Beautiful Rose (Beautiful Rose 1)

“You better go, Rose. It's almost closing time anyway.” She stood there for a moment, her eyes showing the pain and confusion she was feeling. I cursed myself for leaving this amazing girl feeling so rejected. If only she knew just how badly I wanted to be with her.

Finally, she nodded. Her eyes hardened as they swept over me. I followed her over to the bar and watched her gather her things. With a final glance back at me, she turned around and walked toward the exit.

This time, she didn't look back.

I waited a few minutes before locking the front door. Then I walked over to the stairs, flicked off the lights and went up to my apartment, kicking the wall on the way.

Fuck! Things should never have gotten that far.

Chapter Fourteen

Jack

Tuesday and Thursday nights were proving to be the most popular with the general walk in crowd; the open mic nights. Apparently, hearing the next big thing in music before it became the next big thing was a popular pastime. Even back when I was just working there, the open mic nights were always packed.

The speed with which the place had taken off had suited me perfectly, mostly because it kept my mind off of other things. Other, stunningly beautiful, long curly haired, brown-eyed things.

Who was I kidding? Nothing kept my mind off her but at least if I was working my mind couldn't dissect every second we spent together, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Grabbing my phone and keys, I set out for some breakfast. I couldn't be bothered cooking, so I made my way down to the diner on the corner.

I walked in to the busy diner and found myself a table in the corner of the room. I’d been here before—they made good coffee—and the service was always fast and friendly. The interior left a lot to be desired, with its blue and white wallpaper and miss-matching tables, but it was typical of an American diner.

After ordering some coffee and eggs on toast, I pulled out the rosters I'd brought with me, and glanced over them. The fact that it had been so much busier than I'd anticipated meant hiring more staff. Luckily, I'd avoided the need for interviews, because Darcy and Ash both had a few friends who were looking for work. After they had assured me their friends were reliable and hardworking, I had agreed to give them a trial run.

Over the last week, they had proved to be hard workers and had quickly fit into our little team. Alex had offered to cover a few shifts if I got stuck, but the thought of him working the bar made me laugh. He was less than impressed by my reaction to his offer.

"Jack."

I glanced up to see Rose, her brown eyes wide with surprise. She stood awkwardly holding my coffee and eggs for a minute, then set them down in front of me.

"Rose. You work here?" I said, glancing around in shock. I wanted to punch myself. Of course she works here. What, does she randomly walk into diners and deliver food to customers?

"Just until I get enough money together to get back into college. My parents kicked me out after . . . I left the hospital," she explained, her cheeks reddening. "I'm only doing a few shifts, and it won’t interfere with the bar." She spoke fast, her expression almost pleading me not to react.

I nodded as if I understood, but my mind was rolling with thoughts, the least not being how similar this situation had suddenly gotten to Belle. I took in her fitted black tee, my mouth watering at the way her black pants hugged her hips. I swallowed. Thank god she wasn't wearing a uniform, because that would've sent me over the edge. Suddenly her words hit me as though I'd just heard them for the first time. She’d been kicked out of home?

"Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped you out with an advance or something . . ." My eyes lowered.

Or something? And what would that have been, a spot in my bed? My eyes met hers as I tried to figure out what she was thinking. She looked embarrassed, her cheeks reddened and her gaze fallen.

"I didn't tell you because you've done enough for me. You gave me a job. I didn't want to burden you with all my troubles." She glanced back at the counter. "Look, I've gotta go. I'm almost finished my shift." She smiled apologetically.

"Why don't you join me when you finish?" I said, my words surprising both myself and her.

She hesitated.

"It's a coffee, Rose," I added dryly.

She nodded, her smile reaching her eyes. The last thing I wanted was for us to be awkward because of last night.

"Okay. I'll be out soon."

#

She sat down next to me. I could tell she was nervous, and I didn't blame her. I'd been acting uncomfortably around this girl for the past two weeks and she deserved some sort of explanation. Especially after last night’s kiss.

"How was your breakfast?" she asked brightly, trying to ignite the conversation.