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Nitra’s eyes nearly bug out of her head as Anna rambles off everything she wants. Once she’s done writing it all down, she walks off to put in our massive order. There’s no way Anna can eat all of that. I realize what she’s doing, and I turn to her to protest. Before I get a chance, she’s out of her seat and squealing like a child who just woke up on Christmas morning. I turn to look at what has made her so giddy, and see the man from the other night, Nick, walking into the diner. The smile he aims at Anna shows nothing but happiness at seeing her.
When he reaches our table, he scoops Anna up and plants a hard, smoldering kiss on her lips while swinging her around. It’s so hard to watch these two. They make love look so easy. They have no worries, and you can tell they’re both comfortable with each other.
When they finally break apart from their private moment, Anna turns to me, still holding on to Nick. “I want you to meet my new friend, Bailey.”
It’s plain to see that Nick really doesn’t want to look away from Anna, but he forces himself to anyway.
“Oh, hey, you were in here the other night, right?” he asks, while pushing Anna into the booth and taking a seat beside her.
“Uh, yeah, the night I got into town,” I tell him.
Nitra brings us our orange juice and coffee. She adds a third cup for Nick. While pouring milk in his coffee, Nick casually asks, “So, Bailey, what brings you to Jaded Hollow?”
I’ve already prepared for this question, so I answer him just as casually while quaking inside, hoping he doesn’t see through my lie.
“I needed a change of scenery. I’ve always wanted to travel, and nothing was holding me back, so I thought, ‘why not now?’” I glance down at my coffee and pretend to stir it, even though I haven’t added anything to it yet.
“That’s very brave of you to just up and leave like that.” I glance up from my coffee to gauge his expression. Is he questioning my answer, or is he just making an observation? He’s looking at me like he doesn’t know whether or not to believe me. I don’t need anyone doubting me. People may become curious if they think my story is false.
Just then, Nitra walks up carrying our horrendous amount of food.
“Sweet Jesus, Anna! Were you planning on feeding a whole baseball team?” Nick asks her.
Anna giggles. “Nope, I’m just extremely hungry. Someone’s been keeping me busy the last couple of days and hasn’t let me up for air long enough for me to eat.”
Nick leans in to nuzzle her ear and whispers loudly enough for me to hear, “Hmm… I wonder who that could be.”
I start to feel like I’m invading on their private moment. I shift uncomfortably in my seat. I’ve never been around people who are so relaxed and carefree with each other.
Anna peeks at me, and I’m pretty sure she notices how awkward I feel. She nudges Nick back to his side of the booth and says, “Eat up, Bailey, before it gets cold.”
I reluctantly grab an empty plate that Nitra left for us and begin placing small amounts of food on it. Nick eats directly off the plates.
While Anna makes her own plate, she asks me, “So, how do you like working at my brother’s bar so far?”
I had no idea that Anna was Jaxon’s sister. Of course, there’s no way that I would know since I just got here, but I figured there would be more of a resemblance. Jaxon and Mia look just alike, while Anna looks nothing like either of them. Jaxon and Mia must take after one parent, while Anna favors the other.
“It’s okay. I haven’t really gotten the opportunity to work yet. All I did yesterday was learn how to set up. Tonight I’ll be there when there’s more of a crowd, so we’ll see.” I start shoveling food into my mouth. It tastes so good; it feels like I haven’t eaten in a week.
“I’m sure you’ll do fine. You said you’ve done bartending before, right?”
“Yeah, I worked in a restaurant that had a bar for four years in college.” I sneak another piece of bacon and another scoop of eggs.
“See, you know what you’re doing. It may get rowdy there sometimes, but most of the guys who go there are generally good natured. It’s not often that things get out of hand. You just have to know when to let things slide and when to stand up for yourself.”
Ha! That’s just the thing. I’m terrified of standing up for myself. All it’s gotten me in the past is more pain. But I don’t tell Anna that. All I can do is hope that the need for such bravery never comes up, and that if it does, I can handle it and not have a panic attack.
A few minutes later, Nitra comes back to our table to refill our coffee. “How long are you in town this time, Nick?” she asks, while refreshing my mug.
Nick finishes chewing the huge bite of eggs he just stuffed in his mouth. “I head back out at the beginning of next week.”
“Oh, wow. That must be a huge bummer for you, Anna. Didn’t you just get back in town a couple of days ago?”
Anna pouts and says, “Yes. I hate it. Every time he leaves I want to pull my hair out. I swear one of these days I’m going to surprise him and just pack up and go with him.”
Nick leans over, rests his forehead on Anna’s. “Ah, Anna, you know it kills me every time I have to leave you.”
“I know.” Anna sighs and gives him a sad smile.
