Page 30 of It Never Was

"More than halfway done, if I am lucky!" I sigh.

"I'll leave you to it. I don't want to set you back another year." He smiles then starts to walk away.

I am left watching him walk away, untying his apron as he walks toward the kitchen. I see hand movements from my peripheral and shoot my gaze in that direction. Willow is jumping up and down, looking as giddy as a kid who just got told they are going to Disney World. I give her a look that says what? She continues to smile from ear to ear as she gestures towards the kitchen door and starts to wave her hand like she is burning up from the heat. I slit my eyes at her and mouth the word NO!

She grabs her phone out of her apron pocket and begins to tap away at the screen, her face not losing the excited look. She shoots her head up to look at me as she leans to rest her chin on her hands from on top the counter. I hear my phone vibrates against the table and I give her an eye roll before grabbing it. I can hear her giggling away as I read her text message.

Well, well, well…look who is getting the princess treatment, first you get caught midair, then table side serve! I would be jealous if I wasn't so excited for you! I bet he has a lot more sweet things he wants to serve you ;)

My eyes grow wide. I glance up at Willow who is shaking from the giggle attack she is having watching my reaction. I shake my head and try to think of a good response, but the only thing on my mind is the sweet things Parker could serve me…

NO!

I grip my phone tighter, ready to respond.

Willow stop it, I was falling he caught me. He is getting approval for the shop on these. Plus, I am happily with Devon.

Willow responded before I can even put my phone down.

Oh, right Devon…has he replied to any of your calls or texts yet?

I shot her a look from across the room, a knot forming in the back of my throat. No, Devon has not responded, and it is killing me.

Even though I am furious, I still want him. Even though he hurt me, I want us to be okay again. It has been too long, and I feel like he is done with me. I am angry at the thought, but I am more heartbroken than anything at the thought of him not wanting me anymore. I love him.

As my eyes start to water and the sting in my throat starts to burn Parker pushes through the kitchen door to leave for the day. I had thought he was going to go out the back, but to my surprise there he is walking through the shop towards the front door. Willow's gaze, along with my own follow him as he makes his way across the room.

Before pushing through the front entrance, his eyes lock with mine one last time, and he must notice the rising water because a hint of concern washes over his face. A tear pools over, confirming my emotions to him, and all I can do is wipe it away and put my face in my laptop. I try to pretend to be busy, just staring at the laptop screen wishing him away. The sound of the front door closing, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

I look out the shop's window to see him waiting by the curb. Willow looks at me with a matching confused expression. A moment later a black Toyota Rav4 comes pulling up to the curb and Parker taps on the driver's window, motioning someone out of the car.

Maybe he has a girlfriend that moved here with him; that would make things a hell of a lot easier.

Parker knocks on the driver's window looking a little more annoyed this time. The driver rolls down the window and a younger guy with deep brown hair and eyes to match lays his arms and face along the window seal making a baby face at Parker. Parker reacts with a chuckle I am guessing because I can see his torso bouncing. He yanks the door open, and the young man almost tumbles out of the car. Parker catches him so he doesn't land on the sidewalk. The young man, who I am guessing is his brother from the slight resemblances, makes his way around the car to the passenger side and Parker takes claim to the driver's seat and they are off, cruising away from The Morning Cup.

"Not too bad for a mini-Parker, if I do say so myself." Willow nudges me as she comes to take a seat next to me.

"He is eighteen, Willow," I spit out.

"Legal, and… I mean, he is tasty." She picks at one of the treats on my tray, grabbing an extra pithivier and popping it in her mouth. "If I can't have Parker, because of course he is yours…" She grins at me, still chewing, and I roll my eyes as I shake my head telling her no. All she does is shrug before saying, "Then I'll have the newer model!"

Geez, Willow.

18

Parker

"Fuck it's cold," Gabe jumps into the passenger seat, throwing his backpack in the back seat, before rubbing his hands together, "The air is something different here, not like the Colorado air we had."

"It's the wet air." I chuckle as I watch him huff a breath between his hands, "Washington too much for you?"

I put the car in reverse to leave the parking spot I had been sitting in on campus as I waited for him to get out of class for the day. The sun is starting to go down and the small warmth it was giving it was leaving with it.

Gabe has been talking about living in Washington for as long as I can remember, and after our parents passed away, and I took over custody of him, he thought it was never going to happen. He had his heart set on living his mountain life and it was shattered when he and our parents got in a car accident. That's why Gabe doesn't drive, he has been talking about trying it out but every time he gets behind the wheel, I see the panic set in. I don't push it.

I'll never forget that phone call from the hospital. I had just gotten a promotion to sous chef at the hotel I was working in after years of busting my ass off with the line jobs and head chefs kicking me around. I was determined to show them all that I deserved this position, this title. I was grinding myself to the bones, stilling feeling I had more to prove. Not to myself but to everyone else.

But my whole world flipped with that phone call.

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