Page 20 of Sean
It wasn’t a ton of money, but he could make two or three hundred a week doing two hours at lunch and two hours at dinner.That would keep Jace in diapers and baby food, and leave some cash in his pocket.That way, he wouldn’t have to dip into the savings he had reserved for getting his own place once he found a full-time job.He didn’t plan to live with his parents any longer than necessary.
His phone dinged just as he was ready to call it an afternoon.Long John Silver’s had an order going to Garfield.An easy pick-up and delivery since he was only two miles from the restaurant and headed back to Garfield anyway.He looked longingly at his own untouched lunch, which was getting colder by the second, and decided a few more minutes couldn’t make it much worse.He took in the details of the order.Two crab cakes, three shrimp, coleslaw, cheesecake, and sweet tea going to the Chad Wheeler Memorial Veterans Center.The order was for...
Monica Jenson.
HisMonica?
Well, not his...but...
Just ignore it.Someone else can make that delivery.
It wasn’t bad advice.It wasn’t like she’d know that he’d ignored her, and after yesterday, she probably didn’t want to see him anyway.But he wanted to see her.In hindsight, he realized he’d likely jumped to conclusions.He needed to apologize for being rude.Maybe there was something he could say to salvage their friendship.
Sean stabbed the button to accept the order and made a left turn onto Independence Street.He had about twelve minutes to pick up Monica’s food and come up with a good apology.
He pulled into an open space in front of the large rock-fronted veterans center, shut off the car, and grabbed the sack.Still with no clue as to what he was going to say, Sean entered the office.Monica seemed like a level-headed woman.Maybe a simple “I’m sorry” would work better than some long, rehearsed explanation.
Just inside the entrance he stopped and took in the space.This was one place in Garfield he’d never visited.There was a homey seating area formed by three matching sofas arranged in a U around a coffee table.The table held a neat stack of magazines.Off in one corner of the room was a large area rug bordered on one side with shelves of books and toys.The opposite corner was partitioned off by glass walls.Sean could see three screens and a tangle of game controllers.Something for everyone.To his left, a staircase led to the second floor, and next to the stairs, a small reception area.
A cute blonde sitting at the front desk met Sean’s approach with a smile.“Looks like it’s lunchtime for someone.”
Sean glanced at the nameplate on the desk.“Hi, Astor.It’s for Monica.Can you point me in the right direction?”
Astor held out her hand.“I can take it.”
Sean held the bag just out of her reach.“Thanks, but handing it directly to the customer is part of the service.”Not necessarily true.Her instructions had been to leave it at the desk but he really wanted to see her and he wasn’t prepared to explain that to a perfect stranger.“You don’t mind, do you?”
“Not at all.Up the stairs, first door on the right.”
“Thanks.”Sean loped up the stairs and crossed to the open door of Monica’s office.He raised his hand to knock on the wooden jamb but hesitated.Monica sat at her desk, her shoulder-length red hair bundled in one hand while she studied her computer screen.
His chest tightened, and he rubbed at the spot, knowing he had to clear the air between them.He raised his hand a second time but before he could knock, Monica lifted her head.Her mouth formed an O, her blue eyes wide with surprise.
“Sean.Oh, my goodness, you startled me.What are you doing here?”
Sean took a step into the room and raised the bag.“Your lunch, madam.”
“Oh, thanks.”She took the sack he’d held across the desk.“So, you’re an Uber driver.”
“For now.”
“You can make a living at that?”
“It fills the gap while my resume makes its rounds.”
“That’s good.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds while silence thrummed between them.
“Look, I—”
“—I’m glad you stopped—” Monica’s lips tipped up at the corners.“You go first.”
“I wanted to say I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings yesterday morning.”
“And I’m sorry if my coffee invitation was out of line.”
“You weren’t out of line, and I didn’t mean to be rude.Mom did have Jace, but that’s not why I turned you down.”
