She watched people come and go, some meandering, others racing past. Five minutes later, he exited the store, a small white bag and two takeout cups in his hands. He grinned at her. Or was that a grimace? He stepped closer and she recognized small laugh lines at the corner of his electric blue eyes. A smile then.
“Here’s a coffee for you, Hailey.” He offered her a cup. “And an everything bagel with plain cream cheese.”
Her mouth dropped open. She snapped it closed and squinted at him. Beneath the scruff he was vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place him.
“Cream and two sugars. Just the way Beth says you like it. She also said she’s annoyed you didn’t tell her you were coming.” He flashed a smile. “I didn’t mention the U-Haul.” He winked. “Though she can probably see it through the window.”
A warm flash rolled through her. Attraction? No. Maybe.
Gratitude.
That was it. She wasn’t attracted to him; she was grateful for his concern. After her tedious journey and flight from her ex’s duplicity, this guy’s concern was heartwarming.
“I’m sorry. Do I know you?” She asked after a long moment of staring rudely at him. Exhaustion had stolen her manners somewhere around the Canada-U.S. border.
“Jesse Phillips.”
After a moment, recognition arrived. He had his mother’s eyes; except his weren’t bloodshot from drinking. “Oh, hi,” she responded lamely, unable to hide her surprise at not recognizing a former friend and neighbor. How could she have missed seeing his identity?
His eyes went flat and expressionless. He gestured with the coffee. “Take it, and the bagel. You look like you need them. Then, I’ll leave you alone.” His tone was icy.
Unless she imagined it, her surprise had hurt him. Hailey didn’t blame Jesse, but his identity had shocked her. His mother had hurt their family. He wasn’t to blame for his mother’s outrageous actions. Hailey groped for words. She apologized again and opened the window to accept his offering.
“Thank you, Jesse. And sorry. I don’t have anything against you. Or your mom. What happened is ancient history. I wasn’t expecting the first person I encountered to be you. You look different; I didn’t recognize you.” She took the coffee and bakery bag from him. Gosh, both smelled delicious.
“Don’t worry about it. A person gets used to being colored by the sins of his mother,” he said gruffly, a hint of sadness in his voice.
Terrific, his statement only made her feel worse. She slid the paper takeout cup into a holder and reached out to touch his hand.
“I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.” Ugh, she sounded so lame. She was exhausted, barely coherent and he’d caught her off guard.
Life wasn’t always what you expected and hers had delivered a knockout punch worthy of Muhammad Ali, and she was still reeling, though it didn’t justify her ill manners.
“Can I pay for this? What do I owe you?” She fumbled through the pile of junk on her passenger seat in search of her wallet. The least she could do was pay for the coffee. He didn’t look like he could spare the money.
“Nothing. Consider it a good deed and pay it forward.” He toasted her with his cup. “Everyone needs a lift now and then.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.” He shook his head and she put her wallet away. “Thank you, again. I desperately need the caffeine. It’s been a long night. I drove straight from Spokane. Only stopped for gas and food.” And her body felt every single mile. She’d had no option.
“That’s a heck of a drive, especially at night. You should have stayed in a hotel. Rested up.” He didn’t sound judgmental, he sounded—concerned. His brows pinched together.
His caring, the coffee, everything was touching and refreshing after Evan’s attitude. She resisted the urge to thank Jesse again, before he decided thank you and sorry were the only words she knew.
“You’re probably right, but I didn’t want to keep the rental trailer longer than I had to. I just wanted to get home, unload it into the garage and drop the trailer back at the depot and take a nap.” And, she’d gone from unable to form a sentence to blathering like an idiot. She took a long sip of her coffee. “Mm. Perfect. Just what I needed. I appreciate it.”
“I can help you,” he offered.
For a second, she had no clue what he was talking about. She stared at him until she realized he meant he could help with unloading the trailer. “Help would be nice, thank you. I’m taking it to my parent’s house.” If she unpacked right away, she could delay the inevitable meeting with her parents, and drop Jesse some cash for helping her. He looked—down on his luck.
His life had been hard as a teenager. Absent father. Alcoholic mother. Perhaps times were still tough for him. Paying him to do a bit of lifting was the perfect way to pay it forward, or backward, for the coffee and bagel.
“I’ll meet you at your parent’s place in half an hour. Your vehicle should be cool by then.”
“I can give you a ride.” She didn’t want him walking that far, though it was only a few blocks.
“No problem, I still have my old truck.” He waved at an aging red Ford F150 down the street, half hidden by the compact car beside it.
She glanced at his truck. It was his old truck, the one he’d had in high school. It had to be vintage 1995 or earlier and what she could see of it was rusting out badly.
