“Sandwiches are popular,” I told him. “Frankie bakes the bread himself. Today’s special is a meatloaf sandwich.”
Drew nodded and I reached for my ordering pad and the pencil tucked behind my ear. “I’ll give the chili a try.”
“How about some cornbread with that?” I asked. Sadie had been after me to upsell as much as possible.
“Is it homemade?” he asked.
I nodded. “Frankie does all the baking here.”
“Then the cornbread it is.”
“Great,” I said. I tore the order off the pad, placed it on the circular device, and whirled it to be sure Frankie and Jim, his assistant, had it in plain view.
While I waited for Drew’s chili and cornbread to come up, I gave the man two stools down from Drew his check and collected the dirty dishes from the customer at the far end of the counter. The whole time I worked, my hands trembled as if this was my first day.
The kitchen had Drew’s order up in minutes. I knew it wouldn’t take long. I delivered it with the plate of cornbread and brought him the dish with foil-wrapped pats of butter.
Noticing that his coffee cup was half empty, I reached for the coffeepot and automatically filled it.
“Are you still willing to go shopping with me later this afternoon?” he asked.
I nodded. “Sure.”
“What time do you get off?”
“I can be ready to leave here by two-fifteen.”
“Okay, I’ll stop by and get you then.”
I hesitated. I’d rather not leave from the café, especially wearing my uniform. “Would it be all right if I went home and changed clothes first?”
He nodded. “Sure. You want me to pick you up there?”
“Please. Make it at three. You remember where my place is?”
Reaching for his spoon, he grinned and nodded.
“See you then.”
After that I got busy, and other than leaving Drew the check, I didn’t get a chance to talk to him again.
As Sadie, Alice, and I finished cleaning up just before closing, Sadie sidled up to me. “You want to tell me about that good-looking guy who had you all flustered?”
I wanted to pretend I didn’t know who she was talking about but I knew it would be a waste of breath. Little slipped by Sadie. She’d been waiting tables for nearly twenty-five years and had been the one to train me. I was still new enough for her to keep tabs on me and my interactions with customers. She’d been quick to tell me what I was doing wrong, and equally quick to compliment me when I did well.
“That’s Pastor Douglas from Seattle Calvary.”
Sadie’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “You got the hots for a man of God?”
“I…he’s a friend.” I could feel the heat invading my cheeks.
“He’s eye candy.”
“Sadie!” I cried.
“He married?” Alice asked, joining us.
“Widowed. He asked me to go Christmas shopping with him for his children.”
Sadie and Alice exchanged knowing looks.
“Don’t make anything more of this than it is,” I warned my friends. “Drew isn’t interested in me romantically.”
“Drew, is it?” Alice asked.
Right away I realized the mistake I’d made by calling him by his first name. I wanted to groan. While I wanted to believe that Drew might be interested in me that way, I was realistic enough to know it was unlikely. Again I warned myself that letting my thoughts wander in that direction would be ill-advised.
Thankfully Sadie and Alice didn’t bombard me with any more questions. As soon as my shift was over, I hopped the bus and hurried home. I showered quickly and changed into jeans and a sweater. By the time Drew arrived I was dressed and ready.
He parked outside my house, and not waiting for him to get out of the car, I stepped outside and walked over to where he’d parked. To my amazement, he climbed out and came around to open my door.
Dumbfounded, I stared at him. No man had ever done that for me before. It was such a simple gesture, kind and thoughtful. I was tempted to say something and found I couldn’t get the words out. I couldn’t imagine Shooter or any other man I’d been with doing anything like that.
Once inside the car, we seemed to struggle with a topic of conversation. I was afraid he might have regretted asking me to shop with him. Wanting to ease the tension, I asked him about his lunch.
“The chili was great.”
“I’m glad. I’d feel bad if I steered you wrong.”
The exchange was followed by a tense silence, as if we were both uncomfortable. “I checked online for the doll Sarah mentioned.”
“You have a computer now?” he asked.
“No. I got a smartphone. It was a gift from Sadie when she upgraded.”
Drew glanced over at me. “That’s great.”
“Yeah. It’s a good thing.”
“I thought I’d buy one for Mark this year,” Drew said. “From what I understand, all the kids at school have them now. He’s never mentioned wanting one, but I figure it’s time.”
“That’s a good idea.” Actually, I was surprised Mark didn’t already have a phone.
“His own phone and a couple videogames for his Xbox and that’s all he needs. Sarah’s the one who has me worried.”
“I think she’d enjoy getting her ears pierced,” I suggested.
“Sarah? She’s only nine.”
He sounded shocked at my suggestion. “It’s just a thought.” But it was one thing I knew she’d like.
“Did she mention it?”
I nodded. “In passing. Just that a friend of hers had Dory earrings. You could buy her the earrings with the promise of getting her ears pierced after Christmas.”
“I suppose that will work,” he said, as though still mulling over the suggestion.
Drew drove to the mall at Northgate, and once we found a parking spot we were on a mission. Within two hours we had purchased everything he’d mentioned and a few items more.
My one purchase was a pair of gloves for Richard, the homeless man I’d met that morning. I’d noticed how chapped his hands were when he held the coffee.
As we headed back to the parking lot, Drew hesitated as we walked through the cosmetics section of Macy’s. Frowning, he stopped and studied a display of perfumes.
The sales clerk appeared as if by magic. “Can I help you?” she asked.
Feeling a bit awkward, I stood back and waited.
“I need a bottle of…I think it’s called Beautiful,” he said, as he continued to study the display case.
The clerk brought out several sizes and mentioned if he purchased the eight-ounce bottle he would receive a free gift. The price was over a hundred dollars, but Drew didn’t hesitate.
“This is for someone special,” he said, and handed over his credit card.
If I ever needed the reminder that I was out of Drew’s league, this was it. Whoever was getting the expensive bottle of perfume was someone he’d known a long while and whose taste he was familiar with.
No, this perfume was for someone special in his life.
And it definitely wasn’t me.
The Christmas Eve service went off without a hitch. With Linda Kincaid heading up the program, the evening was in good hands. I knew she’d enjoy the perfume, and while it was above what I would normally spend on a gift, she deserved it for everything she did for me.
In the program, Mark played the role of one of the Three Kings and Sarah had a speaking part as one of the angels who’d come to announce the baby’s birth to the shepherds.
It was moments like this when I felt Katie’s presence more than I did her absence. I felt certain she was there with me, beaming with pride at our children. I missed her dreadfully, but I was learning to live without her.
Christmas morning Sarah was awake before six. “Daddy, Daddy, get up so we can open our gifts.”
I rubbed the sleep from my face and did my best to hold her off. “Give me five minutes, okay?” It was the line she gave me when I had to wake her to get ready for school.
“Daddy, it’s Christmas.”