Page 2 of Damien
“Need more coffee?” she offers, holding up the carafe as she awaits my answer.
What the hell is wrong with me? She’s young, probably has a boyfriend, and is likely having the time of her life in college. There’s no way she’d be interested in the likes of me. Besides, I’ve got the biggest project of my career to focus on and don’t need any distractions.
Fuck. She said something. What is it?
Noticing the carafe in her hands, I nod. “Sure, I’d love some more.”
She tops off my mug, and I’m blessed with another heart-stopping smile. “What’s on the agenda for conquering the world today?”
Somehow, she’s managed to get me to talk more about myself than she’ll ever divulge about hers. She knows I’ve moved to town to work on the new housing project for CRU but not a lot of the specifics. When it’s been slower, I’ve even talked with a few other older patrons who are regulars; the old men seem to be busy bodies and like to know what’s brought a stranger like me into the diner on such a regular basis.
I’m young. I’d rather not cook if I’m only cooking for me, and the food here is great. The fact that I enjoy the company of the beautiful woman before me, well… I’ve kept that part to myself.
Trying not to sound too cocky, I shrug my shoulders and respond to Vanessa’s question. “Well… you know… making sure everything runs smoothly and no major hiccups is considered a win.”
Rolling her eyes, she swats with her free hand at the air between us. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll do much more than that. I happened to drive by that site, and it’s quite the undertaking your company’s doing. It’ll be great to see affordable student housing help families in the future.”
“It sure is. I just hope we can keep meeting our deadlines and complete it under budget. So far so good. But I don’t want to jinx anything,” I tease as I knock on the wood counter.
“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” She reaches out and pats my shoulder across the counter as if she’s done it a million times. Electricity zings through my spine, and I try like hell not to show my reaction to her. Holy shit, what is she doing to me? I’m not some preteen experiencing his first crush.
Not being able to find words to exit my mouth, I just nod in agreement as I stare into her eyes. Damn. They’ve got flecks of gold and a darker ring around the exterior. I’ve never noticed that before.
“Van, your order’s up,” someone calls from the kitchen, and we both break whatever spell she’s cast on me in that instant.
Impishly, she grins. “I’d better get back to work. Let me know if you need anything.”
As I finish my meal, I force my eyes not to follow her as she works. It’s damn hard, but somehow, I manage with only a few glances when she’s directly in front of me.
When a couple in a booth to my left make Vanessa laugh, I can’t help but turn to appreciate the sound. In the short time I’ve known her, I’ve seen her laugh a handful of times, but this is a genuine, almost doubled-over laugh. Whatever was said must be something because as I look closer, I see unshed tears about to roll down her cheek.
What could they have said to get a reaction like that?
I recognize the couple Vanessa’s talking with as the ones that got engaged the morning of the championship game. I’d come in wanting to beat the crowd for the morning rush and got something my sister would write in one of her books. The dude planned his proposal to perfection and clearly, she didn’t see it coming.
Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s fantastic for someone to proclaim their love publicly. But I’m not so sure I’d want to draw so much attention to myself.
My sister Dani would flip her shit to see something of that epic proportion go down like it did. Being a romance writer, she’d likely pull out her nearest notebook and jot it all down so she could use it in a book. But I’m not so sure I’d want to draw so much attention to myself.
I watch as Vanessa swipes a finger under each eye as she shakes her head and says something I can’t quite catch. Then she bats the air as if she wants the guy to stop saying what he’s saying, so she can catch her breath, but she continues to laugh as he explains.
When another customer draws her attention, she excuses herself to move on to help them. I hear the girl call out, “Go. We can catch up later. Tell Syd we’ll meet at eight.” Then she looks to the guy in the booth beside her and giggles some more.
Vanessa nods in agreement but soon gets busy with the customer and their needs. She briskly walks past me, but I catch her smile in my direction as she says, “Be right with you.” Within a minute, she returns with a container of powdered sugar, and I’m blessed with another brilliant smile as she makes her delivery.
When she returns, I’m mid-bite.
“Need anything else, Damien?”
The way she says my name sends a shiver up my spine.
“Uh…”Stop being such a blubbering idiot.I inwardly scold but manage, “I’m good,” even though it sounds way too gravelly to sound natural.
Of course, this gives her reason to pause with scrutiny.
Oh, geez! What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Are you sure?” When I don’t say anything, she asks, “Ready for the check?”
