Chapter 10
Kayla
I pull out the only dress I own. It’s a simple knee-length black dress that I bought at the secondhand shop in town.
I’m thankful now that I bought it when I did.
I slip it on and breathe a sigh of relief that it fits.
I didn’t try it on that day at the store and then hung it up in my closet and forgot about it.
I love the butterfly sleeves; it takes it up a small notch.
I don’t have anything other than flip flops and sneakers, so I slip on my black flip flops.
They’ll have to do. I put in the small gold hoops I have, the only earrings to my name.
I add some lip gloss, powder, and mascara before trying to wrangle my thick hair into something that resembles a hairstyle.
The brown doesn’t throw me off as much as it used to.
I miss the blond at times, but the brown makes me feel like a different person.
I need that sometimes. After I manage to get it into a neat bun of sorts, I step back from the mirror.
“That’s as good as it’s going to get,” I mutter. I hear a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Noah says, starting for the door.
“No, don’t!” He stops and turns to me, and I realize how panicked my words sounded.
“I’ll get it.” I need to make sure it’s not the men that have been here to get money.
I glance out the peephole and breathe a sigh of relief when I see Renee.
I open the door for her. “Thank you so much for coming on such late notice.”
“No worries. Hey, Noah.” She drops her bag on one of the two chairs.
“Hey,” he says back quietly.
She turns to me. “So, who’s this hot date tonight?”
I smile. “It’s Cole; he works at the garage where my car gets fixed.”
“What did he have to do to score a date with you?” she asks with a smirk.
“Maybe I just said yes because I wanted to,” I counter.
She leans against the kitchen counter and lifts an eye. “Did you?”
“No. He fixed my car and only charged me for parts.”
“I knew it.”
I shake my head. “Laugh it up. Thank you for watching Noah.”
She waves me off. “You already thanked me. Now get going so you can enjoy your hot date.”
“Stop calling it a hot date,” I say on my way to the door. “See you, Noah.” He waves and then goes back to his book. “Thanks, Renee.”
“Have fun; don’t hurry home on our account,” Renee says with a wave.
I leave in plenty of time to make the walk to my “fake” house. Thankfully, I’m early. I walk up and down the sidewalk a few times before I see him. I smile as I walk towards his car and open the passenger seat door. “Hey.”
“Hey, Kayla. How are you?”
I close my door. “I’m good. How are you?”
“Good. I’m looking forward to tonight.”
“I am too.” I find that I actually mean the words. I’m nervous, but I’m looking forward to the evening. He starts driving, and I sit back against the seat. “This is a nice car.” I know it’s a classic car because it’s old; beyond that, I have no idea.
“You like it? It’s a 1970 Pontiac GTO. I restored it myself. It took me about two years.”
“That’s great.”
He glances over at me. “You into cars?”
“No, I don’t know anything about cars.”
“Guess we’ll have to change that.”
The chitchat is easy, and I find myself relaxing. He parks, and we head inside. “Have you eaten here before?” Cole asks as we follow the hostess to a booth.
“No. It’s looks great, though.”
“It’s really good.”
We sit, and I settle in my chair and open the menu. “So, what’s good?”
“Everything,” he says in return, causing me to smile. “The lasagna is really good, the chicken masala, the chicken alfredo.”
“Mmmm, that all sounds so good.”
“Oh, and the garlic bread they bring to the table is amazing,” Cole adds.
Before I can say anything else, our waiter appears. “Good evening. My name is Craig, and I’ll be taking your order. Can I get you a drink to get started?”
Cole orders a beer before looking across the table at me. “You want a wine?”
I swallow and force myself to focus and not get thrown off. “Uh, I’ll just have a water. Thank you.”
“Are you sure?” Cole asks.
“Yes.” I force a smile. “An ice water sounds good.” I pull up my menu and take a deep breath and remind myself that if Cole wants to order a beer, he can.
He's his own person. Mentally, though, I’m spiraling.
I’m calculating if it will be safe for him to drive home.
Visions of my very drunk uncle flash before my eyes, and I remind myself that Cole is not him.
“Did you decide on something?” Cole asks.
I close my menu. “Yes. The lasagna.” It’s the only thing I remember him saying.
He smiles. “Good choice.”
Our waiter comes with a water for me and a beer for Cole. I force my eyes away from the glass. “Are you ready to order?” Craig, our waiter, asks.
Cole nods. “Yes. Kayla?”
I look up at our waiter. “I’ll take the lasagna please.”
“Excellent choice. That comes with our house Italian salad. Is that okay?”
I nod. “Yes, thank you.”
Cole orders the chicken Alfredo, and Craig takes our menus and disappears. Cole looks across the table at me. “So, how is it working at Mama May’s Café?”
I smile. “It’s good. The people are nice, the food is great, and the hours are perfect for me.
I’m really thankful for it.” Knowing I don’t want him to ask too many questions on this first date and find out all about my past, I redirect the conversation.
