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“Just you wait,” I said. “Just you wait.” I got up and went back to the bakery. I had bread to bake and muffins to make and a girlfriend to dream about while I did all of that.
What had I been so scared of?
Epilogue
Six months later, I couldn’t believe how much everything had changed. I was at my mother’s, wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater I’d ever seen, and I was peering under the tree and trying to figure out what was in all of the wrapped boxes. There was one thing in particular I was hoping to get.
“What do you think you’re doing?” a voice said behind me. I paused in the act of shaking a box and set it down slowly.
“Nothing,” I said, turning around and finding my girlfriend with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.
“You’re trying to figure out what’s in them and it’s not going to work. You have to wait until tomorrow. That’s how this whole thing works.” She gave me her hand and pulled me to my feet. Mom was belting out carols in the kitchen and Molly twirled me around the living room.
“I know what you’re looking for in those boxes and you’re only going to get it if you’re very, very nice.” I spun us toward the arch where my mom had hung some mistletoe. Just for us.
“And what if I’m very, very naughty?” I asked, pulling her closer.
“Then I’ll love you anyway,” she said before kissing me.
Molly Madison. My best friend. My love. My everything.
She was totally going to be my wife.
The ring was waiting in her stocking. Waiting for tomorrow. She had no idea and I couldn’t wait to see her face when she figured it out. And I couldn’t wait to hear her say that she would be mine forever.
“Best love forever,” she said.
“Best love forever,” I agreed and we went to the kitchen where mom handed us glasses of spiked egg nog.
“To love,” she said.
“To love,” Molly and echoed.
“And to grandchildren,” Mom added.
“One step at a time, Mom,” I said. She sighed.
“I can dream.”
One
It was one ofthosedays when she walked into the café. One of those days that I would need a drink after. One of those days when I wanted to tear off my apron, toss it in the corner, and tell Sal and Jen that it had been real, but I had other shit to do.
And then she walked in. It was one of those things where I happened to turn at the right moment andbam. There she was. Like fate had placed her in the doorway of the Violet Hill Café. The sun lit her up from behind so it was like her dark hair glowed. The door shut behind her and she took off her sunglasses and looked around. I instantly appraised her blue button up and slim black pants. Hmm, she might be lost and not know that this was a totally queer café. Or she could know exactly what she was doing, and in that case I wanted to wait on her.
I walked over. Damn, she was sexy as hell. I should probably not be ogling her like that, seeing as how I was on work time. But when had that stopped me before?
“Can I help you?” I asked in my nicest voice. I tried not to make it too sugary sweet because then it just sounded sarcastic.
“Yes, I was hoping to speak to one of the owners?” Huh. That was an odd request. I looked her up and down again, but she didn’t seem the type to “ask for a manager” so I was a little caught off-guard.
“Can I ask what this is regarding?” I was so professional right now.
“Sure, my name is Lacey Cole and I’m a freelance photographer. I’m working on a project right now and I was wondering if I could take some pictures here and write a piece on the café. Kind of a ‘People of New York’ thing, but for LGBTQ spaces.” Oh, well. That was something completely different. I sputtered for a minute, trying to think of what to say. I had other tables and other customers. But this girl with her dark hair and captivating hazel eyes was going to make me ignore them all.
“Sure, Jen is in the back. I’ll just go get her. If you want to find a seat?” I gestured around the café, currently full of people on laptops, the working lunch crowd, a few families with young children, and some teens that had clearly skipped school to come here.
“Thanks so much,” she said, taking a seat in a corner at a table for two.
