Page 2 of Shake Your Love
Glancing up again, I see the blonde watching me cook. I would give anything to have something more than this griddle and fryer. More than the tiny place I barely afford down the street. I wish I could have something to offer a woman like that. A woman who came from something.
Letting my eyes dip, I rein in those sorts of thoughts. Nothing good will come of them. I have a good enough life. More than a lot of others. No need to ruin it by letting myself chase a dream again. I did that once. It got me nowhere but laid up with a broken body and a busted spirit.
“Order up,” I call, plating the blonde’s order blindly.
“Oh, it looks awesome,” her voice gushes as Imelda sets it down. “The bacon is totally perfect. Thank you, Mr. Chef,” she calls loud enough I cannot miss it. Our gazes clash long enough for her to give me a huge smile.
I will take that smile and live off it for the next few days. It will make me feel good about being so alone. I can hold it up and say to myself, look, you did something good. You made a woman a damn fine, wicked random meal when she needed it. Good job,Pierce.
Turning from the pass through, I hide my own smile. How pathetic am I? That a single smile from someone being kind, being thankful, is something I have to hold on to. Something I will return to when I am feeling alone. When I am reminded that this is as good as life will ever get for me.
Stepping outside, I light up a cigarette and take a long drag. It burns my chest as I inhale. I suck the poison in as if it can fix what ails me. Burning it to the filter, I flick it towards the dumpster. Just as I do, I spot movement there. A baby kitten comes out from beneath it, crying at me.
“Oh, you poor thing. Where did mama go?” Scooping up the tiny black and orange ball of fluff, I bring her to my chest.
“You must be hungry. Come on, sweetheart, I will see to you.”
Taking her inside, I hide her inside my button up uniform shirt. Her little head pokes out and I gently nudge it back down with my chin. Behind the grill I do a once over. The coast is clear. Letting her pop her head out, I feed her a little bacon, laughing as she eats it with huge, chomping bites.
Glancing up, I see the blonde from earlier—my starlet—watching me. We share a look as I let the kitten nibble on the bacon. Her big greens get even bigger as she presses a hand to her chest. Whew. The new girl won’t snitch me out to Imelda or the other diner patrons.
Holding a finger up, I press it to my lips, petting the kitten with my other hand. Her head bobs agreeably and my heart stutters. We have a secret. Something about that makes me feel twisted up with excitement. Grinning at me big, she laughs as I tuck the feisty kitten back in my uniform shirt.
Finishing her meal, she whispers with Imelda for a moment before heading out. I watch her go, wishing I had the courage to go after her. To get her number so I could call her.Just as I let most of my chances pass me by, I never even say a word to the girl.
“Pierce, that new girl in town,” Imelda shouts as she starts closing things up for the night. “Take a look at her ticket.”
Frowning as I adjust the kitten in my shirt where she sleeps with a full belly, I pull the ticket off the stack. With a bunch of hearts and even stars, she signed a thank you for theradicalfood.Her words.That’s not what gets my heart thundering again. Her name—Paige with more hearts—andnumber scrawled across the bottom. Withmy nameattached to it.
That stone cold fox gave me her number?
Looks as if I might get another chance at this—what do I do with it?
Chapter Two
Paige
Unpacking is the absolute worst.
Then again, filling my new place with things from my lifeiskind of cool. It is my very first place and I want to make it mine. I want you to know when you walk in that this is my space, these are my things, and this is where I am in life. How much I have grown, what I have accomplished for myself.
“Pour some sugar on me,” I shout the words to the new Def Leppard song as I spin around the small living room of my new studio apartment.
Laughing at the image I make in my leotard, pleated skirt, and bunched socks, I pose for a moment. I am happier than I have been in a long time, excited to start a life here in Pine Grove. Leaving Sunset Springs was not a simple choice—but it was the right one for me.
Growing up with everything tends to override things. A breakup or losing first place in a beauty pageant went over easier because you can buy all the ice cream you want or drink as much whiskey as you desire to chase the pain away. If you crave something, a trip to a beautiful island or skiing in the mountains, you just go.
Until not enough ice cream or ski trips can chase away the emptiness.
“Where did you say you were going?” My mother wondered as I packed my room at their estate. An estate—regal enough with high stone walls, too many bedrooms for us to fill, and sprawling grounds, it seemed smaller than this little loft.
“Somewhere else. I want to do it on my own, mother. I want to make my own choices, do what I want to do, not whatis expected of me.”
Mother drained her martini with a wry twist of her mouth, giving just a nod. A brief show of agreement. It was never her dream to wed a man with generational wealth who could give her everything she wanted. Her dream had been simple—to become a teacher and make a difference.
My father was a good man who adored us both. He just had too high of expectations for us. We were free spirits who wanted to see things change, who wanted to impact that change with our words, with our efforts, and with our choices. I am not sure yet who I want to be, but I want a chance to figure it out on my own.
Dancing across the loft that isall mine, paid for with myownmoney—a year in advance even—I am excited. This cute town is perfect for a new start. Pine Grove has the best mall in the area, a great gym, a skate rink, an arcade, and plenty of other cool things going for it. It will be where I have a good time, figure myself out, and start a life, wherever that will lead me.
