Yardley
I couldn’t believe I’d done that. Then again, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t done it sooner. Rayne Waters had invaded my thoughts for a long time. It was time to see where her head was.
I went back to my office and saw my afternoon patients, glancing at the wall clock or my watch every thirty seconds. Five o’clock couldn’t get there fast enough for me. If Rayne showed, that meant we could at least explore the possibilities. If she stood me up, then I’d know she simply wasn’t interested and I’d have Lisa make all the deposits from that moment on.
I got to Bagels by the Bag at four-thirty. I couldn’t wait until five. I was worried she might show up early, see I wasn’t there, and leave before I even arrived. I peered inside and the place was deserted; except for a teenager with freckles behind the counter.
I paced the sidewalk out front for ten minutes before deciding I looked ridiculous. I went down to the newsstand on the corner and browsed the latest sports magazines. There were a ton of them I hadn’t heard of before. It seemed like every sport from golf to cycling had its own monthly. The days of Sports Illustrated cornering the market were over.
I spotted Rayne in the crosswalk at three minutes to five. I started to dash for the door of Bagels by the Bag so I could beat her inside. I didn’t want to seem hard up so I let her go in first, but I was right on her tail.
When I came in she was standing in front of the long glass case inspecting the different varieties available. I walked up close enough behind her to smell her vanilla-scented shampoo. I could see her reflection in the glass and she was eyeing me.
“Excuse me, this is my first time here and I was wondering if you could suggest a flavor,” she said. It was music to my ears. “I always have such a difficult time mak
ing up my mind when there’s so much to choose from.”
I tried not to laugh at her little game. She actually intended to pretend like we’d never met.
“This is my first time here also. However, the cinnamon raisin ones look delicious.”
“I hate raisins,” she replied, glancing over her shoulder at me.
I locked that into my memory so I could fantasize about her later that night, glancing over her shoulder at me while I was riding her from behind. I had no grand illusions about taking her home with me from the shop. She definitely wasn’t the type, nor was that the type I was looking for.
“The sesame look good, too.”
“Yes, they do. Sometimes sesame seeds get stuck in my throat though. I wouldn’t want to choke.”
“No, we definitely don’t want that.” I moved to her side and tapped my index finger on the case. “Ever tried garlic parmesan bagels?”
“No, I try to stay away from garlic.” She giggled. “They say it’s healthy but it causes bad breath.”
“True, and you never know when some stranger might kiss you out of the blue. You always want to make a good first impression.”
She blushed. She was so damn gorgeous. “I think I’ll have a plain bagel with vegetable cream cheese.”
“Plain? All of these choices and you’re going with a plain?” I chided her.
She grinned and batted her long eyelashes at me. “I always like to proceed on the side of caution.”
“Can I help you, sir?” the teenage employee asked.
“Yes, I’d like two plain bagels with vegetable cream cheese,” I told him, not wanting to risk bad breath either.
“For here or to go?”
“For here.” I turned to Rayne. “You don’t mind if I buy yours, do you? I haven’t done my good deed yet for today and I can’t go to sleep at night knowing that I missed an opportunity.”
Rayne rubbed her shoulder up against my arm teasingly. “I wouldn’t want to be the cause of you losing any sleep, so buy away.”
“Would you like some coffee to go with that?”
“Actually, I’ll take a cup of hot chocolate.”
I held up a peace sign to the teen. “Two hot chocolates.”
After he’d put our bagels and hot chocolates on a tray, Rayne said, “Thanks.”