Page 23 of New Roots
“Do you really think Braden is a threat still?” she asked me. “I thought you said you got through to him?”
We likely did, but I still felt the need to walk her out to her car and make sure she was safe.
“We’ll walk her out, Axel,” Ruthie said. “Cat and I will make sure she gets to her car safely.”
“Ruthie, you are pregnant,” I reminded her, because she wasn’t really in a position to be fighting anyone should she need to.
“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” She smirked. “I’m also carrying a Taser and pepper spray, so I am prepared to be Stella’s valiant hero. Besides, if I save her life, she will owe me free bakery items forever, so that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“I’ll be fine, Axel, but thanks for the offer,” Stella said to me and smiled.
The women all left, and I went back to attending to my two other customers.
At the realization that I wanted to spend more time with Stella and the fact that the Doucet problem was hopefully solved, I decided I would swing by Stella’s bakery tomorrow and ask her out on a date.
I had decided not to ask her out until now because if she said no, she would still have to see me from time to time when I brought her updates about Doucet, and I didn’t want that to be uncomfortable. Especially since Doucet asked her out and made it uncomfortable by continuing to show up.
But now, if she said no, there was no reason for me to see her again. Except for her baked goods. Maybe I would just have Anna or Ruthie stop by and get them for me.
All I knew was that I wanted to see her again. I enjoyed being around her. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. And after her comments tonight and the heat in her eyes, I now had my gut telling me my feelings were reciprocated.
“Oh, and just because I saw you staring at Stella’s butt, let me give you another English lesson for free,” Tammy said, interrupting my thoughts. “Booty and butt mean the same thing.”
“I knew that one,” I told her with a smirk.
“Okay, well, call and dial also mean the same thing,” Tammy added. “But a butt-dial and booty-call donotmean the same thing. So, make sure you get those right.”
Note to self: I needed to look both of those up. “Thanks, Tammy.”
“You got it,” she said with a quick smile and a wave. “I’m headed out. Have a good night.”
I waved back briefly, already turning back to the bar, the familiar hum of low conversation pulling me back into the moment as I topped off a drink for a customer whose glass had run dry.
“Hey, man,” Corey said, stepping up next to me to pour a drink from the tap in front of me. “I was clocking in when you were talking to the ladies and I overheard part of your conversation. So, is Stella actually dating someone, or were you just telling that guy that so he would leave her alone?”
Before I could respond to him, he leaned over to wipe the counter in front of us and started talking again. “I ask because I was thinkin’ of askin’ her out, but obviously not if she has a man.”
Too bad, because I beat you to it.Well, I would have by tomorrow, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Yeah, she is seeing someone,” I told him, which wasn’t entirely a lie since she had been coming to see me at the bar for over a week now.
“Well, damn,” Corey said, shaking his head. “I guess us two ruggedly sexy men are just meant for the single life.”
My response was just to nod.
Tomorrow. Yes, hopefully, tomorrow that would change.
