I was surprised to find out that she had practically spent over twenty years running the Pizza restaurant by herself, after her husband Frank had passed away and her only child had took off and left her all alone. I could tell that she was lonely and really needed the company. I almost felt sad for her.
A few hours into my first shift, I was already getting anxious to get off and see Jace. I kept my cell in my pocket, occasionally texting both Jace and Stacy, wondering how things were going at the diner. I was very happy and grateful for Jan giving me a job, but I couldn't help but to feel an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. Every time that my phone vibrated in my pocket, I couldn't help but to think of how I could have been there with them.
"Hey, girl."
I dropped the towel onto the empty table and peered over my shoulder to see Jan standing behind me. "Is everything okay?" Her forehead wrinkled in concern as she waited for my response. "There is a handsome young man here to see you. Maybe that might cheer you up," she groaned.
A smile crossed my face as I studied the look on Jan’s face. Jace hadn’t even mentioned that he was coming to see me.
"That's got to be-"
"Hi, Avery." The voice sent chills up my spine.
"Caleb." I froze unsure of what to say next.
Jan looked back and forth between Caleb and me before disappearing into the kitchen, leaving the two of us alone.
Panic set in causing my head to spin. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs until he left. I took a few calming breaths and continued to clean off the table. "What are you doing here?" I questioned.
Caleb took a step forward, but then stopped before he got too close. He looked nervous.
The smell of his Joop cologne filled the air as he threw his hands up in defeat and grunted. "Avery, look. I know that I messed up. I messed up big time and I'm sorry." He paused and reached for my shoulder, but I shook it off. "I didn't know that Henry was a piece of shit. Pam started coming to me months ago. She was a good client... so when she mentioned that she was your aunt and that your father had been searching for you, I thought that I was doing you a favor."
I threw the towel back down on the table, pressing my hands to my forehead. I was beyond frustrated and I just wanted to move on with my life and leave the past behind me.
"Caleb, I understand that you didn't know what you were doing. I guess that I can't really blame you for bringing my father back into my life." I glanced up at Caleb and then threw myself into an empty chair. "I really can't."
"You're right. You can't." He agreed. "I didn't know anything about your past and that was because you refused to tell me. I wanted to know. Trust me. I did."
I shook my head, knowing that he was right. A lot of the pain that I had gone through was my own doing. I could had let him in from the beginning and told him everything. I didn't. I kept it from him. Then I hated Caleb for even trying. I was horrible to him. "I wasn't ready. It hurt way too much," I whispered.
Caleb crouched down, placing his right hand on the ground, and his left one on the side of the chair. Suddenly, I didn't feel as much hate as I did in the past.
"You didn't have to go through it alone. Yes, I had feelings for you, but I would have settled for an actual friendship. I wasn't just in it for the sex. I still saw the good in you, Avery."
I turned my head away as a tear rolled down my cheek. I felt a huge sense of relief and I was actually kind of glad that Caleb had come to see me. Maybe making things better with Caleb was a part of my healing process. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, but there was still one thing bothering me. "Why didn't you tell the cops about Jace? You had a chance to get him arrested, but you didn't. Why?"
A small smile crept to Caleb's lips as he stood back up and fixed his wild hair. "Henry deserved what he got." He paused to look down at the floor. "That ass was right."
I looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Caleb brought his eyes back up to meet mine. "Jace. He was right. I was too chicken shit to fight back." He laughed. "I'm a drug dealer, Avery. I couldn't afford to get busted. That made me realize that I wasn't the right one for you. If I cared as much as I thought I did, well... then I would have done what Jace did. I didn't, so I did the next best thing."
I allowed myself to smile as I pushed my way out of the chair and grabbed Caleb's arm. "Thank you. You did the right thing."
Caleb glanced down at his arm and smiled. "So... your mother?" he questioned.
My heart ached at just the thought of her. As much as I wanted to make her understand, I knew that it would take time. Just like it took me time to figure things out. Her day too would come. "She's alive," I huffed. "She hates me, but she'll live."
Caleb nodded his head, looking relieved before turning on his heel. "Take care, Avery." He flashed me his dimpled smile and then headed for the door.
"You too," I said softly, still a little overwhelmed by the whole situation.
I waited until Caleb was completely gone before I went back to cleaning the tables. My heart still raced in my chest at the thought of Caleb showing up. I had expected the worst, but ended up getting the best. It was shocking. I guess that good things really could happen if you just allowed them to.
"Who was that young man?"
I looked up to see Jan enter the dining room. She blankly stared at me while waiting for an answer. It was hard to tell whether she was upset with me for already getting a visitor. The last thing that I wanted to do was get Jan upset and stress her out on my first day. "I'm sorry-"
"For what?" she cut in. "You're allowed to have friends come in. I'm not some grumpy old bat." She grinned. "Do I look like a grumpy old bat?"
I smiled back while shaking my head. "No. Not at all," I lied.
"Good. Now get back to work," she said.
I laughed to myself and then prepared to take care of a group of smiling customers as they filed in and took a seat at one of the back tables.
~•~
When I arrived back at the apartment, Jackie was lounging on the couch. She looked up from her bowl of popcorn and smiled. "How was your first day?"
I looked over at Jace and he just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She loves it here," he whispered. Then he pressed his lips to my neck and laughed. "So… how was your first day?"