“Why?” I asked; I couldn’t help myself.
He walked closer to me, placing his hands in his pants pockets again. He looked intently in my eyes, which I have to say was really unsettling.
“Meet me, and I’ll tell you.”
I moved my eyes from his and started to get in the cab.
Josh said to me, “I hope to see you tomorrow.”
All I could do was nod my head as I closed the door to the cab.
Chapter 3
Kenya
The bell above the door of the café jingled, and I looked up at Sara. Sara and I were at the back of the café doing what we both used to calm our nerves, baking. Sara was a great lady. She was short in stature but large in personality. Raising six boys on her own, she said, was the reason why she was so strong and why at the age of fifty–five her hair was completely grey. She lost her husband close to twenty years ago and worked her tail off to keep the roof over their kids’ heads. She had a great family though. The moment her oldest became of age to start working, he stepped in and started helping his mother. He didn’t want his mother working herself into the ground, and it seemed one after the other vowed to take care of their mother, and that’s what they did.
She owned her shop out right as well as the building space itself. Her second to the oldest bought it for her, and the rest of her boys all pitched in to give her startup money. They wanted her happy and not stressed anymore, and when you saw Sara, she was just that.
She looked over at me and prodded. “Well, go out there and meet your guy. I got this taken care of.”
Sara and I talked from time to time. She could tell when I came to work this morning something was up. I was a complete ball of nerves. I was spilling things, dropping things, more than usual, so she made me spill my guts about Josh and about my breakfast date today.
I shook my head.
“No, that’s okay. I’ve thought about this. Seriously, I have, and it’s better that I stay back here. Maybe Melanie can tell Josh…”
“Tell me what?”
I turned toward the voice I heard and saw Josh standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He wore a simple t–shirt and jeans, but he looked so good.
Sara smiled. “You must be Josh… Welcome, I’m Sara.”
Josh smiled, “It’s nice to meet you. You really have a goldmine here,” he replied and then looked at me.
“Yes, we do.” She looked at me too, and of course I blushed. She then said, “Summer, why don’t you go take a break? I’ve got this.”
I looked at her, eyes wide… Didn’t she just hear me when I said I was staying back here?
I said, “I couldn’t leave you back here alone.” I turned to Josh. “We have been swamped this morning with orders. Do you mind if we take a rain check?”
Please say yes!
Josh nodded. “Of course I understand.”
Then he did the strangest thing. He grabbed an apron and proceeded to put it on. I shook my head, confused.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“Well Summer, I’m putting on an apron.” He looked at a now grinning Sara and said, “You just said you’re swamped back here. I couldn’t leave with my conscience intact knowing I could’ve helped.”
I put my hands on my hips and my eyes narrowed on him.
“Do you even know anything about baking?”
He scoffed. “Of course I do; I’m part Italian.” He looked at me, then back at Sara. “Put me to work… uh wait, let me wash my hands first.”
He started for the large sink to his right, and I rolled my eyes as he washed his hands.
“Ugh,” I replied and then looked at Sara. “You sure you don’t need me?”
Laughing, she said, “Yes Summer, I’m fine. Go…”
I undid my apron and signaled to Josh.
“I’m ready,” I said to him as he dried his hands.
He smirked at me, clearly amused at himself, and removed the apron.
He said over my head, “It was very nice to meet you, Sara.”
“You too, Josh,” she replied as we walked out of the back.
I looked back and up at him as I asked, “Where would you like to sit?”
He didn’t reply to me right away. He walked to the counter and grabbed a folded bag with Sara’s logo on it. He handed me the bag, then grabbed the drink holder that consisted of two coffee cups sitting next to the bag and took my hand in his.
He said to me, “I was thinking we could go somewhere else. Don’t worry, it’s close by. Is that okay with you?”
I couldn’t formulate any kind of words much less a complete thought, so I just nodded. He smiled at me, dimples out winking at me. Huh that was so strange. When he smiled at Stephen I didn’t see his dimples, but when he smiled at me they were clear as day.
He led us out of the café, across the street and we walked for half a block, hand in hand. Then he turned left. I knew where he was going. There was a small makeshift park down a little ways in front of us with benches and concrete statues of animals and brick laid designs going along the ground. It wasn’t a park for kids, but just for people around the neighborhood to sit around on a nice day. And this morning, with the sun beating down on us, felt kind a nice.
He handed me a hot cup and said, “The woman behind the counter, Melanie, said you prefer tea to coffee. So I got you tea with honey.”
I blinked a few times before nodding. “Great. Thank you.”
He took the bag from me, opened it and tilted my way saying, “I already ate, but I bought something just in case you were hungry.”
I frowned and asked again, not thinking how he would answer me. “If you’re not hungry, why did we meet for breakfast?”
He tilted his head and leaned back from me as he answered, “I didn’t want to miss any opportunity to see you.”
He brought his coffee cup to his lips and slowly sipped. I was stunned again!
I had nothing to say to that, so I looked in the bag and pulled out a piece of banana nut muffin and tried not to notice how intently he was looking at me.
I finally asked him, just trying to not concentrate on the way he was looking at me. “So were you serious back at the café when you said you knew how to bake?”
I looked over at him, and he smiled, “Yeah, baking isn’t my strong suit, but I do know how to cook.” I looked at him skeptically and he added, “Seriously, my mom felt it was important for her sons and daughter to know how to take care of themselves in the kitchen and around the house. She was hoping if we knew how to take care of ourselves maybe we won’t marry some woman just because she cooks and cleans.”
“Oh, what a wise woman your mom is.”
He laughed. “Yeah, she would happily agree with you.”
He then started telling me more about himself, where he was from, and how he grew up.
The next thing I knew we were laughing and joking as if we were old friends and I felt completely relaxed. We started talking about our likes and dislikes with ease. We talked about silly things we used to do as a kid or rather he told me stories and I’d just laugh. I swear he made me laugh so hard my stomach was hurting. I told him about my new found appreciation for baseball and that began the sports stories of his childhood.
What I didn’t talk about was my family. I mean, I told him a little bit, but for the most part he shared more about himself than I did about me. But he didn’t seem to mind, and that made me feel comfortable, if that’s a good way to explain it. Talking to him felt so easy, so familiar, I really didn’t want this moment to end.
“So when’s the last time you’ve been home?” I asked him.
“Oh, it’s been a few months actually. We had one of our family dinners the last time I was home. Shane and Malcolm, my two older brothers, came over and my little sister Liliana and her new husband Nolan came as well. And of course, a few cousins, aunts and uncles stopped by too. I hadn’t seen everyone in a long time, so it was great to see them all.”
“Really, I would think that since you lived in Maryland you would see them more often,” I said.
“I usually do, but I’ve been overseas for most of the year doing contract work, and I just actually got back into the states not too long ago.” He shared.
My eyes got wide. “Really? Where were you? Are you military or something?”
He chuckled at the excitement I could barely contain. “No, I’m not military, but I was a civilian contractor working in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
I frowned. “Wasn’t that dangerous?”
He nodded. “It was at times, but the work exposure was well worth it. It’s actually how I landed the job I have now.”
I shook my head. “Wow… I don’t think I could do anything like that, work in such a dangerous setting.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t an easy decision that I made. My two brothers are military and spent most of their military careers in the desert, and they hated the fact that I was there. They’ve seen what that country was like and didn’t want me to put myself in harm’s way, but everything was fine. I came back in one piece, and I think a little wiser than before I left. Seeing death over there and hearing the mortars and guns going off in the distance makes you appreciate what you have at home you know.”