“I’m so sorry, Aunt Flo. I’ll put in a new order first thing Monday morning and have them put a rush on it. And I’ll pay for it myself.” She blurted the last sentence so fast the words seemed to trip over themselves to escape.
“Of course you will, because I’ve taught you well. I suppose there’s nothing to be done now but to do as you say. But if the beans don’t arrive in time and we start to lose orders those will come directly out of your pay as well, is that understood?”
“Yes, Aunt Flo.” Chelsea’s gaze remained respectfully trained somewhere below the woman’s knees.
Flo spun on one heel and sashayed toward the exit. “Very well. So long as you understand.” She stopped and spun back to pierce her niece with one last look. “You might consider what happened this morning as you decide whether to let him stay while you lock up.” The glance she pegged Cannon with could have turned fire to ice, but he refused to break eye contact with the woman. After a long silent moment she finally lifted her chin and resumed her walk to the door. “Get to locking up then and don’t forget to go through the checklist or you’ll likely forget to do something.” The bell clanged a chilly note of departure.
Chelsea couldn’t meet Cannon’s gaze. She slowly stepped to the door and turned the lock. That couldn’t have been any more of a nightmare if she had dreamed it. Aunt Flo was…Aunt Flo. She had been the same since she’d been forced to take Chelsea in when she was orphaned at ten. And had turned even more prunish after Uncle Hank passed that next year.
She chanced a peek at Cannon’s face.
He looked stricken. In fact he was still staring sightlessly at the spot where Aunt Flo had stood only moments ago.
She winced. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel sorry for her. Actually…she studied his expression more closely. Maybe the look on his face showed that he was finally seeing her for who she really was. Just a mousy little nobody who could never seem to do anything right no matter how hard she tried. A sigh slipped free. Because after the nice time they’d had today she realized that was truly the last thing she wanted. But maybe it was for the best. Better he find out now than later down the road after things progressed. If things progressed. She pressed a palm to her forehead. Oh, this man had her in a muddle.
Until him, she’d been content with who she was. She served Aunt Flo and the customers at the coffee shop, she went to church, she spent time with Havyn who’d been her best friend since she and Aunt Flo moved to Seattle her eighth grade year. Her time with Havyn had been limited lately since Havyn had gotten back into the relationship with Levi. But even though it left her spending more time on her own and a little forlorn, she’d been more than happy to deal with the loneliness because she’d known Havyn was happy.
But this…this worry over whether she was going to lose a man she didn’t even have yet. She didn’t like this feeling. It made her uneasy because it proved she wanted something more than she ought to. If there was one lesson Chelsea had learned in life it was not to get her heart too set on something. If she didn’t want it, she couldn’t be disappointed when it didn’t come about.
Her rule had slipped right out the door the minute Cannon stepped back into her life this morning, she realized.
The silence was growing unbearable.
“Cannon listen. I’m really sorry about all that. Aunt Flo is just—”
“Abusive?” Sheer anger filled his tone and a muscle pulsed in his jaw
She was taken aback. “N-no. I wouldn’t necessarily call it that. Just…opinionated.”
“Chelsea…” All the fight seemed to drain out of him. Two steps put him in front of her and before she realized what he was doing he had her cheek cupped in one hand.
She touched his wrist, but couldn’t find the willpower to push him away. His gaze was tender and so full of emotion, she held her breath, not wanting to miss anything he might say.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. But no one should talk to you like that. Ever. You are much too precious to ever let anyone treat you that way.”
A frown tugged at her brow. He obviously didn’t understand. “Aunt Flo has put up with a lot from me and she just…isn’t afraid to speak her mind, you know?”
His thumb whispered across her cheekbone. “What has she had to put up with from you?”
Chelsea felt a tremor vibrate through her. If she told him she might lose him for good. Could she handle that? She bit her lip. If she felt this attached to him now it was only bound to get worse. Better she just tell him and rip the Band-Aid off all at once. “M-my parents died when I was ten. A semi ran a stop sign and they were killed instantly. Aunt Flo and her husband took me in, but he passed away from cancer that next year. Aunt Flo had a promising career as a singer and songwriter. She had to put all that aside to get a job and take care of me. And I’ve tried to be as little of a burden to her as possible, you know? But…” Tears welled up because she really did have remorse over all the troubles she’d given Aunt Flo through the years. “No matter how hard I try I just seem to never be able to do everything right. She likes things just so. And I try to keep it all straight, but I invariably mess up. But even through all my mess-ups she’s put up with me. So I try and have a little more patience if her words are less than kind sometimes.”
There, she’d blurted her whole sorry life’s story. Now the ball was in his court.
“Chels…”
She blinked. Were those tears shimmering in his eyes? She couldn’t stand the thought that she’d hurt him somehow. “I’m fine Cannon, really. You don’t have to—”
His thumb settled over her lips, silencing her.
“Chelsea, your aunt is blaming you for the spilled coffee when it wasn’t your fault. She’s making you pay for something that the business should be covering. She didn’t even ask if you were alright after a guy practically assaulted you this morning. That’s what I object to. You deserve better than that.”
