Chapter 4 – Jesse
I woke up the next morning with one of the worst headaches that I’d had in a while. Before they’d been because I hadn’t gotten enough sleep, but this time it was something else. Lying there with my eyes closed, I tried to think of why I felt the way I did. Finally I remembered the wine I’d started drinking when I got back from the bank. They’d told me that they couldn’t help me and I’d gone home to sulk. When I couldn’t get ahold of Melissa, I’d started drinking alone, and I didn’t remember much past that.
My eyes sprang open when I started to remember a few more things. Like the fact that I was pretty sure that I’d seen Scott and that maybe I’d even let him in. I wasn’t sure past that what had happened, but I was happy enough that at least he wasn’t in the bed with me. Looking down, I gave a sigh of relief when I saw that I still had my clothes on. It couldn’t have been that bad.
Getting up, I groaned and grabbed the side of my head, rubbing it like that was somehow going to make it better. I hadn’t felt so bad in a long time, and I didn’t think that it was going to get better with a rub or anything else. All I could think about was coffee. That was the only thing that I could think of that might make me feel less like death warmed over.
Moving downstairs, I yawned and almost jumped when I heard the knock at the door. I didn’t have to see the clock to know that it was still early, which meant that I knew who wanted to see me. I’d missed Scott before, but today I was feeling strange. I didn’t want him to see me this way.
“You know I can see you, right?”
I sighed and started towards the door. It was time to invest in a small window covering, something to put over the door at night. I’d never thought of that before, but I wished right then that I had one in place. It would have helped a lot.
“Good morning, Scott.”
“Morning, Jesse. You aren’t looking very well this morning.”
“You do know that a girl doesn’t want to hear that, don’t you?”
He chuckled and moved past me into the bistro. “I meant that you must have a hangover. Here, I’ll make you something this morning, because it doesn’t look like I’m going to get any breakfast from you if I don’t.”
I tried to protest, but Scott was already moving into the kitchen and I had to follow him. I didn’t think there was anything that would help, but I was willing to try anything right now, anything to get the pounding feeling out of my head.
When he handed me the concoction that he had made, though, I was less than ready to try it. It looked like it was going to make me puke right then and there. I wondered if that was the idea, to just ralph it up and get it over with.
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. Trust me, it is nasty, but it works. I’ve used this more times than I would like to admit.”
Taking one last look at him to make sure that he wasn’t joking, I took a tentative drink. He reached over and pushed the glass up from the bottom. “This is not a drink you want to sip, Jesse. Just drink it all and get it over with.”
I didn’t have a choice, even though the way it tasted in my mouth, it was hard not to spit it up. I’d never tasted anything so vile in all of my life.
“If it’s supposed to help the headache by trashing my stomach, I’m glad to say that it has succeeded.”
Scott chuckled again like what I’d said was funny, but I was being entirely serious. That was gross, and all I could think about was getting it out of my body.
“I know that it’s hard to believe, but wait just a few minutes and I swear you’ll feel better. I’ll bet you a breakfast that you’ll feel better in five minutes, good as new.”
“So if I win, you’ll make me breakfast?”
He nodded and said that he would. I was sure that I was going to win the bet. I doubted that I really wanted the prize, but nonetheless I was sure that the vile drink wasn’t going to make anything better. When I started to feel better minutes later, I started the oil in the pan heating up. Somehow he had won, and I wasn’t going to thank him for it, but I figured I would at least keep my part of the bargain. I said that I would make him breakfast on the house, and I meant it.
“Told you.”
“Yeah, you were right. I don’t say that often, but today I will. I can’t believe that worked. Maybe you’ll have to give me the recipe for it.”
“Better if you just call me and I’ll come over to make it for you.”
I kind of giggled and plated the food on a regular plate. “So do I get to eat with you this morning?”
I didn’t realize what I’d done, but he shrugged and told me that I could if I wanted to.
“So why were you drinking, anyways?”
“Just a lot on my mind, is all. Running a business is harder than I would have thought.”
“Well, a business like this is an easy one. You have a good amount of revenue coming in.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“What’s the matter?”
Should I tell him?
“I don’t know. I just got left with a lot of debt when my father died, and I don’t know what to do. No one wants to loan me money to get through, and I’m afraid I’ll have to close down the shop.”
My breath came out raggedly. Although I felt better getting that off of my chest, I knew that there was more to the story, and a guy like Scott wouldn’t understand my dilemma.
“I can loan you some money.”
“Yeah, right.” I set the two coffee cups down on the table and sat down with my own breakfast. Scott had waited for me, a gesture that I saw as sweet.
“I’m serious.”
“I don’t need your charity.”
“No charity. I’ll charge interest, and I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t think you would pay it back. You have a small gold mine here, and I would hate to see you close.”
“I couldn’t, really.”
“Then let me sweeten the deal.”
I got nervous at the suggestion. What would he want?
“How about a date?”
“You want me to go out with you?”
“I’ve been asking you for a week now. Go out with me and I’ll give you the loan, or put my signature on one at the bank. However you want to do it, just go out with me.”
Could I really say yes to such an offer? Did I really have no other choice?
To be continued in Part 4…