Page 6 of Unbreakable
I grab the plates and take them to the hungry waiting customers. After making sure their orders are to their liking, I leave them to enjoy their meals. As I'm walking pass tables to grab a fresh pot of coffee to take to table two, I hearhisdeep voice.
"Good morning, Little Bird."
My steps falter, and I have to catch myself by grabbing the edge of the table beside me and close my eyes. My heartbeat thuds against my ribcage. My body reacts the same as it did before. Warmth engulfs my hand and lighting bolts dance across my skin when a hand takes hold of mine.His hand. I prepare myself to see anger for leaving the way I did. He deserves so much more than me. So much more than the lies and secrets I've had to hide. Lifting my head my eyes connect with his. His piercing blue eyes don’t show any sign of hate or anger. They show worry, longing, and dare I say, love. "Jake," I whisper his name.
His eyes close. Like he's soaking me in. His thumb starts to stroke the fast beating pulse on my wrist. "I always knew you were waiting to fly away, but I have to admit I wasn’t ready. My heart wasn’t ready, Grace."
His words cause a major crack in my already crumbling exterior.
"How long are you working today, beautiful?" Jake asks with his eyes still fixed on me and his hand still covering mine.
I lick my lips, "My shift ends at two," I offer.
Jake stands, taking his wallet from his back pocket and slips a ten underneath his empty cup of coffee. His body fills the space between us. I breathe him in. He always smells like cedar, mixed with the leather of his cut.
Brushing my hair aside he bends and whispers in his husky gravely tone, "I'll be waiting for you outside at two o'clock, Little Bird," he promises. My skin comes alive with goosebumps from his warm breath against my neck.
"Okay." I answer him timidly.
I don’t turn to watch him walk out the door. I only listen for the sound of the bell jingling and then the rumble of his Harley as he fires it up and leaves. I stay frozen in my spot, tuning the noise out, until I feel a light touch on my shoulder.
"Honey, you okay?" Janet questions and I shake off the remaining effect Jake had on me.
"Um, yeah, I'm fine," I try to convince her, but the look on her face says otherwise.
"Mmhmm. Honey, the moment that man touched you the temperature in this building went up eighty degrees. Oh, what I'd give to have a man look at me like that again," Janet remarks as she fans herself with one of the menus.
"He's just an old friend passing through. That's all," I tell her walking behind the counter to finish my previous task and grab the pot of coffee from the hot plate.
"You keep on telling yourself that, dear," Janet adds before taking her notebook from her apron pocket and writes down another customer's order.
The rest of my day flies by faster than I wanted it too, and my nervous jitters have only gotten worse with every hour that passes. "I'll see you in the morning, Janet," I give my goodbye for the day and clock out. On the phone, she gives me a small wave. Stepping out the back door of the diner, waiting next to my car on his bike is Jake.
"Lead the way," he tells me.
No point in arguing I get in my car. He's going to want answers. So, I need to make up my mind on the short fifteen-minute drive if I'm going to tell him the truth or feed him more lies.
Jake pulls in behind me as I put my car in park and turn off the engine. I'm out of the car and unlocking the front door just as he's walking up the drive. I open the door and walk straight to the kitchen needing a glass of water. I've yet to say a word to him even once he closes the door. Sipping my water, I try to calm my nerves.
I hear Jake sigh, "Grace."
"Give me a minute, Jake. I know you want answers. Give me a minute to gather the strength to give them to you," I plead. Setting my water down on the counter, I spin around but stay in the kitchen and face him. Jake starts striding my way, but I lift my hand, "I need you to stay right there. Please, Jake, because what I have to say is hard for me to reveal and harder for me to admit to you."
Noticing how visibly shaken I am he stops and places his hands inside his front pockets. A move which instantly puts me at ease.
"I'm listening, babe," he remarks.
Pulling in a deep breath, I lay my secrets out in front of us. "My name isn’t Grace Cohan," I bite my lip and rub my hands together nervously, and briefly look away.
"Eyes, Grace. Give me your eyes," Jake pleads in a calm demanding tone.
My eyes meet his again.
"Keep going," he encourages me.
"I was born Anna O'Shea. I've been on the run, or I should say hiding for the past two years."
"Babe, what have you been running from?" Jake asks with worry etched across his handsome face.
