Chapter 3 – Jesse
“You again? This is becoming a habit, Scott. You know that I don’t open for a while.”
He looked at his watch and smiled at me like he was sorry or that he was there by mistake. But I knew there wasn’t a mistake. He was there because he liked to mess with me. Every day this week he had knocked on the front door a while before we opened. I didn’t know what he was planning to do, but his actions were driving me crazy.
“I can’t get enough of your cooking, what can I say?”
“I thought you were a busy man. I don’t think that coming here every day is going to get your work done.”
He smiled as I let him in, and so help me, I was finding it harder to keep the grin from my own face. He was handsome, that was true, but when he smiled, his eyes did too, and it made me feel all warm inside. It kind of made me wonder if he realized how far out of my league he was.
After the third time that he came in, I’d looked into Scott and found out that he was a lot richer than I’d guessed. As the CEO of the large tech company on Main Street, I knew that there was no reason for him to be there. It didn’t make sense to me, unless he was one of those guys who pursued me because I’d told him no. It wouldn’t be the first time that it had happened, but I didn’t want to get wrapped up in all of that.
“I’m never too busy to see you.”
Waving him off, I went and got the pad of paper that I wrote orders on.
“So where is your friend at today? Is it just you here?”
I was there alone, but the way he said it made me not want to tell him that it was just us in there. He was looking at me as if he was hungry, but I didn’t think that food was what he was really after. The look gave my body a new reason to act ridiculous. I was sure it was turning against me. That’s how it felt, anyways. It was impossible to feel any other way when my mind and body were so at odds with each other.
“She’s around here somewhere. Melissa is almost never late. There’s another girl starting today too.” Why did I tell him that? “So what can I get for you, Scott?”
Smiling at me, he told me to make him whatever I thought he would want. That was what he always said, and although I knew that he was a picky man, he didn’t seem to show that side to me. For that I was grateful. My thoughts on him had changed radically, and I was actually starting to like being around him when he was so easygoing about everything. I had a feeling that it would all change one day soon, but for now I was enjoying the attention.
Walking to the back, I waited a heartbeat till I heard the door opening behind me. Since the first time that I’d kicked him out of the bistro, he had been back every day. Every day he came back to the kitchen with me, and it was now another habit with him.
“I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you, but I just love to watch you work.”
I tried to ignore the comment, but I couldn’t help the smile that came to my lips. I liked him being there, even though it was something that I would never admit. Melissa was already giving me a hard time for it. Yesterday she had caught us in there talking, and while I hated to admit it, I was having a good time with him then. He was a great guy when a person got past the rugged exterior, nothing like I’d first thought about him. At first I’d thought he was like all of the other guys that I’d met that acted like him, but there was something about Scott that was different. Even though he was richer than I could imagine, he was still so down to earth, like he wasn’t used to his position.
“You’re not disturbing me. It’s not like this is brain surgery or something. I’m just making a few eggs.”
“You shouldn’t put it down like what you do isn’t great. I’ve eaten at a lot of restaurants, some that are way more expensive, and I think that I’ve never had better eggs. You could do so many things. What makes you stay here?”
I was a little put off by his comment. It made me wonder what he meant. I knew that the bistro wasn’t the nicest place in town, but I loved it there and I couldn’t think of working anywhere else.
“It ain’t the Ritz, but I like it here. My father always wanted a small place to call his own, and when we opened The Ground Bean, we never thought it would turn into this. I like where I am, Scott. Can you say the same for yourself?”
It was meant to be a joke, but I could tell that it wasn’t taken that way at all. I’d been offended by him thinking the place was too dinky, but I think instead I got him thinking about what I’d said. Was a man like him happy where he was? He was at the top of his game. Scott should be happy where was, but by the look on his face, I was starting to think that he wasn’t.
“I can’t say that I can. I didn’t really want the job, but I had to take it. It was take it or I wouldn’t get anything in the inheritance. My father doesn’t make deals, so I did what I had to do. One day I’ll be able to run it the way that I want to, and then I think I’ll be happier.”
He wasn’t so sure, and I think we could both hear it in his voice. I felt bad for him all of a sudden, and for the first time I was seeing him as he really was. Scott was more than just a filthy rich jerk who couldn’t wait in a line. He was so much more than that.
“Well, don’t take too long to get happy, Scott. Life is too short.” I was thinking about my father when I said that, and I turned away to hide the tears that were in my eyes. God, I missed my dad.