“Beth!” Tyler exclaims as I walk into the restaurant.
Even though I haven’t been here since Maverick’s last eruption, this still feels like my safe space and on a day like today, when my mind feels like a jumble of emotions and a chaotic mess, I need the familiarity and security of this space to help me find my center.
“You look...different. It’s a good different. How have you been? The last time I saw you, you were being dragged out of here by a maniac.” The words come stumbling out of him. Rather than immediately acknowledging any of them, I throw my arms around his neck and hug him. I can feel his smile on my shoulder after a long exhale and some of the tension slips away from me.
“It’s good to see you too, Tyler. I’m sorry it took me so long to come back. Things have been a bit hectic on my end, you know.”
“Well you wear it well.” He smiles and I blush. “Can I get you anything?”
I shake my head and settle in on a stool close by the counter. The thermostat is set to the perfect temperature and cools me down from the humidity outside.
Tyler looks relieved to see me and I feel horrible for abandoning my truest friend.
“I just needed to get away for a bit. Clear my head.” I explain more from guilt than an actual need to set the record straight.
I look around the booths. They’re all fairly empty. That’s no surprise with the state games going on. Pretty soon this silence will dissipate as the revelers pour in, so I take a deep breath and enjoy the silence.
“Are you ready for the post-game rush?” I ask, trying to take the attention away from myself.
“Ugh! Yeah. We will be if Elizabeth shows up for her shift like she’s supposed to. But, you know, reliability isn’t really her thing.” He groans and checks his watch, shaking his head.
“Geez, I’m surprised you’ve kept her on for this long. She is impossible.” I laugh and he rolls his eyes before handing me a drink.
“It’s on the house. What’s on your mind, Beth?” he smiles with knowing eyes.
“What makes you think there’s something on my mind?”
“I know you.”
I sigh. No point in pretending. After all, I did come here because I needed a friend. “I did something incredibly stupid and now I’m dealing with the consequences of it.” I summarize my entire marriage and subsequent heartbreak.
“What did you do?”
“I decided to trust someone who didn’t deserve my trust.”
He nods, pulling up a stool as though he expects me to continue. When I don’t, he narrows his eyes at me. “Do go on.”
“Well there isn’t much else to say. I went out like a fool and got my heart broken. No big deal.” I try to smile it off, but his intense gaze keeps me honest.
“Your broken heart is a big deal, Beth. It’s a pretty big heart you’ve gone out and gottenbroken.”
I laugh at that. He always knew how to pick the most ridiculous words and somehow have them make sense.
“How about I sub in for Elizabeth until she gets here?” I ask and he perks up, checking his watch again.
“You’re playing the avoiding game.”
“You need the help.”
“I do need the help. But-”
“You’d be helping me too,” I cut in. “I just… My mind is running away from me and I could do with a distraction.”
He arches a brow, taking me in for a moment. “Fine.”
I’m up on my feet immediately, throwing my arms around him. “You’re the best, Ty!”
In no time, I make my way to the other side of the counter, before disappearing into the changing room to grab an apron.
Strip away the makeup and the new clothes and I’m still the same person. The waitress from a seedy part of town with a love for dancing, a heart for music and no fear of hard work. I am not a trophy wife. I am not a mail order bride either. I am a waitress. A waitress with dreams that go far beyond Maverick.
When I walk back into the main room, I’m greeted by rowdy cheers and over excited fans.
“Looks like the game is over.” Tyler nods towards the booths as they start filling up and a part of me goes numb.
“Are you okay?” Tyler asks me, his brow raised as he watches my reactions. “You know, you don’t have to do this. You can change your mind whenever you want.”
I rest my hand on his shoulder and shake my head. His arms feel firm beneath my fingers and I idly let my hand slide down his bulging biceps.
I should have chosen him. I should have fallen for someone I knew was purely and truly good. At least then I’d have a reason to be upset if I got my heart shattered. I pull my hand away, cursing myself for my runaway thoughts.
“It’s fine, Tyler. I said I’d help. You’re down one server anyway, so I can do a few tables before I go. I’ll just avoid the players if you don’t mind.”
“I can handle them. Thanks again, Beth. You really are an angel,” he says, brushing away a hair I hadn’t noticed, tucking it behind my ear.
There’s no sign of Maverick when I walk out, and I can feel my shoulders relax. But even that doesn’t last for long.
“Well if it isn’t little Miss Bethany Hendrickson,” I hear a shrill female voice chime behind me. “What are you doing here? Maverick’s usually the type to look after his women. Or is it that you’re just not worth being taken care of?”
I turn around to stare into Suzanne’s face, fighting back the urge to throw my fist against her bulby little nose.
“I’m just saying,” she continues, “he usually spoils his women. Well, at least he used to spoil me.” She smirks, tossing her hair over her shoulders.
“No, I’m pretty sure you’re naturally rotten. He had nothing to do with that. I’m not your server today, so do yourself a favor and pretend that I don’t fucking exist.”
Her chest sags as she scoffs at me in disbelief.
“You cannot speak to me like that.”
“I can speak to you however the hell I want,” I inform her before walking away to go serve an elderly couple across the room.
Tyler chuckles as he walks by me to get to their table and gives a small wink that suddenly makes me even bolder. I’m done taking all their shit. Maverick included.
I’ve decided to ignore the whole ‘I love him’ nonsense that has been brewing inside me all day. I refuse to love somebody who cannot love me back. It isn’t worth the heartache.
If Maverick wants me, he’s going to have to prove it to me and I need much more than just random text messages saying how much he misses me.
Missing me is easy. I happen to be amazing.
Loving me is something completely different.
The temperature changes as a waft of warm air blows in through the open door and I catch a familiar whiff in the breeze.
I’ve woken up to this scent, drifted off to sleep to this scent, fallen hard and fast for this scent. So much so that it’s fully committed to my memory. My fingers tighten around the pen I’m holding and for a few seconds I completely forget how to breathe. I don’t need to turn around. I know he’s here and I feel trapped with my back to the door, waiting tensely for the right moment to escape.
The tension only builds when I turn to see Ethan and Marco tumbling into the restaurant without him.