“It’s not just his impressive life plans, but he also appears to be quite the gentleman,” I added.
“Nah, he had it all wrong.” Rick shook his head.
I crossed my arms, amused. “How would you know, you didn’t even hear—”
“I didn’t have to, Amy.”
A strange thought crept into my head at the moment when I heard Rick say my name. It was different somehow. It didn’t have the rude, mocking, or irritated tone behind it that I had become so used to over the past two weeks. It was almost… friendly.
“I could see it all perfectly from where I was standing,” he continued without any care as to how I’d feel that he’d been watching me—and critically, for that matter.
“First, I, being a stranger, wouldn’t have come at you with a drink over your shoulder from out of the blue. I would have asked you what you wanted and let you watch the bartender pour it.” He gave me a glance before he went on. “Smooth, having him try it first, though.” He winked. “Then, I’d make sure your friend knew I was taking you out back so she wasn’t going nuts looking for you.”
Oh, no! Rachel!
“She’s fine,” he said, reading my expression. “I let her know I saw you come out here with him.”
Great, now I was going to hear from Rachel and her reading into why Rick was watching me.
“And finally, I wouldn’t have left you out back here by yourself and taken off, especially knowing you’re new in town.”
“That’s true, I could have been bothered by someone like you,” I said with a smirk. Although I hated to admit it, he made some great points.
“Hey, I thought we were friends now.” He held up both hands in the air innocently.
“Sorry. Force of habit.”
“That’s okay, we’ll just add it to the list,” he said dryly.
Don’t ask what list. Don’t ask what list.
I rolled my eyes, hating myself for being so curious. “What list?” But as soon as I said it, my eyes settled back at Rick, only to see him mouthing a countdown to the number one. Which was, unfortunately, exactly when I had asked my question.
He smiled at himself. “There’s a small list of habits you’ve generously expressed since you’ve been here,” he started. “Tardiness, clumsiness, and now, defensiveness.”
“That’s it?” I asked, unaffected by his criticism. Probably because I knew it was all true and there was no reason to hide it. Also, anything I would say in an effort to contradict him would only support his the last one on his list.
“I said it was a small list.”
He gave me a smirk and walked past me to the fire-escape steps. He pulled the door and held it open for me. I shrugged, letting him have his last words, and went back inside to get Rachel and call it a night.
CHAPTER 10
Iwoke Sunday morning tired and achy. I rolled over and squinted at the brightness coming from behind our open blackout drapes. I looked over at Rachel’s bed. She was still in a tight sleep on her stomach. I decided to get up. No sense in wasting the morning sleeping. I looked over at my alarm—8:03 a.m. Too late to watch the sun rise. Not late enough to call it sleeping in.
After getting dressed, I reached for the cupboards where I knew Rachel kept her stash of good coffee. She wouldn’t mind sharing after dragging me out of the house last night.
None left.
I peeked out the window to see that the rain that had started in the middle of the night had stopped, leaving a misty, foggy midmorning. I didn’t mind it so much. There usually weren’t any kids or club members around in this type of weather. It would be as quiet and peaceful as my sunrise walks. I stepped out and looked up. The sky didn’t seem to be clearing, and dark clouds threatened another downpour. I stepped back inside for a quick second, swooped my arm around the door, and grabbed my gray raincoat off the hook. I shut the door behind me and started jogging.
I suddenly remembered the last time I’d run down this deck. Right into Rick. And spilling his hot latte all over his shirt. As I caught myself lost in the image of briefly having my body pressed against his, I couldn’t help but expect to see him come around that same corner.
I immediately slowed my pace, in an effort to avoid another disaster, whether with him or another staff member. But as I successfully passed it and headed down the few steps onto the street, I felt a hint of disappointment that I hadn’t run into him again.
One of my favorite things about my morning sunrise routine was the calm before the crowd hits. So I took a moment to lean over the wet wooden fence and breathe in the misty, briny air, concentrating on the sound of the ocean beating its waves onto the shore. It was a shortened version of my morning ritual, but it still put me in a place where I felt one with nature.
But that was soon interrupted by the thunder I heard in the distance. I made it into the café just before the next downpour began. The place was air conditioned despite the cooler weather. I immediately felt the goosebumps run over my bare arms. I walked over to the self-serve coffee station and started to pour a steamy cup.
