Noah reads my message and then gives me a slight nod. I hope that means he’ll keep my existence quiet. I walk over and cautiously sit down at the table.
“How is Shai doing?” Nathaniel is asking. “I haven’t seen her in ages.”
“She’s fine, closer than you think,” Noah says, his voice ripe with amusement. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if she went into hiding the moment she saw you.”
“Can’t blame her. I acted like an asshole back then.” Nathaniel glances at me. “See,” he says, turning to me, “I was right. I knew we’d see each other again.”
I shrug and take a sip of my soda, desperate to not say anything I might regret later.
“I don’t think Shai thinks you’re an asshole,” Noah says, “but I know for a fact she wasn’t thrilled. The way you dumped her was really shitty, but I guess you know that.”
“Yeah, I do. I should have had the balls to talk to her instead of breaking up via text. But I was afraid she’d cry, and you probably know what it’s like when your sister cries. It’s just heart-rending.”
What? Does he mean that? It’s heart-rending to see me cry? Jesus, what a wimp!
“Why are you interested anyway?” Noah prods. “In how she’s doing these days, I mean?”
“I’m curious,” Noah admits. “I’d like to see her again.”
I can’t help looking at him then. He hasn’t changed much, because he was already rather manly at sixteen. The only obvious difference is that his arms are now covered in tattoos from his wrists up to his sleeves. As far as I can see. It suits him.
“She’s fine, really. I can give you her number if you want,” Noah offers.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Nate says, and Noah writes it down on a napkin.
My jaw has dropped, but I force my mouth shut and attempt to make my face look unperturbed.
“I don’t think she’ll be happy to hear from you,” my brother says with a smirk, “but who knows … maybe she’ll talk to you anyway.”
Wait till we get home, you jerk, I seethe.
“I’ll give it a shot as soon as I’ve gathered the necessary courage,” Nathaniel says with a smile. “I’ll leave you and your girlfriend alone now, ’cause mine are waiting over there.” Nathaniel throws me a glance and nods. “See you, stranger.”
“Bye,” I answer abruptly, feeling frustrated as I watch him go. As soon as he’s disappeared in the crowd, I turn to my brother and give him a withering look. “Was that necessary?”
Noah laughs. “Oh, of course it was. Your expression when I offered to give him your number … priceless!”
“If he really calls, you will be the one to talk to him,” I grumble.
“Like hell I will.” Noah grins.
I have a mind to sock him, but because he’s my brother, I refrain. I’m giving him the silent treatment for a while, that much is clear, and meanwhile I hope Nathaniel won’t have the courage to call me. For years, I’ve practiced conversations in my head, planning what I’d say if I ever talked to him again. Today, it happened, and I haven’t said any of the things I wanted to hurl at him. Instead, I was all but friendly to the guy who dumped me with a bland text message. What kind of coward does that? Okay, so we were young, but even at sixteen you should have the decency to do a thing like that face to face, not in writing.
***
My evening is spoiled after the encounter with Nathaniel. Every time he passes our table I can feel his eyes on me, and each time, he pats Noah on the shoulder. I should have known my brother long ago gave up resenting him—the whole thing was six years ago. When it happened, he was ready to tear Nate to pieces, but now … he doesn’t seem to care.
“Can we go home?” I say after a while. “I’m tired.” And I’ve had enough of this monkey business.
Noah looks at me with his head cocked to one side. “I’m going to stay a little bit longer, I think. I’ll get a taxi later.” He hands me the car keys.
“Thanks. Let me know when you’re heading home, okay?”
“Why? I thought you wanted to go to bed?”
“I won’t be able to sleep for a while anyway. My head is too full. I just can’t bear staying here.”
He gives me a curt nod. “All right. I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you, Noah.” I rise and give him a kiss on the cheek, before I turn and head for the door. I have to push my way through the crowd to get to the exit, using my elbows from time to time.
When I finally breathe the cool night air outside, I hasten to the car. I don’t like being out on my own late at night; Noah usually picks me up from work because of that. I’m relieved when I get in, locking the doors and then leaning back with a sigh.
Safe and sound. I start the engine.
Chapter 2
“That will be twenty-three dollars and ninety-three cents, please,” I say, smiling at the young customer.
She rummages through her wallet and hands me money. I take the three tens, type the amount into the register, and hand her the change. “Thank you for shopping at Meyer’s today, and have a great day.”
“You, too, thanks,” she says.
I hate working the register, I think for the umpteenth time today. I had to cover for my coworker Bernice, who didn’t show up for work. I’m a bit worried, because she isn’t just a colleague, she’s also a friend. She doesn’t go to college because she can’t afford it, which is sad because she’s clever and would breeze through it if she got the chance.
“Three twenty-nine to aisle seventeen please, 329 to aisle seventeen,” Cliff’s voice comes over the PA system. Cliff is not only my coworker—he’s also the announcer for our college’s football games. His quick tongue and ready with paved his way into the hearts of the other students and fans, because he always finds the most fitting and entertaining comments for each and every move down on the field, so funny that sometimes even the opposing teams’ fans laugh at him. And his jokes are not just at the expense of the other team—he often includes our coach and our own players in his ribbing. Today, his voice is a boon to my own ears.
