’re going to regret it.”
“You’re threatening me? Over a cashier job?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She huffs. “You think it’s not a good job? You think you’re better than me?”
This girl has a serious anger problem. And she’s always thinking people are out to get her.
“Look, I don’t want your job,” I tell her. “I like stocking. It’s easy, and I don’t have to deal with anyone. Cashiering is way harder. You have to handle money and memorize all the produce codes and deal with customers. You’re obviously really good at it because you make it look easy. I’d be struggling. It’d take me years to figure it out.”
She smiles a little. “I am really good at it.”
“So you have nothing to worry about. Frank wouldn’t even consider taking you off the register.”
She glances at him, then back at me. “If you want him to back off the thing with Wally, just tell him you have a boyfriend.”
“I already did. Well, I said I had a date.”
“A date isn’t a boyfriend. Just make a guy up if you have to. Or tell him it’s that guy who lives in your building.”
“You mean Scott?”
“Yeah, Frank keeps telling him to ask you out. He’d totally believe you if you said you’re dating him.”
“Frank told Scott to go out with me? Are you sure?”
“Have you noticed how loud Frank talks? The whole store heard him. And he said it more than once.”
“Then why is he setting me up with Wally?”
“Because it’s his next best choice to match you up with? I don’t know. I gotta go on my break.” She takes off.
I think Rose and I are finally getting along. Now I get why she hated me. She thought I wanted her job. I wouldn’t be surprised if Frank offered it to me. I’m a lot friendlier than Rose. But I wouldn’t take it. I actually like stocking shelves.
Speaking of that, I need to go find the condoms. Or prophylactics, as Frank would say. I’ve never heard them called that.
Back in the storeroom, I head to the personal hygiene section and find the condoms. I forgot to check which ones we need. I grab a few boxes of each, knowing we usually sell out of every kind on Friday nights. The same will be true tonight, as people stock up for their dates.
When I go back out to the store to the condom section, I find there’s only one box left. A lot of people were getting lucky last night. Except for me, but I’m not going to think about that anymore.
As I’m filling the racks, I see Rose returning from her break, taking Frank’s place at the register. I hope he doesn’t come over here and tell me more about Wally. Keeping an eye on him, I watch as he walks over to a woman at the dairy case and starts talking to her.
“What do you recommend?” someone says, startling me.
I look back and see Scott behind me. Of course, he would show up when I’m stocking condoms.