Chapter 13 #2
“You think we’ll be able to afford to stay here?” she asks me hopefully. “Because we can’t live with Lucia and Izzy forever, and I don’t want to live in the ghetto.”
“We’ll figure it out.” I smile. “I promise.”
I walk out of the break room and back to the front of the restaurant with a heavy heart. I don’t know how I’m going to keep that promise.
While the fun, loving, superficial, positive side of me truly believes that I have the possibility to meet and marry a billionaire, the pragmatic, realistic side of me feels like it’s a pipe dream.
What billionaire is going to marry a server at a restaurant who is living with her boss’s sister for free?
I banish the thought from my mind because I know that if I want good things to happen, I have to keep a positive mental attitude. The universe and God reward those who remain hopeful and positive. And I want very much to be blessed, not just for me, but for Rosie as well.
The door to the restaurant opens, and I walk over to the front to greet the new guests, but instead, I see Dalton’s smirking face.
“Good afternoon. How can I help you today?” I try to stay polite; he’s a sight for sore eyes, but I don’t want him to know I feel that way.
He’s wearing a navy suit and a white shirt that’s slightly unbuttoned. He looks like he hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, and he looks scruffy and sexy at the same time. I kind of want to feel it. I want to see if it’s prickly or soft, but obviously, I’m not going to do that.
His lips twist up, and he smiles at me. “Good afternoon, Sage. How are you doing today?”
“I’m good. Thanks. And you?”
“So polite.” He grins. “I’m great. I’ve just come to collect some information from Gracie that …” He pauses. “Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think you care why I’m here.”
“No, it’s good to see you. I’m surprised you haven’t been here recently. I mean, it’s your restaurant. I didn’t expect you to show up to see me or anything, but …” I realize I’m rambling, and I stop.
His lips twitch as he stares at me. “Missed me, have you?”
“No, not at all. I barely even realized that you hadn’t shown up. Only today did someone mention your name. And I was like, Oh, shoot. Yeah, I haven’t seen Dalton in a long time. I hadn’t even noticed before.”
“I see. Well, that’s good then.”
“Yeah, it’s been great.”
“You’re enjoying working here?”
“I’m really liking it. Gracie makes amazing food, and all the guests love it. Lucia’s place is amazing, and life couldn’t be better.”
“So glad to hear that,” he says. His eyes gaze at me before he heads back into the restaurant and toward the kitchen.
I want to groan out loud. That was the most awkward conversation I’d had in a long time, and I feel like a fool. I’m about to go into the restroom and scream into my hands when Izzy saunters through the door, her blond ponytail swinging back and forth.
“Hey, there’s Sage.” She grins, runs over, and gives me a quick hug. “I’m so excited we’re all working tonight.”
“Me too. Haven’t seen you since last night.”
“I know. I had to leave early this morning because Colton wanted to get breakfast and …”
“So, you’re still seeing him?”
“We’re really going to try and make this work.
He says he realizes that I don’t want him seeing anyone else, that he’s really going to figure out how to make this work for both of us,” she says, her voice cracking.
“I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry today, thinking about this.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t think he broke it off with anyone.
I think he might continue to sleep with other women because I’m not giving him any.
And he says, if I truly want him to be monogamous with me, then … ” Her voice cracks again.
I rub her shoulder. “Oh, Izzy, you deserve much better than him.”
“But maybe he has changed. Maybe he’s realized that he’s going to lose me and he’s going to stop. He’s going to call it off. It’s not his fault that I agreed to be in an open relationship.”
“But you didn’t agree.”
“I know. I’m just so confused now.”
“And even if you did agree, you removed that agreement. So, you either break up with him or he stops. There are no ifs, ands, or buts, are there?”
“I know. I just … ugh, I hate this. Why are men like this?”
“I wish I knew, but at least we can all discuss the dating app today and go through our profiles, and all go find new men.”
“That will be fun.” She grins. “If I can just meet another man, then maybe I won’t even care about him.”
“I hope that you do.”
“I’m just going to hang up my stuff,” she says. “You got the front for a little bit?”
“I got it.” I smile.
I head over to the bar, where Lucia is cleaning the bottles.
