Chapter Nine
Emma
“Tim, please calm down. I’m sorry you aren’t happy with my decision, but it’s my decision and, frankly, it’s the right one. We are just not right together.”
“I don’t want to hear that!” he shouted, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. He was drunk and extremely angry, nothing like the man I had dated just a few weeks prior. And in a flash, I found myself wondering if I would have ever seen this man had I stayed with him and continued our relationship. This Tim was pretty scary.
When he’d walked into the bar about an hour before, I wouldn’t have thought this was where the situation was heading. After he sat there drinking beer after beer, I finally said something to him and ended up taking my lunch early to get him outside so I could call him a cab. He was in no shape to drive. But, instead, he started hounding me about us getting back together. No matter how many times or how many ways I tried to make him understand, I had no idea how to get him to see that it wasn’t going to happen.
He took a step toward me and I stepped back, the look in his eyes giving me cause for concern. I was contemplating making a beeline for the back door to the bar when I caught a blur from the corner of my eye. A tall man hopped the fence into the employee parking lot with ease. As he walked through the shadows of the side of the building heading our way, his strides were sure and confident. I noticed him approaching, but was too concerned about Tim’s behavior to really take my eyes off of my crazy ex-boyfriend. Crazy being the operative word. So, I was a bit relieved to see the stranger getting closer from the corner of my eye, worried at just what Tim would do since I wasn’t caving to his demands.
“Whoa, buddy,” tall, dark, and maybe a little bit crazy said, holding up his hands as he stepped in between us facing Tim. Tim stopped his advance and stared at the stranger. “Get out of the way, asshole. This has nothing to do with you.”
“Okay, name calling not necessary. But, dude, you look like you could use something to eat,” the stranger continued, ignoring Tim’s words, his easy tone never slipping. A bit of my worry started to fade, glad that someone had stepped in before Tim did something he would regret. I didn’t think he would ever hit me, but the wild look in his eyes made me question that thought. This guy seemed to know what he was doing, and I was more than grateful to have him here right at this moment. “Why don’t we go inside and I’ll buy you a burger.”
“You need to get out of my way,” Tim tried again, his eyes blazing with anger as he pointed a finger in the guy’s face. “This is between me and my girl.”
“I’m not your girl,” I reiterated from behind the stranger’s broad back. “We’re over, Tim, get used to it,” I blurted out, realizing the moment the words left my lips that I was adding fuel to the fire. But for some reason, I felt safe standing behind this guy. My eyes traced up from his black converse to the way his jeans fit just right across his ass to his thick, brown hair curling over the tips of his ears. I suddenly wanted to run my fingers through it. An odd thought considering the current situation.
“Emma,” Tim growled, breaking me from my trance as he took a step toward me, my savior still braced between us. “You will always be my girl. I’m not letting you go like this.”
The stranger was right there, once again, blocking Tim from reaching me. “I’m gonna have to ask you to leave the lady alone now. It’s clear she doesn’t want to talk about it today.”
“Or any day,” I muttered. I was so done with Tim. This was the last straw, him showing up like this, embarrassing me at work, and scaring me to boot.
The stranger ignored my words as he took a step forward, causing Tim to back up this time. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed such a thing was possible, given how angry Tim had been. This guy had just earned his meal on me, no doubt about it. “Why don’t you go home and cool off, get something to eat. Ladies don’t like bullies.”
Tim shifted his stance and looked around the guy and at me, his eyes hardening. “Are you sleeping with this idiot? Is this why you broke it off with me?”
“What?” I asked, surprised. “I don’t even know this guy, you dumbass,” I barked.
