“Your lover boy is here again,” Becca says as she comes around the counter, grinning at me from the hot pink of her lipstick. She has her eyelids rimmed with bright purple today paired with big long wispy lashes that lightly blow when she stands too near to the fans.
“He’s not my anything, Becca.” She snorts at my response, rolling her eyes at me. I peek around her as I wipe off the front countertop, smiling at the wink Rafe gives me from where he’s sitting in the back of the diner.
“Sure, he isn’t.” She laughs at the look I give her, swatting at my back when I walk by her to bring my rag to the bin. “You only have a few minutes left on your shift, just leave now.”
Nodding, I start to take off my apron. “Okay, sure. Thanks Becca.” Heading into the backroom I put my rag away. Usually those last few minutes of work would matter, but now that my power and heat bills are regularly being paid for I don’t feel as if I need every second on the clock of each shift. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they have been since Rafe figured out where I live. Not even a full twenty-four hours after he dropped me off, my online power and heat accounts were up to date. A week later my landlord came up to my unit to give me back the rent I had just paid, telling me that my rent for the remainder of the year had already been paid for.
Rafe has come to the diner almost every night since he dropped me off at home that first night. Sometimes he drives me home, but other nights I don’t let him and take the bus. I’d feel bad letting him drive me home every single day. I don’t know how to bring up my bills and rent. I know he is the one paying for it, but I don’t actually have proof. I’ve been chewing on how to bring it up the last few weeks and whenever I get the courage he finds a way to change the subject or distract me with another topic.
Stepping out into the diner with my coat and apron in my arms, I smile at Rafe who is already waiting for me. He’s as beautiful as ever. Normally I wouldn’t consider calling any man beautiful, but Rafe really is. His usually clean shaven face has a bit of scruff on it making him seem a little edgier than usual. As always he’s dressed in the fanciest casual clothes I’ve ever seen; undoubtedly his plain navy t-shirt alone costs more than I’ve ever had in my bank account.
Those dark steel gray eyes of his mist over my skin, lingering on my legs for longer than socially appropriate before I break the silence. I know Becca noticed and a small part of me feels satisfaction in that. I like when he looks at me like that. It makes me feel pretty. Wanted. “You know you don’t have to come here every day.”
He chuckles, the low rich hum filling my gut with butterflies. “You don’t want to see me?”
I stutter, flicking a quick look at Becca where she snickers from the register. “No, uh, I do, I just meant you don’t have to—you know, come here.”
He smiles at Becca, dropping some cash into the tip jar before turning back to me. His long fingers lightly wrap around my elbow, guiding me forward. His breath hits my ear as he pushes me in front of him toward the door. “That’s what you said.”
I huff, walking through the door he opens for me. “That’s not what I meant!”
His chuckle follows me. “I know what you meant, sweet girl.” My cheeks heat at the nickname he’s given me and I bite back a smile as he steps up next to me. “I have something I want to ask you.”
I frown over at him, watching as he clicks the button to start his car before we get to it. It’s warming up outside, but the cool breeze still makes it feel chilly when it blows through. “What?”
He steps around me, opening my car door and I slip in before he shuts it. Watching him walk around the front of the car I thumb my coat in my hands. What does he need to ask me? Is it about all the stuff he’s been paying? He drops into his seat and closes the door, eyes glinting at me. “Seatbelt, Ember.”
“Oh!” I quickly grab the belt, clicking it in place as he watches. I always forget since I don’t need one on the bus. He never fails to remind me or on some days, even buckles it for me. The thought flutters in my stomach making me smile to myself. “Uh, what did you want to ask me?”
Pulling from the parking lot he glances over at me, smiling in a way that has me resisting the urge to wiggle in my seat. “I’m going to be gone for a while.”
Disappointment at not seeing him as often as I have been settles in my chest, but I try to hide the reaction with a simple nod of acknowledgement. “Okay.”
He reaches over, chucking my chin with his fingers. “Don’t be like that, Ember.” I roll my eyes at him and he winks, bringing his hand back to the wheel. “I want you to come with me.”
“Come with you?” My heart flutters in my chest, thumping happily against my ribs. He wants me to come with him. “Where are you going?”
“New York. The Hamptons, to be specific. I have some business up there I need to take care of and I’m flying out in the morning.” He says casually, like asking me to jump on a plane with him to the Hamptons isn’t that big of a deal.
The morning? That’s so sudden. It’s almost four am now, so he must mean in a few hours. I’ve never even dreamt of going to the Hamptons. That place isn’t meant for people like me. Going would be a once in a lifetime opportunity, one I’ll probably never get again if I turn it down. “How—how long will we be there?”
“We?” He smirks at me. “Is that a yes then?”
I squeeze the coat in my hands, chewing on the inside of my cheek. Is it? “What about the diner? I don’t know if I can get the time off on such short notice.” My heart sinks at the thought, for a moment I thought I might actually be able to go. But I can’t risk losing my job over it, even if my bills have been paid recently. Who knows how long that will last?
“Don’t worry about the diner. I’ll take care of it.” It’s said with such confidence I want to believe him, but how could he possibly do that.
“You’ll take care of it? How?”
Rafe chuckles, pulling to a stop in front of my duplex. I didn’t realize we were so close already. Unbuckling, he leans onto the console between us, his fingers brushing along my cheek as he pushes my hair behind my ear. My gut lights up with the contact. “Don’t worry about it, I have my ways.” He pulls back, dropping his hand to unbuckle my seatbelt for me and I have to fight the urge to chase his fingertips. I live for his little sweet touches. “Now go get your stuff, we have a flight to catch. Pack for warm weather.”
Clutching my coat and apron with indecision I watch him watching me. Smokey grays are pinning me to the leather seat, a brow slowly raising with every second I don’t do as he says. My heart is beating wild in my chest, my mind racing as I try to make my decision quickly. Giving in, I nod, opening my car door. “I’ll be quick.”
His smooth voice hits my back right before the door shuts, shooting lightning bolts up my spine. “Good girl.”