"Not like I remember him." She pushes her empty plate to the corner of the table. "I'd give him a D minus."
I burst out laughing. "That's why you're studying to be a teacher. You've got that grading thing locked up tight."
She giggles so hard so almost spits out the orange juice she just sipped. "Funny for you. Not funny for me. No orgasm for Alexa last night."
I laugh even harder as Maria winces at that statement as she walks into the room.
***
"You're a lifesaver, Sadie." Josephine pulls her arm around my shoulder. "Thanks for coming in on such short notice."
"It's not a problem," I lie. It was a problem. I had planned on staying in this dreary Sunday evening and watching a movie. When Alexa bailed on her shift after calling another guy in her quest for sexual fulfillment, I was the go-to gal. I couldn't say no when she asked me to cover for her. I could never say no to her. That's what best friends were for.
"It's been pretty quiet all day." She grabs her purse from beneath the counter before walking towards the entrance. "Lock up and I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Bright and early," I call to her as the glass door shuts behind her.
I spend the next hours busying myself with making beverages for the few customers who do stream in amid the rainstorm that is currently pelting the city. Between that and finishing up next week's schedule time flies and soon it's just fifteen short minutes until closing.
"I'll have a mocha latte." I recognize the smooth tone of his voice before I turn around to face him.
"Hunter," I whisper his name as I punch in the order. He hands me a twenty-dollar bill and I make change, never once looking up to meet his gaze.
"Keep it." He motions with his hand towards the tip jar and I push the few bills and coins into it before turning to make his order. We stand in silence while I take my time preparing the latte, hoping that he'll be taking it to go. I need him to walk out of here as soon as I hand him the paper cup.
"Here you go." I try to sound gleeful. Instead it translates to overly enthusiastic which makes me feel even more humiliation.
"You're almost done, right?" I catch a glimpse of him gazing at his watch out of the corner of my eye.
"I need to clean up after closing." It's not a lie. I do have a few minutes of tidying before I can take off. Tonight, I may stretch that to a few hours to avoid him.
"I'll wait." He settles into one of the empty booths that overlooks the parking lot.
"No customers inside after closing." I walk past him to hold open the front door.
He stands and walks quietly to the door. "I'll be in my car." He motions towards the almost empty lot at a sleek, black Mercedes C Class. "I'll drive you home."
"No." I shake my head slightly. "I'll be here for a bit. Maybe we can talk another day?"
"I'll be in my car," he repeats without emotion as he bolts into the rain.
I lock the door behind him and immediately reach for my phone. I text Alexa telling her it's an emergency and I need her advice pronto. I get to work cleaning the counters and tables. I store all the perishables in the refrigerator in the back and prep everything that is needed for me when I arrive back for my usual brisk Monday morning shift. I glance at my phone and there's no response. "Dammit," I whisper under my breath. In a few minutes I'm going to be sitting in Hunter Reynolds’s car without a clue about what to do.
Chapter 9
I pull the heavy glass door shut as I immediately feel the rain pelting down on me. The awning over the shop is doing very little to protect me from the downpour. I'm going to look like a pathetic drowned rat before I even get to his car.
I turn towards the lot and I almost run face first into his chest. He's raced over to get me, an umbrella above us. I smile at the sweet gesture as I allow him to guide me through the torrent and into the dry tranquility of his car.
"That's a lot of rain," he mumbles as he closes the car door behind him after helping me settle into my seat next to him.
"Yes." I offer. I feel my heart racing. Alexa's words taunting me to just go for it and sleep with Hunter are ringing in my ears. Maybe she's right. Looking at him now, with moisture pooling on his top lip, his hair disheveled and his skin glistening, I'm so tempted.
"What happened last night?" He doesn't waste any time jumping into the subject of the elephant in the room or in our case, the car.
"I'm not interested in a one night stand," I say the words calmly, trying to temper my racing pulse.
"Do you think that's what I want?" he asks. His eyebrow pops up in unison with the question.