L exi

I t was another crazy Monday morning at the café with my best friend. I was so glad that I had her by my side, and with everything working out so well with Hunter, we had more than enough to talk about. The place was busy, though, busier than a normal Monday. So, at first, I barely had time to say anything to her. Customer after customer came walking off the elevator with their usual Monday faces. No one in the entire community at the Avalon ever seemed to be happy when facing the beginning of the week, and most of them walked around showing just how hard they partied during the weekend. I had never seen so many middle-aged people with hangovers in my life. It was like working at a college dorm after a long weekend, watching everyone walk around looking half-dead. I felt great, though, and was in a chipper mood despite the fact that my father had woken up grumpier than usual .

When the morning rush finally died down and there were only a few people peppering the café, Mandy and I went to work restocking for the lunch rush. I pulled out the muffins and cakes and replaced them with the sandwiches for the day. Mandy ground coffee beans and readied the pots for fresh brews as soon as the crowd hit .

“So, how is Hunter?” she asked .

“Good,” I gushed. “It has seriously been, like, the best two weeks ever. We go out, talk, laugh, make love, explore the city and the surrounding areas. When we’re together, it’s like nothing else in the world matters. We’ve made an art out of being alone together and keeping my father from catching on. We went berry picking way out in the country where even our cell phones didn’t work last weekend. We had lunch on a blanket in the field and just enjoyed being with each other. It’s really refreshing, starting a relationship without anyone else being a part of it. It’s like all the stress of family and friends is lifted and you can really just focus on each other .”

“Yeah, except the reason no one knows is because it will cause huge issues,” Mandy said. “I don’t know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love to see you happy, but I feel like you’re going about it the wrong way. Regardless of how much fun you and Hunter are having, it’s really irresponsible to be putting your other relationships on the line for some guy you like to laugh with .”

“I know,” I said, instantly feeling guilty .

“I’m sorry,” Mandy said. “I’m not trying to hurt you or be a buzzkill, but no one else is going to tell you the truth of the matter. I know if you continue this little escapade, you are going to get really hurt. In the end, what if you end up with no Hunter and your father cuts you off? It just feels like a no-win situation to me .”

I understood what she was saying, loud and clear, and there wasn’t any way that I could really argue with it. The thing was, I was starting to realize that it was a more than just a fun time. I was starting to develop feelings for Hunter, and that was definitely not what I had intended when the whole thing had started. I sighed and went back to filling the stations, knowing I would regret it if I didn’t have it done for lunch .

I trudged through the afternoon, looking up at the clock and wishing it was time to go. It was the first time I had ever clock watched, working at Avalon Café, but with a sinking feeling in my stomach, I just wanted to be alone .

Mandy realized that my mood had taken a dive since she’d started talking about how bad my and Hunter’s relationship was. She smiled at me and tried to lighten the mood. She joked around, hip-checking me and pulling a smile from my face. I knew she felt bad, but I also knew what she was saying was right, whether I wanted to admit it or not. I looked up and smiled as a tall, middle-aged man walked toward the counter. I had never seen him before, but that wasn’t unusual since a lot of people from outside would come to grab a cup of coffee from the café. He scowled at me as he walked up, looking up at the menu above my head .

“How may I help you today?” I asked .

“Can you not see I’m reading the board?” he snapped .

God, what a dick. I understood that it was Monday, but this guy had taken an extra dose of douchebag this morning. I stood quietly, gripping my hands in front of me, squeezing them tightly so that I wouldn’t snap back at him. Usually I would recommend things, but this guy was an ass and could fend for himself. I stood there waiting, watching as Mandy rung the other customers up on the other register. I wasn’t used to having someone not know what they wanted by the time they got to the front. He didn’t seem to give two shits that he was holding up the whole show, either. Finally, he lowered his head and looked at me with disdain .

“I’ll have a white chocolate mocha,” he grumbled. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you here before .”

“My name is Lexi,” I said awkwardly, looking down at my name tag .

I rang up his order and moved to the side to prepare it. I glanced up at him as I poured a shot of espresso in his cup. He was staring at me, but not in an “interested in how I made the coffee” sort of way. He was studying me, looking over every inch of me, and it made me completely uncomfortable. My eyes shifted over to the security guard across the room, and he followed my glance, smirking and chuckling to himself. He seemed to think he was a really cool guy, coming into the café and harassing me just because I worked behind the counter. I dealt with my fair share of asshole customers, but this guy just made me feel uncomfortable to the core. I walked back over and handed him his drink. He tossed his card at me, and I grabbed it from where it fell on the counter. I looked down at the name, Patrick, which I didn’t recognize. When the receipt came out, I handed them both to him and smiled .

“Lexi,” he repeated. “You wouldn’t happen to be Kam’s daughter? Kam who owns the financial firm ?”

“Yes,” I said carefully .

I looked the guy up and down, trying to figure out if I knew him from anywhere. Nothing rang a bell, but he obviously knew who my father was. He also had to know that he lived here. Otherwise, why would he ask me such a specific question ?

There had to be thousands of Lexis in New York City, so him asking me that question made me realize he knew more about my father and my life than he was letting on. His strange change in tone from asshole to nice guy was a severe red flag in my eyes. I nervously glanced over at Mandy while I stood there, waiting for him to leave. He was creeping me out, and I didn’t like it all. Mandy furrowed her brow and looked over at him, catching his eye. He looked back at me and tapped his knuckles on the counter .

“You ladies have a nice day,” he said with a strange smirk .

He seemed satisfied, his mood completely changed as he walked away. He glanced back at me, chuckling to himself as he meandered toward the doors, and he tossed his full coffee in the trash can. I looked over at Mandy, who was watching him, too, and shrugged my shoulders .

“What did he ask you?” Mandy asked .

“He asked if I was Kam’s daughter,” I said .

“Just like that? Like he called your dad by his nickname ?”

“Yeah,” I said. “It was weird. And he just threw his coffee in the trash .”

“Lexi, that’s strange,” she said. “You think you should tell someone ?”

“I don’t know,” I said, sighing. “I just want to survive this day first .”

She smiled sympathetically and patted me on the shoulder. I had started out the day in a great mood, but now, between Hunter and the creepy guy at the counter, I was feeling worse than ever. A big part of me wanted to call Hunter and talk about it, knowing he would listen and make me feel better, but with everything going on, I figured it probably wasn’t such a good idea. I knew that once I had some time to myself to think, I would feel better, but for now, I had to just keep pushing through .