“Thank God,” I murmur and log off my register. Ten other cashiers are working anyway. Three twenty-nine is my personal number at the store. We all have a number, and if we’re needed anywhere, it’s how we’re called over the PA. Every task has its own numbered code, too. Even if we need to use the restroom, we don’t say that directly, because it’s deemed impolite. We have a number for it.
When I reach aisle seventeen, Cliff grins at me. “Am I the best, or am I the best?”
“You’re the best,” I giggle. “What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing. I called you because you can go home. Day’s over,” he says with a wink.
“Finally,” I sigh. We both worked the early shift, which means starting at six a.m. I was called in at 6:30 when Bernice didn’t show.
“How about grabbing a bite to eat?” Cliff asks.
“Oh, definitely,” I reply. “I’m starving.”
Cliff puts an arm around me, and we walk to the staff room where we shed our store vests. “How’s Noah doing?”
“He’s fine, as always.”
“And how are you?”
“I ran into my ex-boyfriend last night, so I would say I’m somewhere between slightly confused and frantic with panic,” I muse.
“Which ex? Tim?”
I shake my head. “No. Nathaniel. I never told you about him.”
Cliff smiles. “Well, I know what we’ll be talking about over lunch.”
“I’m not going to tell you the whole story.”
“It almost sounds as if he was your first love,” Cliff teases.
I start to blush. “That’s because he was,” I confess.
His mouth forms an O while his expression turns compassionate.
“Don’t worry. It’s long past, just not entirely forgotten.” I smile.
He shakes his head. “You don’t forget your first love, ever.”
“True. But the weird pa
rt is that you forget the good things, and only remember the bad.”
“You mean you’ve forgotten all the beautiful moments you had with him?” Cliff asks, sounding surprised.
“I think I repressed most of them, because the way he dumped me was really tough.”
“How long ago are we talking?”
“Next month it’ll be six years. He broke up with me one week after my sixteenth birthday.”
Cliff hisses. “That is tough.”
“Yeah, especially because he told me he never wanted to lose me just a day before that,” I say. “At some point I found out that he only ever went out with me to get close to another girl in my circle of friends. And things went downhill from that moment on.”
“Why?”
I sigh. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That doesn’t sound like a fun story,” Cliff murmurs.
“It was a shitty time, and though I don’t want to blame it all on Nate, his behavior is part of it,” I explain. “But let’s go eat now. I’m already feeling queasy.” I force a smile, hoping Cliff doesn’t probe further into what came after Nathaniel. I did a lot of stupid things back then, and then came the moment when it got to be too much, and I regretted it.
Cliff offers me his arm again. “My lady.”
“My lord,” I giggle in response, taking his arm.
We leave through the staff exit and get into the car to drive to the beach. We usually grab a burger or something at one of the fast food places on the way and then go sit on the beach to eat and chat. Cliff and I are both approaching the end of our sophomore year studying biology and chemistry. I really like it—the experiments and the close scrutiny of chemical processes. The only thing I dislike about biology is the dissection of frogs and other small animals. I thought about going on to study medicine, but I don’t think I could operate on human beings. I couldn’t even get blood drawn without feeling sick. I’m too much of a wimp.
“So where do you want to eat?” Cliff asks.
“I don’t know. Maybe at the diner where your dearest Caydie works?” I suggest, batting my eyelashes at him as I say her name.
“She’s not my dearest,” he says defensively.
“That only proves my case, doesn’t it?” I grin.
“Go away,” he grumbles and steps on the gas. “I wish she was mine, yes, but she doesn’t even give me the time of day. I don’t know what to do to get her to notice me.”
“I never thought you had any problems chatting up women,” I admit, incredulous.
“I usually don’t, but it’s different with her,” he confesses slowly.
“Cliff, you’re good-looking, intelligent, and fun to be around, and you’re also an honest, faithful, understanding guy. What more could any woman want?”
“I have no idea.”
While Cliff is not a giant, he’s about six feet tall and really good-looking. His dark brown hair is streaked with blond highlights, which I’m responsible for, thanks to a bet he lost to me. His eyes are as dark as his hair, and his face is ruggedly masculine, like none of the other guys my age. He’s got the chiseled face of a model, always sports the right amount of stubble, and has a neck tattoo that snakes all the way up to the back of his right ear. It’s a tribal tat that’s supposed to look like flames licking up his neck, but I can’t discern the image. Regardless, it looks good.
We’re both silent for the rest of the drive, but I ponder asking Caydie for her number, or maybe just giving her his. I’ll think of something, because I’m an expert matchmaker; I always have been. I smile at the memory of managing to get Noah and his ex-girlfriend back together.
Cliff parks behind the diner. “Shall we get takeout, or do you want to eat inside?” he asks.
“Inside,” I decide with a smile before getting out.
We walk inside and look for a table. The place is packed, so the only available space is at the counter. We sit on the stools, but I keep an eye open for any patrons that might be about to leave, so we can eat at a real table.
