"This was such a waste of time." My mother's gaze is still entranced by the trio of businessmen in the corner. "Are you coming or not?"
I pull myself from the chair feeling as though my feet weigh a ton. How could he do this to me? It was a simple request? It was just one meal. All I wanted was a few hours to show my father what an amazing man I'd met.
***
"Can you cover my shift on Saturday?" Alexa yanks hard on my ponytail causing my neck to snap back.
"Ouch," I scream at her. "Easy on the hair." I rub my hand over the back of my head. "You almost gave me whiplash, jerk."
"Sorry." She scrunches her lips together. "Can you do it?'
"Sure," I answer. I wasn't going to have plans. I hadn't heard from Hunter since he stood me up last night and I wasn't sure I wanted to hear from him anytime soon.
As if on cue he's standing at the counter. Sunglasses are covering his brilliant blue irises. His suit is dark, almost black and with his current stance he looks like a cross between a secret service agent and a hit man.
"Can I get you something?" Alexa pipes up and a wide smile pulls on her lips. "Coffee? Tea? Maybe me?"
"I'm here to see her." He motions over her head in my direction. "Sadie, take a break."
"You're him?" Alexa seems startled when she realizes it's Hunter beneath the dark glasses. "You look different."
He ignores her comment and pulls the glasses from his face. "Sadie, can you take a break?"
"I can't." I shrug my shoulders as I continue to restock the cup stoppers. "We're swamped today."
He cocks a brow as he circles his head around the almost empty bistro. "Take a break. This is important."
"Go." Alexa pushes on me. "Just go."
I throw her a steely gaze. Why doesn't she have my back on this? I told her on the way to work that Hunter stood me up and now she's practically throwing me into his arms.
"Five minutes," I warn as I take off my apron and follow him to a table near the front window.
"You're pissed about last night, aren't you?" He questions as I lower myself into the chair opposite him.
I scan his face, noting how tired he looks. "You stood me up. It was an important night for me and you just didn't bother to come."
"It's not like that." He reaches across the table with both hands to grab mine but I'm too quick and I retreat.
"What's it like then?" I challenge. "You said you'd be there and then suddenly you were too busy."
"Sometimes my clients aren't flexible." He leans back in his chair. I can tell I've bruised his enormous ego by not falling into his hands the moment he reached for me.
"What restaurant are you working on now?" I know the question reeks of distrust but I don't care. I want answers.
"It's in the early planning stages. They haven't named it yet." He looks past my head to the counter behind us.
"So what was the emergency?" I lean back now too. "If it's so early that it doesn't even have a name why did you have to stay?"
"It's more complicated than that, Sadie." I can hear the whispered tone of exasperation in his voice. "You wouldn't understand."
"Don't insult me." I cross my arms over my chest. "You didn't have the balls to come meet my dad and so you bailed at the last minute."
The thin smile that sweeps over his perfect lips doesn't go unnoticed by me. "You've seen them, Sadie. You're not questioning their size, are you?"
I can't help but smile back. "Don't do that. Don't talk about sex when I'm mad at you."
"Let me take you into the back room and I'll make you come so hard you won't ever be mad at me again."