AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jacob. My new shop neighbor.
I was not expecting to see his face.
His sexy, stubbly, smiling, dimple-popping face. He’s more attractive than I remember from our last encounter. However, maybe that’s because I was so perturbed with him at the time.
“Hi,” I manage to say.
“Can I sit with you?” he asks, and I notice he has a plate full of food in his hands. I was so fixated on his attractive face before that I didn’t notice.
I nod, not wanting to be rude. However, despite the fact that he’s one of the most attractive men I’ve ever met, I have to remember what a selfish prick he was to me at the shop the other day.
“Thanks,” he says as he sits down. “Does this mean you forgive me?”
His question catches me off guard, and I freeze. I don’t know how to respond.
He smirks, looking cocky and too handsome for his own good.
“Forgive you for what?” Although I know what he did, I want to hear him say it.
He leans forward, his elbows resting on the table. “For being an ass the other day. I’m sorry that you had to take so many things off your walls, and that your glass broke.”
His sincerity takes me by surprise. This is the last thing I expected to hear tonight, and I truly feel as though Jacob means what he’s saying.
“Oh. Well, I appreciate that,” I say, then take a sip of my hard cider.
“The last thing I want to do is upset my new neighbor,” he says before taking a bite of mashed potatoes on his plate.
“When is your bar supposed to open, anyway?” I ask, cutting into the slice of turkey on my plate.
Jacob swallows, then says, “I’m having a soft opening on New Year’s Eve. You should come.”
That sexy smirk of his makes my belly muscles clench. Damn him! Why do I have to be attracted to a guy who was such a dick to me?
Story of my life, I guess.
“Y-yeah… I’d like to go,” I reply. I don’t know if I’ll actually go to his soft opening, but how can I say no? That would be rude, and I want to be the bigger person here. Besides, he did apologize…
Jacob and I continue talking throughout dinner. He tells me more about his bar, and I’m surprised to learn that he works at Grays. I’ve been there a few times, but I never noticed him behind the bar. Not that I would’ve known him before, but I probably would’ve noticed such a hot bartender. Maybe I happened to go when he wasn’t working.
Surprisingly, I enjoy Jacob’s company. He’s funny, kind, and easy to talk to. He’s nothing like my original impression of him, and I’m relieved about that. I wasn’t looking forward to working next door to an asshole, but now I don’t think I need to worry.
Although we get to know each other, it’s all surface level stuff. I learn that he not only named his bar after the famous drink but also his last name, Todd. Jacob Todd. Hot Toddy. The name is appropriate in my opinion. Jacob is a hot one.
I also discover he went to high school with Markus, which makes him a few years younger than me. Okay, maybe ten years younger than me, but at our ages, does it really matter? I’m forty-five, and he’s thirty-five. It doesn’t seem like that big of a difference. It’s not as if he’s Brooklyn’s age… now that would be weird.
We joke about the fact that our high schools were rivals, and despite our age difference, we reminisce about some of the things we used to do growing up. I learn that he’s an only child, and I tell him about my older brother and the things we used to do as kids. He also shares memories he has of him and Markus growing up, and it’s interesting to hear about my cousin’s life from someone outside our family. Since I was much older than Markus, I was totally unaware of the things Jacob tells me.
Although I share a lot about myself with him, too, the one thing I don’t mention is the fact that I’ve been divorced––twice––and that I have a daughter. I also don’t mention all of the health issues I’ve had over the years. Jacob and I are just getting to know each other, and it seems too soon to get into all that personal stuff. Not that Brooklyn is considered too personal, but bringing up the fact that I have a daughter just hasn’t made its way into our conversation yet.
“So, tell me, Heidi… what made you decide to open Cheerfully Yours?” he asks.
Jacob doesn’t know it, but asking that one simple question just opened a whole can of worms about my life.
“I’m not sure if you’re ready to hear the answer to that,” I say with a laugh.
Jacob’s face scrunches up in confusion, then he laughs along with me. “I guess you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I hope you do.”
I smile at Jacob, then look away and clear my throat. Time to get more personal, I guess. “I opened Cheerfully Yours after beating cancer for the second time.”