“Hey, what can I get for you guys?” Caydie greets us when she returns from clearing a table.
“I’ll have a Coke,” I decide.
“Me, too.”
“Two Cokes,” Caydie says. “Oh, and if you’re here to eat, the party at the corner table just paid. They’re about to leave. I can bring your sodas there if you want to migrate.” She points at said table.
I nod. “Yeah, that would be great.”
When she’s gone, Cliff utters a frustrated sigh. “Goddamned fucking Christ—”
I clear my throat to stop him from going on like that. “I’m quite fond of swearing myself,” I advise him dryly, “but there’s a little girl right next to you, Cliff, and your honest expression of your feelings probably won’t be appreciated by her mother.”
He stops himself and laughs softly. “Sorry,” he says to the woman at the table closest to us. She stares at him in horror. “I’m really sorry,” he repeats.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” she scolds.
“Yes, ma’am, I guess I really should be,” he says with a shake of his head, before turning his back on her.
I stifle my own laughter and avoid her eyes.
“Come on, the table’s ours,” he announces, taking my hand and pulling me off the stool.
I follow him over to the corner table and sit close to the window.
“What’s so funny, Shai?” Cliff demands.
I grin. “The expression on that mother’s face. And the little girl’s!”
Now he starts laughing again. “Why’d she get all huffy with me? That girl’s going to learn far worse in kindergarten.”
“You know kids repeat everything they hear. Just imagine your kid swore in front of you like you just did. How would you react?”
“I suspect those are the magic five seconds in which you have to decide between a scolding and a high five, as my brother likes to say,” Cliff replies, the picture of innocence.
“You are impossible,” I reply. Noah, Cliff, and Nathaniel are the only people in my life so far who can render me speechless. In Nathaniel’s case—who could make me speechless. Past tense.
“I know. I’m impossibly good,” Cliff says, winking at me.
“That is undeniable.”
His smile widens.
“There you are. You were lucky to score a table. I don’t know what’s going on today, but half of Miami seems to want to eat here right now,” Caydie says, placing our sodas in front of us.
We thank her, and Cliff all but swallows his tongue, looking ready to swoon.
“What would you like to eat?” she asks, taking out her notepad.
I take a quick look at the menu. “I’ll have the fries with chili powder and a chicken sandwich,” I answer. “And a small house salad.”
“I’ll have the same, but with regular fries,” Cliff says.
“Ready in a minute,” Caydie promises cheerfully and vanishes as quickly as she appeared.
Cliff stares dreamily after her retreating form. “How can anyone be that pretty?”
I exhale loudly. “Good genes, maybe?”
He looks at me and grins. “It seems you have some of those, too.”
“Yeah, apart from the slight muffin top,” I murmur.
“That’s not a muffin top. If anything, you’ve got tiny little love handles.”
I smirk. “More like a spare tire. Or a lifesaver around my waist.”
“If that sorry excuse for a lifesaver could keep you above water, then I’m Jesus and I can part the Red Sea.”
“That was Moses,” I correct him.
“That was Jesus,” he says with conviction.
“No, Jesus could walk on water,” I giggle. “Moses parted the Red Sea.”
“Whatever. Then I’m Jesus-Moses Lassiter.”
I laugh out loud. “Holy crap, the poor church.”
“At least you got the holy right,” he joins in my laughter.
By the t
ime we’ve calmed down a bit, Caydie is already arriving with our food. She places the plates on the table, looking down at them with a frown, and then switches them around. “I’m confused,” she admits. “I don’t remember which is the fries with chili powder.”
“Not a problem,” I reply and take a fry from each of the plates, trying them. Then I smile at her. “Your intuition works fine. This is the one with the chili powder fries, the way I ordered it.”
She utters a relieved sigh. “Thank God.”
I look up at her. “Caydie, what do you think of my friend here?”
She looks at Cliff, then at me. “Is this some kind of set up? Are you trying to pimp him out?”
“No,” I lie. “I was just trying to convince him that he’s really handsome. He won’t believe me.”
She studies Cliff for a moment. “Don’t worry, you are really handsome.”
He blushes. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him blush. “Thank you,” he mutters in a hoarse voice.
“You’re welcome,” she says with a smile. “Enjoy your meal.”
When she’s gone, I grin at Cliff, whose cheeks are still flaming red. “She thinks you’re handsome, so you could just ask for her number now.”
“No way,” he says. “She was ready to cuss you out when she asked whether you were trying to pimp me out.”
“Cliff, you have to take some risks, you can’t just wait for things to fall into your lap.”
“I’m not waiting for anything. Most of the time, I take the initiative.”
“Yeah, like an elephant in a china shop, frightening away most of the girls,” I say.
“It’s a bull, not an elephant.”
“All right, so I don’t have my metaphors straight,” I concede, “but maybe you are more the elephant kind.”
“Subtle,” he chuckles.
Shaking my head, I dig in to my food. “By the way, what are you doing this summer?”
“I’m staying at my parents’ house while they go visit my grandparents in Orlando,” he answers. “What are you doing?”
Nathaniel: True Love: New Adult College Romance Novella (Coral Gables Series Book 4) Page 2