“Maybe she’s right though. Maybe I just gave Ted a wrong signal somehow.”
Cannon shook his head. “Not possible, Chels. I know you. You didn’t do anything to lead Ted the Jerk on. And if your aunt would take a breath and think about you, she ought to know that too.”
She considered. “Maybe I gave off some unintentional signal that made him think I was interested?”
He tilted his head, his mouth twisting in disbelief. “You really think that?”
She thought of all the times Ted had asked her out. She’d repeatedly told him no in what she hoped was a kind way, but she’d definitely been firm with each invitation she’d declined. “Okay, maybe you’re right but Aunt Flo has done so much for me, I just want to keep the peace, you know? Turn the other cheek and all that.”
“Chels…” His thumb was back to stroking her jaw line in a slow soft way that made her knees feel weak. “You can turn the other cheek and still walk away. Jesus never expected people to stay with an abuser. You can stand up for yourself and still show them the love of God. In fact sometimes standing up for yourself is what shows them you are someone God loves. And they are too.”
“I think you may be misunderstanding Aunt Flo. She’s really not so bad. You just met her on a bad night.”
He didn’t look convinced. “How many nights a week do you come in and close up for her?”
Chelsea waved a hand. “Aunt Flo has a bad back and can’t do the cleaning and lifting that’s needed for closing up. Cleaning out the big mixers, putting all the chairs up on the tables, that sort of thing.”
“So you do it every night?”
She tilted her head. “Yeah.”
“You’re pretty special, you know that?”
She laughed. “It’s not rocket science, Cannon.”
“I know. And I’m sorry for speaking so harshly. You’re just important to me and I don’t like to see anyone talking to you like that.”
She smiled softly, touched by his concern. “I’m fine. Really. But I’d better get to
closing up.”
“We’d better get to closing up.”
She lifted her brows. “You probably don’t know what you are getting yourself into.”
He stepped over to one of the tables and started upending the chairs onto it. “You might be surprised to learn that I worked my way through college at a Starbucks.”
“Ah!” She cringed and gripped her head as though she was in great pain. “You are not allowed to say that word in here!” He laughed and she turned to get him the mop hoping a little hard work would expunge the last vestiges of her own personal little nightmare before they rejoined the others at the rink.
Chapter 6
Chelsea plunked onto the bench and turned her skates upside down, eyeing the seemingly knife-thin blades dubiously. I’ll be lucky if I live through this. How had she let them talk her into this? Christmassy? Since when had ice skating been Christmassy?
Rayne and Dixon Nash swept by laughing and waving a welcome. Chelsea watched as Rayne dug her skates in and dashed out in front of Dixon before spiraling into the air in a perfect pirouette and landing with a graceful swoosh, one leg stretched out behind her, arms extended. Dixon slid to a sideways stop and clapped his hands for her as she circled him in a perfect orbit. Havyn and Levi passed her bench without seeming to notice her. They were holding hands and Levi was skating backwards as they stared into each other’s eyes and murmured quiet words that only they could hear above the lively Christmas music.
Cannon sank onto the bench beside her and bumped her with his shoulder. “You okay? You don’t have much more color than the ice.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. She could do this, right? Her eyes dropped closed. Who was she kidding? She was going to be the laughing stock of the entire rink the minute her feet touched the slippery surface.
“Hey, what’s up?” True concern touched Cannon’s tone.
She should just tell him. “Um. I’ve never really done this before.” She swept a gesture to all the people miraculously still on their feet out there.
Cannon grinned. “Nervous you’re going to end up in a heap?”
She pulled a grimace. “In a heap with a sliced up something or other from someone else’s blades.”
“Well the slicing and dicing is highly unlikely to happen. As for the heap.” He pumped his eyebrows. “You’ll just have to hold on to my hand and let me help you.”
Anticipation heated her cheeks despite her continued reservations.
“And don’t worry. I haven’t done this since college, so if we end up in a heap it’s likely to be together.”
She refused to even contemplate the image of them tangled in a prone pile on the ice. “Oh now you are just instilling me with confidence.”
He laughed. Winked. “I do what I can for the good of humankind.” He pointed to the skates. “Want me to help you lace up?”
“No. I think I have it.”
Despite her assurance, he finished with his shoes before her and sat waiting. She tried to work faster. “Sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“What for?”
“You’re waiting for me.” The laces seemed to tangle in her clumsy fingers.
Cannon was down on one knee with his hands covering hers before she could blink.
She froze.
He looked up into her face. “You’re doing it again. Acting like you’re less important than everyone around you.”
“I’m not. I just didn’t want you to have to wait, is all.” She turned her focus back to the boot, intent on getting it laced up as quickly as possible.
“Chelsea.” He touched her chin, stopping her movements once more. “It really isn’t bothering me to wait. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
She pinched her brows together. Had Aunt Flo’s impatience and constant irritation really swallowed up so much of her? She thought she was just being kind and thoughtful – putting others above herself. Her teeth clamped gently on the skin inside her lip. Maybe this man was just a little too good to be true.
