Chapter 10
Tuesday came much too quickly for Olivia's liking. Knowing she would be unable to sit at home and wait on Bruiser to call, she talked Philip into giving her a shift at the shop. They had enough baristas, so she was on inventory. It was mindless work, but at least it kept her busy.
Sitting on her knees before the display of cups in one corner of the store, Olivia carefully pulled out the different mugs from their place on the shelf, counted and cleaned before returning them to the display. Some of them were funny, making her chuckle as she read the captions.
"Excuse me, Miss? Can you help me?"
She looked up with a smile which fell slightly. She recognized the creepy man from the bus stop a few days ago. John? Jack? She wrinkled her brow. It was something with a "J."
"Oh, hi, Livy, right? I'm Jake. We met a few days ago."
The accent she detected at the bus stop was more prominent today. She plastered a smile on her face and hoped it didn't look as fake as she felt. Climbing to her feet, she nodded to him. "Yes, hi Jake. From the bus stop. How can I help you?"
"I wondered if your shop sold beans or just finished drinks?"
She nodded slowly and took an unconscious step back. "Yes, of course. It's all up on the board above the counter. You can purchase any of our beans by the pound." Olivia's discomfort increased when her legs pressed up against the coffee mug display she had just been cleaning. Jake took another step forward, effectively boxing her into the corner.
"That's great. My company is having a big meeting in a few days. We'd like to offer something more than a normal brew to our clients," He said as he flashed her a brilliant smile.
"If you will go to the counter, one of the baristas can help you." Livy took a step to the left and squeezed out of the corner. "Ask for Philip. He's the owner and can give you a good price if you buy in bulk."
He took a step to the right and stopped her escape. "When do you get off work? I'd love to take you to dinner sometime."
"No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I don't date the customers." She took a step to the left.
"Then I won't buy here," he said taking a step to stop her again. "You are very pretty. I would like to get to know you. I can pick you up tonight after your shift."
"Livy, everything alright?" Philip's voice had never sounded so welcomed as it did at that moment from behind Jake.
"Sure, Philip. This man has some questions about buying in bulk." Olivia pushed past him and stopped behind her boss. "I told him to speak to you for a good price."
Philip's eyes narrowed slightly on Jake before nodding slowly. "Can you go help Margo for a bit? We have a big order coming in."
"Of course, Philip." Olivia placed the pen and pad into her apron pocket. "I'll finish the inventory later."
Philip rubbed his thumbnail over his jaw. "Take your break first." He eyed Jake suspiciously.
"Excuse me," she said to Jake and fled to the counter as quickly as she could. She shivered and rubbed her arms as she slid behind the counter, thankful to put some distance between them. She didn't know what it was about the man that made warning bells go off in her head, but they did. She didn't like Jake. Not one little bit.
She and Margo worked together, making the large order of sixteen drinks and boxing them with wadded up paper for insulation. By the time they finished, Jake was gone. She let out a breath in relief.
"Are you sure you're alright, Livy? That guy seemed to be rubbing you the wrong way." Philip appeared in front of her as she and Margo entered the shop after taking the boxes to their customer's car.
"I'm fine. He was just a little insistent for a date." She chuckled. "Bruiser will clean his clock if he doesn't learn how to take no."
"Speaking of your yummy young man, how is he doing? Out of town on business again?" Margo was a bit of a busybody, but it was all in good natured fun. She didn't have a malicious bone in her body.
"He's in an important meeting today. I hope to hear from him as soon as he's done." Worry poured over her in cold streams. Wanting to check her voice messages, she touched her cell phone in her pocket. "I think I'll take my break now if that's alright?"
"Go ahead," Philip gave a wave of his hand. "In fact, if you want to go ahead and leave, you can. We're slow, and Margo can finish the inventory. You have most of it done already."
"Alright." Olivia handed the inventory sheet to her coworker before untying her apron. Reaching under the counter, she pulled out her purse. "I'm on at seven Thursday morning, right?"
"Yeah. I'll see you then," Philip answered.
Olivia stuffed her apron into the dirty linens bag in the break-room and slipped out the back door. Retrieving her cell phone, she checked for word from Bruiser. There was nothing in her text or her voice mails. She grimaced and pressed the speed dial button. Her stomach clenched as she heard Bruiser's deep voice through the speaker. When the introduction was over, and the beep sounded, she spoke.
"Hey, Bruiser. It's Livy. I got off work a little early and was checking to see if you were through yet. I guess not. I thought we could have a late lunch if you wanted. Anyway, I'm going to stop by the store and grab a few things. Auntie is making an enchilada casserole tonight. She forgot to get the chili peppers. Give me a call when you can. I miss you like crazy."
She sighed heavily. She did have it bad. Every minute she spent with Bruiser was a reaffirmation of what she already knew. She was drawn to him from the moment she had seen Jayden's sketch. He was strong, handsome, caring and so protective. She knew a great part of that protective instinct came from his training with the SEALs, but the beginnings were already there long before his enlistment. She curved her arms around herself. She also had a strong protective instinct, especially for Jayden. That was part of the reason for her enlistment. She smiled to herself. Jayden needed a strong male influence in his life, and he had that with Bruiser. It was touching to see how they had bonded. Jayden looked up to Bruiser with something close to hero worship, and Bruiser took it all in stride. It hadn't escaped Olivia's notice that Jayden's nightmares were absent. Her baby brother's peace of mind was reason enough for her to love Bruiser all on its own.
She stopped. Did she love Bruiser? They had only known each other a short time. Slowly she nodded. She did. She loved him already. Well, dang, so much for going slow. She wondered if he felt the same. Did he feel the same overwhelming need to be with her that she experienced on a daily basis? She didn't know for sure, but the way he looked at her spoke volumes. He had such tenderness in his handling of her; making her feel special. Wanted. That was love of a type, wasn't it? She giggled to herself and pushed away from the wall of the alley. Love or not, standing here wasn't going to get those chili peppers to Auntie. Checking her cell phone again, she compared it to the bus schedule she memorized. If she hurried, the bus would be getting to the stop at almost the same time she would.
"Come on, Livy, let's get a move on," she admonished herself out loud and walked quickly toward the street.