Tim growled and walked away before I could answer his question, leaving me there in the parking lot with my own personal hero. I couldn’t believe that guy. Really? Cheating? Like I had time. He’d been the one to ruin this relationship, not me. I watched as he got into the car he shouldn’t have been driving and then peeled out of the parking lot, triggering a slew of horns honking as he cut several cars off in traffic. I hoped he didn’t kill himself trying to get home, or someone else.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to calm myself in the aftermath. When I opened my eyes, I was face to face with my protector. I just stood there, staring. Not that I meant to stare, but I couldn’t help myself. I’d only gotten a quick glimpse of his face in the shadows as he put himself between Tim and me. I stared at him for a moment, certain I’d seen him somewhere before and trying to place where that had been. It was easy to see why Tim might have thought I’d be sleeping with the guy; he was like the poster boy for sexy as hell. Angular features, strong jawline covered with a neatly trimmed beard, that just curly enough hair I had already wanted to run my fingers through and dressed casually in a faded Batman T-shirt and worn jeans. He kind of reminded me of some of the college students I had classes with. I must have looked like an idiot standing there staring, because he quirked up one corner of his mouth, shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and just looked at me. That’s when it hit me.
“Barboy,” I responded, a warm flush rushing through me as I watched his lips turn up into a broader, crooked smile. Wow. That was one seriously hot smile.
“Emma, I’ve called the cops,” Chris called from the back of the building with a frying pan in his hand and a nervous look on his face.
“No, you haven’t,” I sighed, wiping my hands on my apron but never taking my gaze from barboy. There was no way Chris would have called the cops. If he had, then the owner, Sam, would show up and start asking questions. We liked to keep to ourselves, keep Sam out of the place as much as possible.
“Okay, so I didn’t,” he said, looking at the stranger with a narrowed gaze. “But . . . do I need to hit him over the head with this?”
My head swung rapidly toward Chris and I shot him a look of disbelief. “No!” I laughed, turning back to see a wide-eyed stare on barboy’s face. “No, you need to fry him up the best burger on the menu . . . on me. He might have just saved my life.”
Chris’ eyes narrowed. “It sounds like there was some trouble out here and he was directly involved. I can’t have that on this property. Sam will have a duck fit.”
We all knew Sam didn’t like riffraff around the bar tarnishing the name of his fine eating establishment. Chris had been appointed the unofficial watchdog, so to speak. Anyone who looked suspicious or like they might cause any kind of trouble, Chris had no problem throwing them out. We just didn’t call the cops.
“He didn’t cause any trouble,” I said again in a firm voice, giving Chris a stern look. “And he’s not going to. He just got rid of our trouble without even taking a swing, Chris. That has to mean something.”
“I would like that burger, though,” barboy supplied, a touch of twang in his voice that I recognized from our brief encounter in Atlanta. “I hear you make some of the best.”
“Not some . . . the best,” Chris corrected, shoving a hand through his thick hair. “Fine. If Emma vouches for you, then you must be okay. Come on in and we’ll get you fixed up.” Chris disappeared from sight, leaving us alone once again in the bright sunshine.
I turned back to my knight-in-faded-Levis, finding him watching me intently. “Emma, is it?” he asked with that sexy as hell smile of his.
I nodded, not really sure what to say. I could hardly believe barboy was standing in front of me.
“Well, Emma, are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I replied, fidgeting with the edge of my apron, suddenly nervous under his intense stare. “Thank you for stepping in. He’s not usually like that, at least, not that I was aware of.”
He didn’t seem to believe me but I didn’t expect him to. If he hadn’t come along, I wasn’t so sure Chris could have hit Tim over the head in time. “Come on inside. We’ll get you something to drink to go along with that burger. If you don’t mind the company, I haven’t had my lunch yet either. You can tell me what brought you from Atlanta to Malibu.”
“I definitely don’t mind,” he responded as he followed me inside through the kitchen and out to the main dining area. I chose one of the empty tables near the back that we rarely sat anyone in. It was a pretty busy lunch crowd, Betty running her tail off to cover for the both of us until I finished my break.
He sat down and I reached behind the bar, grabbing two bottles of water from the cooler before handing one to him. “Water okay or do you prefer something a little stronger?” I asked.
“Water is great.”
“Here,” I said. He took it and I sat down across from him, feeling nervous once again.
“So this is a pretty cool place,” he said, looking at the memorabilia from the bygone beach era as he cracked open his water and took a long swig. “How long have you worked here?”
“Three years,” I supplied as Chris delivered two burgers with a grin before disappearing back into the kitchen. The aroma caused my stomach to rumble now that all of the mayhem with Tim was in the past. “It’s not a bad job most of the time.”