“How about you? Did you always want to work on cars?”
He tells me about wanting to work on cars since he was a little boy and how his dad was a car mechanic before he passed away.
The bread comes, and it’s as amazing as Cole said it would be.
Then comes the salads and eventually, our main courses.
When I’m so full I can barely breathe, Cole pays the bill.
“Here.” I hold out a few twenties to him, but he doesn’t take them. “I’ve got it.”
“Are you sure?” I can’t help but ask.
He nods, signs the receipt, and leaves it for our waiter. “I asked you out on the date, remember?”
“Well, can I at least leave tip?”
“Sure.”
After that, we head out to the front of the restaurant. Outside, it’s still warm and muggy; but I breathe it in and smile. “That was a great meal; I am so stuffed. Thank you.”
Cole smiles at me. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Those two guys that were at the café...they give you any more problems?” he asks as we walk to his car.
His random question surprises me. “No. Butch told them they can’t come back.”
“Really? Were they that bad?”
I shrug. “I don’t think so, but it’s not my call to make.”
He takes that in. “Have they bothered you any more since then?”
“No.” I turn to him. “Why do you want to know?” I’m more curious than anything. We’re at his car now. I wait for him to unlock it before I open my door and slide into the passenger seat. Once he’s settled behind the wheel, I ask again. “Why were you asking about them?”
He pulls out of our parking spot and drives out of the parking lot. “They were inside tonight.”
My eyes widen. “Inside the restaurant?” He nods. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugs. “I was keeping an eye on them. Any idea why they showed up tonight?”
“I have no idea.”
“Did you tell them where we were going tonight?”
I turn to him in surprise. “No. I didn’t even know where we were going, just that it was Italian.
And I don’t know those guys; I certainly didn’t tell them I had a date tonight.
” I don’t know what to say after that, so I don’t.
My mind is still reeling with the fact that the men were there tonight, but after a little bit, I see the simple explanation behind it all.
“There aren’t a ton of restaurants around.
I’m sure it’s just by coincidence that they ended up at the same restaurant as us. ”
“What if it’s not?” Cole asks.
“I’m sure it is. If it wasn’t, they would have approached us or something.” Wanting to change the subject, I ask, “Do you have an early morning tomorrow?” A few minutes later, he pulls into the neighborhood where he picked me up. “This is good right here. Thank you.”
“Do you want me to pull into the driveway?” he asks.
“No, I’m good. Thank you for an amazing date tonight. I had a really good time.” I open the door and put a foot out.
“Wait.” He snags my hand. “I had a really good time too. I’d like to have another date with you.”
His words surprise me; I don’t know why. I mean, I had a good time as well. I’m just not sure I want a second date. But really, there’s no reason for me feel that way. I realize, belatedly, that he’s waiting on an answer. “Sure,” I manage to say. “I’d enjoy that.”
“Great. I’ll text you with when and where.”
I climb out of the car and lean down, so I can see him.
“Thanks, Cole. Night.” I close the door and start walking.
“Please keep going,” I mutter under my breath and walk across the street to the sidewalk.
“Keep going.” Thankfully, he drives off.
I breathe a sigh of relief as that was too close.
I’m really going to have to figure this out. I pull out my phone to text Renee.
Me- almost back
She thumbs up it. I continue walking through the neighborhood and then on to the next one.
Each block gets worse, and I keep my phone in my hand.
Where we live is shady in the middle of the day, let alone late at night.
I finally get to the parking lot of our building.
I keep my head on a swivel, watching all the dark corners.
There’s one light in the parking lot, but it can only do so much.
A couple of guys call out to me, but I ignore them and keep walking.
I’m almost to the building when a guy appears out of literally nowhere.
I jump and grip my phone tighter. Another guy joins him, and my stomach drops.
I don’t recognize either of them. “What do we have here?” the first guy asks, crowding my space. “You all by yourself, Princess?”
I force myself to keep my head up, even as fear courses through me. “I’m just heading inside. Have a good night, Guys.” I try to take a step to the side, but the first guy moves with me. Panic fills me, and I try to figure my way out of this.
There’s suddenly a presence next to me, and a hand grips my elbow. “Hey, Sweetheart.” I recognize the low, gritty voice instantly; it’s the redhead from the café. Jackson. “We have a problem here?” he asks the two men.
The second guy is already walking away, and the first guy puts his hands up. “Nope. No problem, Man.”
“Good.” Jackson keeps his hand on my elbow and urges me forward. A few seconds later, he opens the front door and ushers me inside. As soon as we’re inside, he releases my elbow. “Are you okay?”
I stare up at him, unsure how to answer that. “Where did you come from?” I ask instead.
He crosses his arms over his chest. “Why did you have your date drop you off in that neighborhood if you live here?”
My mouth drops open. “You followed us?” I take a step away. “Why would you do that?” My voice doesn’t come out as strong as I want it to.