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CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
Audrey
It’s been several weeks of intense physio, and slowly but surely I’m getting back to my normal self. Just this last week, I’ve been back at the café, easing myself into working life. It’s been hard, though. I find that after only two hours, I’m ready to quit. Victoria, Trent, and Jason see it too, grabbing my coat before virtually throwing me out of my own café. It’s frustrating, but I do realize that I simply can’t pick up from where I left off.
The other thing that has concerned me lately is I have this overwhelming sense of loss still. I often find myself staring out of the window for hours on end like I’m searching for something. I have been having dreams too, which I believe are brought on by Trent updating me daily with regards to Eli Prescott and his ongoing divorce battle. He brings in these stories about how Eli buried his father without Kendra by his side, and then there was this whopper that Kendra claimed that Eli’s father raped her and is currently pregnant with his baby. The news has talked about nothing else since. It makes me sad to hear as Eli must be completely distraught with the news. In any case, Kendra is not only after Eli’s money, but his father’s, too. Apparently, his father sold the majority shares in his company before he died, so his mother has been left with a sizable income for the rest of her life—a sizable income of which Kendra is demanding fifty percent so that the baby will never have to worry about his or her future. Naturally, tongues are wagging. It’s causing a war between people who believe her and the people that don’t. It’s a nasty world out there, and the poor people in the middle of all this are Eli and his mother.
Suffice it to say, Trent has been constantly updating me, whether I want to hear it or not, which in turn has me dreaming about Eli almost every night.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Trent asks, and it’s only when he does that I realize I’m staring out of the window again.
I puff out some air and swap my weight from my bad leg to my good leg, since my bad one is starting to ache.
“I don’t know. I feel like I’m missing something.”
Trent immediately halts his table cleaning and instead approaches the counter and leans over it like I’m about to give him some juicy gossip.
“And you don’t know what that is?” he queries, drawing out the words like I’m somehow supposed to know something I don’t. Again with the weird behavior.
“Am I supposed to?” I decide to ask back, considering he seems to know something I don’t—as frustrating as it is.
He narrows his eyes suspiciously at me before responding. “You know, Eli and Kendra got divorced yesterday?”
Again, with the daily updates. What I don’t tell Trent is that when I’m home, I find myself Googling his name and reading up on the latest too. It’s strange behavior on my part considering I don’t want to be one of those women who obsesses over a star on a daily basis.
“I didn’t know you were on a first-name basis now,” I tease back, giving him a sassy smile.
“He’s single now,” he replies, ignoring my jibe. He even wriggles his eyebrows at me.
“Oh, yes, and I’m sure one day he’s going to swoop into my café, confess his undying love for me, whisk me off my feet, marry me, and we’ll have perfect little Prescott babies together.”
“With your golden brown hair and his dazzling green eyes, I’m sure your babies would be perfect.”
I shake my head with an amused smile. “I can’t believe I’m entertaining you right now. Shouldn’t you be working?”
He gazes around the now-empty café before his eyes pop back to mine. “Err-hmm, you were saying?”
I let out a small giggle. “Don’t get sassy with me Trent.” Just as he laughs, the door opens. “Oh, would you look at that? We have a customer.”
A tall man with light blond hair and gorgeous blue eyes enters the café, a cocky smile on his face and a spring in his step. He’s wearing surfer shorts and a plain t-shirt, which is kind of strange considering there’s no sea for him to surf on for miles. He’s not from around here, that’s for sure.
“Afternoon,” the man offers, smiling as he approaches the counter.
Trent is immediately beside me, his face glowing as he takes in the beauty of this man.
“My, my,” Trent whispers. “If angels existed, he would be it.”
I nudge him in the elbow, causing the familiar looking guy to quirk his eyebrow inquisitively.
“What can I get you?” I ask, deciding to get straight down to business.
“I’ll have a mocha cappuccino to go, please.”
Trent about dances on the tip of his toes. “Coming right up!” he all but squeals as he hurries to get the familiar man his order.
I watch the man intently as he takes in his surroundings. I’ve seen him somewhere before and it’s frustrating me that I can’t for the life of me remember where.
“You’ve got quite the nice place here.”
