Sadie hopped up on a chair and tilted her head, as if to say,This guy?
“This is a cool mural. Did you paint it?”
Paige glanced at the mural that covered one wall of the cat room. It depicted cats drinking coffee. “No, I started working here after it was already up. The manager and one of her friends designed and painted it. It’s based on the art of a painter in California who does these pieces that are very retro and colorful. Mid-century modern on acid.”
Trevor laughed as if this were the most delightful thing he’d ever heard. “You were right, this is a really cool space. So, people come here and hang out and pet the cats?”
“Yeah, that’s about the sum of it.”
In Paige’s peripheral vision, Lauren and Caleb came out from the backroom laughing about something. He gave her a quick peck and then left. Lauren then busied herself picking up cat toys from around the room.
“You ever think about having live music here?” Trevor asked.
Paige sighed. “No. Cats don’t really like loud noise. The vacuum we use is pretty quiet, and that’s too much noise for most of them. Besides, the point is to make people feel calm. Petting animals is supposed to help with stress. Loud music tends to stress people out more.”
Trevor waved his hand dismissively. “Nah. I love loud music. I’m not really living unless I can feel the bass line in my chest.”
It was a struggle for Paige not to roll her eyes. “Well, anyway, I have to get back to—”
“You never responded to any of my texts.”
Oh, boy. “I’ve been busy.”
“It takes like thirty seconds to respond to a text message.”
“Look, Trevor, I—”
“I thought we got along great when we went out. I had fun. And then you blew me off. So I came down here today to see the cats, but I also wanted to talk to you because I think we’d be great together, and you should go on a second date with me.”
Trevor was talking so loudly that everyone in the café, including Lauren, was staring at them now.
“Hey, Trevor, this is actually my place of business, so—”
“I won’t wait. I won’t let you brush me off again. I need you to tell me right here, right now that you’ll go out with me again.”
What was happening? How could Trevor think they had enough in common to be able to have a conversation through another date? “I appreciate your coming down here, but—”
“Come on, Paige. Why won’t you go out with me again? Give me one reason.”
Something in Paige snapped then. How dare this guy come to the place she worked to try to win her back. It was inappropriate, it backed her into a corner, and it was about to get her in trouble if she was reading Lauren’s facial expression correctly. He must have known she wouldn’t be rude in front of coworkers or customers. Except she couldn’t deal with this anymore.
She’d been putting herself through this endless hunt for Mr. Right. Why had she thought she could find the love of her life by going on dates with twentysomething Brooklyn men who weren’t really interested in anything more than sex and someone to hang out with? She was twenty-eight, and what would she have to show for it? Career success and financial security, sure, but also a lot of failed relationships, no husband or children, and this stupid, self-destructive pattern where she only went on dates with men she had nothing in common with.
So she said, “For one thing, I hate live music. It’s too loud. I’d rather be in a quiet space where I can have a conversation. But live music is basically all you talk about. You only want me back because you find me physically attractive and you think my job is cool. It conforms to whatever hipster ethos you subscribe to because I work in a quirky café and not for ‘the man.’ I’m also an adult with my own apartment and a successful career, whereas you live with a bunch of guys over a pizza place. We’re at different places in our lives, we have nothing in common, and you are currently making a scene in the place where I work. Is that enough reasons?”
Trevor had the grace to look chastened at least. “Well, geez. I had no idea.”
“No, because you didn’t listen to me when we talked the other night. You kept talking over me.”
“How can anyone not like live music? That’s like saying you don’t like dogs.”
“Get the hell out of here, Trevor. Don’t contact me again, don’t come to my place of business. I will be blocking your phone number.”
He held up his hands. “Fine. Be that way.” He stormed out of the café.
She hadn’t even had to deploy the fact that she was, technically, seeing someone else. The live music thing seemed to have gotten the job done. At least he was gone. Paige turned to go back to work, and most of the customers had gone back to their computers or conversations once Trever had left the room, but Lauren was headed right for Paige and looked pissed.
Shit. Paige had been the one to make a scene, hadn’t she?
