Chapter 9
The next day at work Alex was ready to punch herself in the eye. All day she’d been a mess. Every time the door chimed a customer’s arrival, her head jerked around and hope filled her only to slowly deflate each time the newcomer wasn’t Recker. It didn’t even make sense that he’d come back to the diner. He’d said he’d come back to her apartment, but still, it didn’t stop her from half expecting to see him walk in during her shift. She told herself it was because of the prospect of new employment, but honestly, something about Recker felt different. He felt comfortable, easy, and almost too familiar. That thought had her brows spearing down. He’d been sent to interview her, which meant he’d most likely studied her extensively. Besides, she knew better than to go getting attached to any man. Men were bullies. She knew that better than most because the men in her life who she was supposed to be able to count on most had failed her. All of them, which is why she’d decided to never rely on a man again. Yet, here she was casting furtive glances at the door, expecting and hoping that Recker would make an appearance. It was dumb. She was dumb.
Stomping back to the kitchen, Alex decided she wasn’t going to look at the door not one more time. Nope, she’d bury her head in work and wouldn’t give Recker Rhodes a second thought for the rest of her shift.
***
Recker sat in his truck across the street from where he could see Alex through the diner’s large front window. She was waiting on customers but kept glancing at the door every time someone entered. For a minute, he almost had himself fooled into believing that she was waiting for him. He discarded the foolish notion just as quickly as it came up. A woman like Alex wouldn’t get her hopes up about a guy like him. Hell, no woman would. He as an abomination, an anomaly, so much so, that he’d been abandoned by his parents at birth. They hadn’t wanted a freak like him and a woman like Alex wouldn’t either. No, Recker had resigned himself to a quite loveless existence at StoneCrow, not even bothering to get his hopes up at the prospect of finding his Angel. Shit like that never worked out for him. Ever! And staring through the glass all googly-eyed at Alex was only going to result in another addition to a long list of disappointments. It’s why he never volunteered for shit missions like this!
Slamming his palm into the steering wheel, he started his truck and pulled away from the diner without looking back. He had a few hours before Alex was off shift and he wanted to be back at the diner by then so he could ghost her down to her car in the parking garage. He didn’t put it past those fucks who’d given her a hard time the other night to seek her out and finish what they’d started.
In the meantime though, he’d make a quick trip to StoneCrow and see if he couldn’t get someone else assigned to her. He couldn’t do this. He really couldn’t do this. It was too painful having something like that…someone like her waved under his nose knowing he’d never get to have her.
***
Alex tossed the last bag of trash from the restaurant in the outside dumpster, and in her typical routine, she plopped bonelessly into the chair that sat just outside the back door for the staff who smoked. The view was horrid, all dark alley and garbage dumpsters. The noise was the unpleasant cacophony of the city as nearby businesses closed up shop and local bars blared to life. The smell was even worse. Nothing stunk like old restaurant grease that always managed to coat the ground around the dumpster turning it into a tarry looking black that beaded when rain splashed on it.
Alex leaned back in the chair and looked up. No rain today. Nope, there was just the faint twinkling of distant stars that reminded her of herself as they fought to outshine the city lights and force their way through the scattered clouds, demanding, Look at me, damn it! See how wondrous I can be!
Exhaling deeply, Alex closed her eyes keeping her face angled toward the sky.
This won’t be your life forever, she reminded herself. You can do this. Stay strong. You are not going to be here forever, you were meant for so much more!
She opened her eyes and lowered her head muttering, “One day at a time, Alex. One day at a time.” Still, she couldn’t help the inner swell of excitement like something big was about to happen for her. She felt like she was on the precipice of something that she’d been waiting for. For the first in a very long time, hope beat so furiously against her chest, that it felt like she had a gorilla caged inside of her.
Taking a calming breath, she warned herself against getting her hopes up. Yet, Recker had come to find her. Stoney had been right. StoneCrow was giving her a shot to prove she was worthy. Pinching her eyes shut, she wished on all the stars overhead that they didn’t find her lacking. She prayed they didn’t discard her as easily as her step-father and brothers had.
Please want me!