Page 41 of Tell Me Again

“Yeah,” he says, grinning. “Coffee. That black stuff you’ve already had like four cups of. You know, maybe that’s why your hands are still shaking.”

“Oh, god, right, um—”

My hands are still shaking, but that’s not why. He steps toward me, looking from me to my coffee cup, and I can feel the heat of his body the closer he gets. God, it’s dizzying.

“Maybe decaf?” He winks and then leans over just enough to pick up my mostly empty cup.

God, he smells good.

Not now. Really.

“Yeah, that’s—that’s probably a good idea.”

“Alright, gimme a minute and—”

He’s cut off by a loud voice coming from the kitchen. “Coop! Get your ass out here! Table nine is still waiting on coffee, and if you don’t hurry the hell up, you’re fuckin’ fired, I swear!”

Coop flinches slightly but then gives me a sort of sheepish grin and a shrug. “She always says that and rarely means it. But I should go. I’ll be back in a few. With decaf.”

He winks again, and my heart leaps in my chest. Then he’s gone, shutting the door most of the way behind him as he calls out, “On it, Mel!”

***

It’s well after ten thirty by the time I’m finished eating and finally feel ready to go. I think.

I gather up my plate and coffee cup and utensils, wipe the desk clean, and push the chair in, then I head out of the room. The kitchen is empty, oddly enough, and I’m not entirely sure where to put my dirty dishes, so I wander around for just a minute until I find the dishwashing station. I leave my dishes stacked with the other ones and then turn and head back out through the doors to the dining room.

Coop’s sitting at one of the counter stools, his back to me, and I close the door lightly and start walking in his direction. He’s on the phone and mumbling, and he doesn’t seem to hear me approach.

“No, just a new battery... Yeah. Yeah, it’s a Tacoma. Ninety-nine. I can install it, if that matters... One thirty-five? Shit, okay. Shit. Um... I’ve got almost a hundred. Maybe one twenty by the end of my shift. Can I—” He blows out a breath while shaking his head. “Nah, nah, I understand, man. Thanks, though. I’ll figure it out...”

I’m closer now, and he must hear me or something because he suddenly turns toward me. His expression is strained, but he gives me a tight smile and then looks away again.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. One thirty-five. You’ve got one there? If I stop by later?”

He says a few more words, including a goodbye, as I make my way around the counter until I’m on the same side as him, just a couple of feet away. Then he hangs up and stuffs the phone in his pocket with a sigh.

“Shit, uh, sorry, I just had to make that phone call. First chance I’ve had all morning. You all finished?” He stands up and forces another smile, but I can see the tension in his expression.

“Yeah, thanks again. I really appreciate everything.”

God, I want to do something right today. I’ve ruined so many things. And it’s an easy thing for me. I’ve got the money, and it would help him out. But I’m not sure if he wants it or if it would offend him or... something else.

“Can I—”

He shakes his head as though he knows exactly what I’m going to say, and then he turns a bit and glances around the now-empty dining room.

“I’ll get the money,” he says, clearly injecting a sort of false confidence into his voice, like another of those stale “I’m okays,” when he’s anything but.

“Coop, I owe you big time. You saved my ass today, and I—”

“It was nothing. Richards was being a dick. I just did what any friend—I mean, what anyone would do,” he says, and the tension is in his voice now too.

I frown as I look down. I want to tell him how it certainly wasn’t nothing, how it really meant a lot more to me. But I’m pretty sure he already knows that, and I can’t find the words anyway. I reach into my back pocket and pull out my wallet.

I don’t usually carry too much cash on me, but I’ve got two twenties left. That should be just enough to cover what he needs, I hope. Hell, I’d pay for the whole thing if he’d let me, but this is probably already pushing it. I fold the bills up and reach out to offer him the money.

“No, Josh, really, I don’t—”

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