He squeezed her hands. “I’m not going anywhere. Take as long as you need.” He let her go then, and with the pressure off, the laces seemed to cooperate better and she was done in no time. She stood tentatively, surprised that it wasn’t harder to balance on the blades.
Cannon waited just inside the gate on the ice. He smiled and held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll help you. We’ll go nice and slow.”
She swallowed, knowing by the gleam shimmering in his gaze that the man was talking about much more than skating.
Chelsea’s hand fit into his with the precision of a baseball into a perfectly broken-in glove. He felt her hand tremble as she gingerly stepped onto the ice beside him. A kid whizzed by with the speed of a light-rail and her gentle grip turned into a vice. He couldn’t stop a chuckle. “Easy now. You ever skated before? On rollers, I mean?”
She gave an uncertain nod.
“Well this is real similar. You just push off with one foot and let the other one glide.”
“Glide. Sure.” The words were barely a squeak of audibility and he wasn’t sure he had any blood flow reaching his fingers.
He faced her and took her other hand as well, giving her a gentle tug. She slid toward him and he backed down the ice in front of her. The farther they went, little by little her death-grip eased and after she successfully navigated the final corner of the lap, victory ignited her heart-stopping smile.
He returned it. “Okay, I’m going to skate beside you this time around and we’ll go just a little bit faster, alright?”
Carefully, he let go of one of her hands and eased himself over next to her. Her death-grip on his hand returned in full force. He resisted a chuckle. But despite his levity with the current situation, lingering at the back of his mind was a concern over the way her aunt had treated her.
Many things about Chelsea suddenly seemed to make so much sense. She had the heart of a truly compassionate servant. Someone who ministered to others simply because it gave her great joy. Someone who truly listened to and cared about other people’s problems. But beneath that thin veneer, a deeply seeded insecurity had been planted. Doubt about her abilities. And always a question of whether a compliment was sincerely given. He would give anything to change that. But first she needed to see her relationship with her aunt for what it truly was. He might be jumping to conclusions, but what he’d seen tonight definitely constituted emotional abuse in his book.
Let it go, Jones. Just enjoy the evening.
Another couple of times around the rink and she was finally relaxed again. They skated slowly and talked about everything from who their favorite football teams were to what their favorite Christmas present ever had been. He tried to push away his concerns over her aunt, but he couldn’t shake the compulsion to talk to her about it once more.
Before he could figure out how to bring it up, Chelsea glanced at the clock on the wall and gave a little gasp. “Oh! I have to have the shop open by six. I really need to get going.”
He was sorry to see the night come to an end, but had known it was getting to be about that time. “Why don’t you just head on home and I’ll give Dixon and Rayne a ride to their hotel?”
She looked relieved and yawned hugely as she nodded agreement. She probably just wanted to get home and fall into bed. Still, he wasn’t willing to let her go without the parting words that had been weighing on him. “Chelsea?”
“Yeah?” She skated toward the exit gate.
“At least think about what I said about your aunt. You’re right that I just met her and might be misjudging her. But if she speaks to you like she did tonight all the time, that’s not right and you should say something to her about it.”
With a little frown furrowing her brow, she sank onto the bench and reached to unlace her boots. He gave her the space she seemed to need and held his silence while he took off his own skates. But when the silence stretched all the way to the counter where they returned their skates and out into the parking lot, he began t
o worry he’d overstepped his place. “Chels—”
“It’s okay, Cannon. I will think about it. I just want to be careful that I’m not being disrespectful. I know she’s really gone out of her way for me and I’m so thankful for that. But you are right. She does talk to me like that a lot. I don’t want to be one of those people who demands their rights and expects everyone to serve them, you know? I really don’t mind being the one who serves.”
His heart melted and before he thought better of it, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “That’s because you have a heart of gold, Chels. You really do. But it bothers me that she doesn’t love you.”
“She loves me!”
He thrust his chin to one side. “Does she?” He ticked a list off on his fingers. “Love is patient, kind, does not boast, is not self-seeking, is not rude or easily angered. Sorry to be blunt, but none of those things seem to apply to the woman I met. And Chels…” He stepped closer and touched her chin to ensure he had her attention. “You deserve to be loved. God loves us perfectly, but we need human love too. I just don’t like to see you being mistreated and taken advantage of. I want better for you.”
She dipped her chin, but smiled her thanks, which gave him a measure of relief. Maybe he hadn’t stepped too far over the boundary of their newly rekindled relationship.
“I’ll be by for a mocha first thing in the morning.” He squeezed her elbow and then opened her door for her.
She giggled. “Oh good. I like it when good tippers make a habit of coming in.” With a cheeky bat of her lashes, she sank into her seat and pulled her door shut.
He shook his head and laughed as she backed out of her space and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 7
Wednesday evening, Chelsea left Flo’s Coffee Shop and paused on the sidewalk to stretch the ache out of her back. One of her workers for the day had called in sick so she’d had to cover her shift. She glanced at her watch. Which meant she had just enough time to get to church for Bible study before she had to be back here to close up the shop for the night.
Mistletoe and Mochas: A Christmas Romance Novella (Hearts of Hollywood Book 2) Page 4