Tall, dark, and dreamy smiled and a flutter in my stomach caught me off guard, surprised at how attracted I was to him. When I had been in Atlanta, I thought it was just my jetlag that had me out of sorts for the short time I’d been around him. After all, hadn’t I just sworn off relationships for a while after my failure with Tim? Was I really already considering this guy?
“Cooper,” he said, reaching across the table with his hand. I must have given him a weird look because he laughed. “Figured you needed to, at least, know the name of the person you are eating lunch with.”
“Yes, of course,” I said, flustered as I reached for his hand. It all but covered mine when his warm fingers wrapped around mine, my tanned skin standing out in stark contrast to his. “Emma. I’m Emma. Nice to meet you, Cooper. I really appreciate you stepping in back there.”
“Yeah, you might have mentioned that.” He grinned at me. “It’s no problem, Emma.” He smiled again as he reached for his burger. I watched as he took a bite, his eyes rolling back in his head as he chewed. Yep. Just about every customer had that same reaction when they tried Chris’ homemade patties for the first time. “Oh god, this is really good. I think the cook was right when he said the best. I will have to tell him that.”
“Well, it’s on the house,” I supplied, picking up my own burger. “And don’t tell Chris anything. He already has a big enough head over his burgers.” Cooper burst into laughter as I took a bite, chewing it slowly. “So, Cooper. What brings you out to Cali? I mean, clearly you’re not from around here.” I offered sarcastically with a smile.
He started and then sat his burger back on the plate, picking up his napkin. “Is it that obvious?” He smirked, playing along.
“It’s your accent.” I grinned, taking a bite. “You stuck out like a sore thumb as soon as you opened your mouth.”
“Then I better keep it closed.” He winked, drawing a laugh out of me. “Wow,” he said, just staring at me.
“What?” I asked.
“I just can’t believe I ran into you. My mom has always said it’s a small world, but truth is . . . I never really believed that. But . . . just, wow. I mean, what are the odds?”
I laughed. “I would guess they are about as good as winning the lottery.”
The look on his face morphed into something I wasn’t quite sure how to take until a broad smile spread over his lips. “Those are some pretty crazy odds.”
“That they are,” I agreed and took a swig from my water.
“I have to admit, things on this side of the country are vastly different.”
“In a good way?” I asked.
He nodded and wiped his face with his napkin, half of his burger already gone. “Yeah. It’s beautiful out here. I can see why people are drawn to the California coast.”
I took another bite of my burger, thinking about how I took the scenery for granted sometimes. “I’m sure you have your own beautiful places back East. I didn’t really get to see a lot while Dad and me were there.”
He nodded and polished off the last bite of his burger before pushing his plate away, lacing his fingers over his stomach with a satisfied look on his face. “Man, that was good. Yes, we do have our own beautiful places on the East Coast, including some pretty awesome mountains and beaches. I, unfortunately, haven’t had the chance to travel that much yet. Have you lived here all of your life?”
“I have,” I answered, taking another bite before pushing my plate back as well. If I wanted to get through the rest of my shift, I couldn’t finish Chris’ burger. Otherwise, I’d be curled up in the stock room, asleep for the rest of the day. His burgers were good comfort food that would have you in a food coma in a matter of minutes. “So, you never did say, what brings you out here, Cooper?”
A hint of something I couldn’t put an emotion to crossed his face — a mixture of pain and distress, something that meant he wasn’t just out here for vacation. He rubbed a hand over his face, causing the look to disappear. “My aunt lives out here. We, I mean me and my mom, are out here just visiting right now. I’m not sure how long we’re going to be staying.”
“Oh,” I replied, immediately guessing that probably wasn’t the entire story. In my experience, no one came out to visit for an extended period of time unless they were running from something or someone. So what would cause a guy willing to step in and put himself in harm’s way to save a damsel in distress to run? Not that it was any of my business. Heck, I technically just met the guy. “Well, I’m sure she’s excited to see you,” I forced out.
“She’s my mom’s sister,” he supplied, leaning back on the chair. “It’s been a bit of a family reunion for the last few days.”
