haven’t heard the saying? If people are talking behind your back, just fart?”
“No. I thought you were a lady.”
“Ha. Not a chance.” Though, I like to think he thought of me as one.
“When you head out to the dining room, squeeze your cheeks or something, so you don’t scare the customers away.”
I giggle. “Do my best, boss.”
Pushing through the swivel door, the smile leaves my face spying Reef sitting at the usual table in the same spot. Alone. What’s he doing here on a Tuesday?
My first reaction is to step back behind the door before he sees me and ask Tara to cover for me and make some excuse of not being here. Too late. The way Reef’s eyes lock with mine, I’m pinned to the spot.
“Morning. I’m surprised to see you here on a Tuesday,” I say, acting my best to be blasé.
“Really?” he says, his gaze still locked with mine. “Since I have no other way to contact you, and after what you pulled last night, I thought you might want me to come after you, and tell you I’m sorry for whatever it was I did to upset you.”
Spinning the stylus in my fingers, I glance down at the iPad to gather my thoughts. “What makes you think you upset me?” I whisper, my gaze still lowered.
“Take your pick. Deleted your Insta account. Took off in the worst possible moment. The message saying it was a mistake. I don’t think it was after you orgasmed all over my fingers.”
“Shut up,” I say louder than necessary and glance around. My chest is tight being this close to him.
“It wasn’t a mistake.”
“There won’t be another time if that’s what you’re getting at.”
His lips turn up ever so slightly. “C’mon, Macy. I see the way you look at me when I’m checking you out. We have a mutual thing going on here.”
“I thought you were shy?”
“Who told you that? Ah… I can guess. Maybe I was. Am. But last night changed how we are together. And there’s no going back to pretending it’s not going to happen again.”
The space between my thighs warms as images of last night flood my brain.
“You know it.”
“It was a one-time thing,” I murmur. “Nothing else.”
Reef stands as though he’s leaving, towering over me, demanding attention. “I get it. But there is something else. We have unfinished business. Give me your number if you won’t reinstate your Insta account.”
“Not a chance.” I leave him standing there and head out back hoping Oliver didn’t witness my rude treatment of a customer.
If only I could go back to when that’s all he was to me.
Chapter Six
MACY
The following day I thought they’d never leave.
Lunch patrons fill the surrounding tables, and Reef and his mates continue their brunch with several rounds of coffee and a late-morning breakfast. I asked Ava for a favour to wait my tables for me. At first, she seemed suspicious but did it without further question. She seemed to enjoy the teasing and gave back to the footballers as much as they dished out.
I waited on the first six tables, a good distance from table eleven. There were times I sensed his eyes drilling holes in my back. I walked through the swivel door and felt naked in the way he undressed me without a single touch. But I got through it without his gaze locking with mine.
“Thanks, I owe you,” I tell Ava when the men file out the door.
“You want to tell me about it?”
“Not today.” I smile at her hoping for understanding. “But I’ll clean up their table because they can be messy… as a thank you.” And in case there’s a note.
She nods. “Cool. I need to chat with Oliver about something, so thanks.”
Ava secures her long brown pony on top of her head with a second hair tie and saunters out through the door. Something is going on between them. I’m not sure if they share a secret or if they’re secretly having an affair.
Grabbing a tray, I head to the table and pile dirty dishes and cutlery on it, as much as I can carry. Near the wall, a menu is flipped with more game tactics written on the back. Letters and arrows on what I assume is the field as it’s a large oval shape encasing the lines. A cryptic message is outlined in a separate box. Away from the diagram of arrows and lines is the message in the square for me?
A to F is a chance.
D