"He's motioning for you to turn around." There's confusion woven into her words. Why wouldn’t she be confused? She looks like she just stepped off a fashion week runway show for baristas and I look like I've been dragged under a truck. I have spilled milk, a combination of espresso and cocoa and something that resembles chewing gum stuck to the front of my apron.
"I can't." I try to barrel my way past her to the refuge of the office at the back of the bistro. "I need to help Josephine do up next week's schedule."
"Alexa." As if on cue, Josephine's shrill voice carries over the buzz of the customers. "Take an order."
"Fine," Alexa barks back. I cringe when I see the expression on our manager's face. I've saved Alexa's ass from being fired so many times I've lost track and if she doesn't change her attitude soon, I'll be working here without her.
"Excuse me, Sadie." I hear his deep voice calling out from behind me. I know this is the moment when I'm supposed to turn around and act all nonchalant about the fact that he's in the middle of the bistro I work at. Given the fact that it's just shy of eight o'clock on a Saturday morning and I only saw him a few hours ago, I'm guessing that he has an ulterior motive. It's likely he's looking for the number of the redhead who was bartending last night or
maybe that blonde who was handing out canapés before dinner.
I turn slowly, trying in vain to wipe off my apron. He's standing near the counter, his left hip leaning against it. He's wearing a pair of jeans, a light blue dress shirt and a navy suit jacket. I drink him in. He's more gorgeous than he was last night, if that's even possible. The way his hair is falling casually onto his forehead gives him a boyish charm. The sharpness of his formal look has been replaced with a softness that makes him even more stunning.
"Sadie, it's me. Hunter Reynolds," he says with a grin.
I nod. Of course I know his name. I searched for it online after he left last night but what little I found didn't amount to much. He's elusive and that makes him even that much more appealing. "Yes," I whisper.
"Can you talk for a minute?" he calls over the hum of the crowded space.
I shake my head as I look at the crowd of people waiting to place orders. The line is out the door now. Working at the busiest bistro in downtown Boston certainly had its perks. You couldn’t beat the tips and the steady throngs of people passing through meant each shift flew by. "I don't have a break until ten thirty."
He glances at his watch. "I'll just wait."
I scowl at the thought of him waiting more than two hours in this crowd just to talk to me. I shake my head. "No. That's okay. Did you need someone's number?" I walk over to where he's standing. Maybe if I just give him what he wants he'll leave and I can get my heart beat back under control. How can any man possibly be as beautiful as he is?
"Someone's number?" He smiles sheepishly. "What do you mean?"
"You're looking for a woman's number, right?" I glance over my shoulder at Josephine. She's standing right behind Alexa watching her every move. I sigh. I'm grateful for the gentle reprieve.
"What woman?" He throws the question back with a quizzed look.
"Petra's replacement." I offer. "I assume you're here to get a number from someone else you met last night."
His eyes wander over my face while he contemplates my words. "I'm not looking for any numbers." He gazes down at the counter before he continues, "I just wanted a few minutes to talk to you."
"To me?" I almost scream the words. Dammit. I have to temper my reactions to him. He may be the best looking man I've ever met but I can't keep acting like an inexperienced fool when he talks to me.
"I'll order a coffee and wait." He throws a smile over my shoulder. I assume it's in the direction of Josephine. She may actually be the only person alive his charm won't work on. He quickly darts his gaze back to me. "Ten thirty it is."
I watch him walk to the back of the line as I pull in a deep breath. Hunter Reynolds is going to sit in this crowded, over heated bistro for more than two hours just so he can talk to me. I wish I had a clean apron.
Chapter 3
"Can I get you another cup of coffee?" I reach for the empty, stained paper cup sitting in front of him on the small circular table.
"No." He chuckles as he waves his hand over the rim. "Three cups is my limit for the morning."
I nod silently as I place a chilled water bottle on the table before taking a seat across from him.
"I wanted to apologize." He leans just a touch forward in his chair so his elbow rests on the table. "I didn't handle myself very well when I came back to your place last night."
I can feel Alexa's eyes burning a hole in my back. The quick pep talk she gave me in the storage room before my break only made me more nervous. Her advice for flirting left me laughing in her face. I can't think about that now or I'm going to start giggling and Hunter is going to think I'm more of a childish brat than he already does.
"I misinterpreted what you said," I offer. I still feel embarrassed over assuming he was talking about seducing me.
"I'm not usually such an asshole." A thin grin slides across his lips.
I smirk. "I would call you more of a dick than an asshole."