“Hey. She hasn’t dumped Colton yet,” I say to her.
“I cannot stand that man. Honestly, as much as I hate to say it, I think we’re going to have to have an intervention or something,” she says, “because he sucks.”
“Oh, he more than sucks, and I’ve never even met him in person.”
“Trust me, Sage, if you met this man, you would understand just how bad he is. He’s the worst.”
“I don’t even understand why Izzy puts up with him.”
“Me neither.”
“What’s going on?” Dalton asks, coming out of the kitchen with a stack of papers in his hands.
“Oh, nothing. We were talking about Izzy and Colton,” Lucia says, rolling her eyes, and I can tell she’s been holding in some comments during the conversation.
“I see.” He nods his head, walks toward me, and offers me a smile. “So, how’s the dating going?”
“I haven’t gone on a date yet, so I guess it’s not going very well. Why are you asking?”
“I was just curious.”
“I see. Well, there’s really nothing to be curious about. Why do you care? You haven’t even been here for over a week, so …” I want to slap my hand to my mouth. Why did I bring it up again?
He cocks his head to the side and surveys my face. I’m curious as to what he’s thinking, but I’m not going to ask.
“I haven’t been here because of you—you know that, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“The last time I saw you, you asked me not to flirt with you.”
“What?”
“You said that it would be too complicated, and I wanted to respect that boundary. You’re my employee, and I am in a power position over you.
So I didn’t want you to think you had to flirt back with me to keep your job or anything.
Frankly, I like being around you and seeing you.
And there’s just something about you that makes me want to tease you and flirt with you.
So, that’s why I haven’t been here, Sage. ”
“Oh.” I stare at him, blinking rapidly. “Like I said, I didn’t even notice.” I stop as he chuckles. “Fine. I noticed, but you didn’t have to not come because of me.”
“I wanted to show you that I wasn’t going to cross that line. And, sure, I could have come and just been here, but …” He shrugs. “I didn’t want you to cross that line either.”
“What do you mean, me?”
“Let’s be real here, Sage. You definitely seem as attracted to me as I am to you.”
“I don’t know where you got that from, but it’s not true.”
“Uh-huh. Plus, you’re right. I have a son. He’s my first responsibility. And then I have other obligations and other family members I’m taking care of. I don’t have time for dalliances.”
“Well, lucky for you, there was never going to be a dalliance between you and me anyway.”
“That’s great. So, do you need some help?”
“Help with what?”
“Your dating situation. Do you need a coach? I know you’re looking for a husband, and it doesn’t seem like you’ve had any offers yet.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “I’m good, but I’m not that good, Dalton. Did you seriously think I was going to meet someone, date them, and have an offer of marriage within a week?”
“I don’t know. I’d like to think if I were one of those mysterious men you were after, I could be convinced to propose to you in a week.”
“But you don’t even want to get married.”
“I don’t, but if I were someone else, maybe I would.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Maybe not.” He cracks a smile.
“No, I don’t need your advice or help with dating. I think I got this. I think I do pretty well on my own.”
“I’m sure you do,” he says, his eyes lowering to my lips.
“I’m sure you have the full package.” His eyes darken as his voice grows huskier.
“I should go now. I’m still looking for a full-time babysitter, and, well, Toby wants to go to the park this afternoon, so I suppose that is where I shall take him. You have a good evening.”
“I guess I will.” I’m disappointed that he’s leaving. “Enjoy the park.”
“Thank you. I think we will. You’re more than welcome to join us if you want. I see you’re getting off in a couple of hours.”
Why would he invite me to join him and Toby at the park? There’s no way I would ever want to do that, yet I find myself wanting to say yes.
“Yeah, sure. Sounds like it would be fun.”
“I’ll pick you up from the condo in a couple of hours. Just text me when you’re ready.” He grins, looks down at his watch, and then back at me.
“Okay,” I say. “Will do.”
He walks out of the restaurant, and I wonder what just happened.
“Why on God’s green earth am I going to the park with this man and his son?” I whisper to myself.
He is everything I’m not looking for, yet I haven’t been so excited about anything in a really long time. I really need to get a life.