I smiled, thinking of how women liked to catch up. It wasn’t the kind of thing a man liked to be cooped up with. If he were anything like my dad, he’d make himself scarce.
“A guy can only take so much catching up, though, so I started looking for a reason to get out and remembered seeing this place.” He smiled, causing me to reach for a strand of hair to twist around my finger nervously. “And I’m glad I was able to show up when I did.”
I forced myself to stop twirling my hair, thinking the act itself was something significant. But apparently I couldn’t seem to stop myself from staring at him like I was a tourist taking in a sight. In my defense, he was extremely handsome, even better looking than I remembered from the bar. Besides, those broad shoulders outlined under his T-shirt were made to be stared at. I was always a sucker for broad shoulders. Not to mention the guy was just nice, a true gentleman from what I could tell. We didn’t seem to have too many real gentlemen in Malibu.
“So, Emma,” he continued. “What is there to do around here for fun? What do you like to do?”
“I like to surf,” I said slowly, thinking about the waves I would hit up later to burn off this energy and rid myself of the stress of Tim’s visit. And probably think about Cooper. Yeah, definitely think about Cooper. “It’s a lot like therapy,” I added.
“I think I’d like to try it sometime,” Cooper said with a grin. “Though, I can’t walk right half the time. Think I’ll kill myself on a surfboard?”
“I think you will be just fine,” I replied with a hint of a smile. He had that effect on me where I wanted to keep a permanent smile on my face. “Unless a shark likes East Coast meat. Then, you might be in trouble.”
“Oh, right, I didn’t think about the sharks.” Cooper frowned, a hint of uncertainty showing in his eyes. “Like Jaws-type sharks?”
I laughed, glad to get some kind of rise out of him. “We haven’t had a shark attack in years. You should be okay. This isn’t Amity Island by any means.”
He made a swiping motion with his hand over his forehead and I found myself laughing harder, delighted with his company. He was a breath of fresh air.
Cooper looked away and pointed to the flyer on the mirror over the bar that Chris had put up yesterday in desperation. “You’ve got an opening for a bartender?”
I sighed, thinking about how Marcus had worked one day before quitting for a much more exclusive job downtown. I had spent three weeks showing him the ropes, only to have him up and quit. “Yeah. You know anyone?” I raised an eyebrow and quirked up one side of my mouth, joking with him since I knew he was likely heading back to Atlanta soon.
“I might.” He turned his gaze back to me, his eyes glittering with a little mischief. “Just so happens, I do.”
I glared at him, waiting for the punch line, but there was no joking in his expression. What else could this guy surprise me with? “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I don’t just open beer bottles. I make a mean mojito. Do you think you can get me an interview?” he asked with a wink.
“I’m sure,” I said slowly, looking over at the kitchen. Chris would enjoy interviewing him. “Can I ask why you are looking for a job if you are just visiting?”
“Well,” he started, fidgeting with the napkin before him. “I desperately need something to do. I might as well do something I enjoyed in my hometown. I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but if it’s up to my mom, we could be a while. Besides, I might need some spending money while I’m out here.”
“Okay,” I agreed. What was this guy’s deal? Didn’t visitors do all of the touristy things when they were in California? Why would someone want to work if they didn’t have to? Then again, maybe Cooper needed to work. Maybe his life was a bit like mine, living paycheck to paycheck. If that were the case, I certainly couldn’t fault him for that.
“I know it sounds odd,” he supplied, bolstering his interest. “But I am really interested. I can’t promise how long I’ll be here, but you wouldn’t need to do any training. I’d like a shot, at least.”
“Well, I’m not the one you have to talk to,” I said, looking at my watch with a sigh. I had really enjoyed my dinner with him and hated that it was about to end. “And my break is almost over. Shall I escort you to the kitchen then?”
He laughed and stood, no nervousness in his expression whatsoever. Everything about this guy seemed terrific. Almost too good to actually trust him. Plus, I had to worry about the feelings that were starting to surface. I was attracted to him, more than I should be . . . especially if I was going to be working with him.
He followed me to the kitchen where I formally introduced him to Chris before heading out to start the second half of my shift. I just hoped it was less eventful than the first half.