Moonsong (16 page)

Millie took her skepticism in stride. “Well, yeah. It’s not a lifelong dream of mine to work in a coffee shop or anything, but it would give me something to do and I could get to know the people in town a bit better. You know, really decide if this is the place I want to settle down in.”

“Very well, I’m certain you’ll find something in town. If you like I can make some calls…”

“No, you don’t have to worry about it Grandmother, I’ll take care of it. I’m the one who wants to keep busy, right?” Millie smiled, pleasantly surprised by how easy it’d been to secure Adele’s blessing. Hot on the heels of that thought was the troubling realization that she’d sought her blessing in the first place. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair. I think I’ll maybe head into town this afternoon and start making some inquiries.”

“Fine, fine.” Adele gave the appearance of already switching gears in her mind as she waved Millie off.

Scarlett waited for Amelia outside Adele’s office, an anxious cast to her face. “I hope you don’t mind my talking to Gran about all of that. I hated to see you so upset over the whole thing when it was just a big misunderstanding.”

“Oh, you mean about the Seattle people?” Millie assumed it was Chase who’d ratted her out after their talk the day before. “No, I don’t mind. In fact, it was good to clear the air between us; get rid of the misconceptions,” she used her grandmother’s words.

“Oh good, ‘cause Chase said you looked like you wanted to pack up and leave and… well, you just got here.”

Amelia smiled at the forlorn note in her cousin’s voice; she’d gotten used to having her around too. “Don’t worry; I’m not going anywhere yet. Actually, I’m going to go job hunting in town today. Any ideas as to where I should start?”

Scarlett blinked in surprise. “I… don’t know. Off hand I’m not sure who might be hiring. Maybe at the trading post or the café?”

“That’s what I was thinking to start off with. With any luck, I might end up with a job by the end of the day,” Millie grinned.

“You really are in the know aren’t you?” Did they all meet once a night and debrief on her comings and goings, for Pete’s sake?

“Chase needed some advice.”

“Advice on…” Amelia prompted for more.

“Just advice,” Scarlett’s eyes sparkled. “Beyond that I’m sworn to secrecy, but I hope you have a great night together,” she added sincerely.

“Thanks, I hope so too.” The better to let go of crazy ideas of something that wasn’t meant to be.

* * *

It turned out to be much easier to get a job than she would have thought. In fact, they hired her on the spot in less than fifteen minutes. Amelia wasn’t naïve enough to think who she was didn’t enter into the conversation. After all, how hard was it for Amelie LaRoche to get a job as a waitress at the LaRoche owned Moonsong Café? Still, Kenny the manager was friendly enough, and she felt comfortable with the other waitresses, Juliet and Cherrilyn and Skinny Pete working in the kitchen.

The next few days she settled into a comfortable routine, Chase or Scarlett often dropping in to visit with her and linger over coffee or a meal. Millie grew to know the regulars and they welcomed her with open smiles and friendly greetings.

Chase was on his best behavior, doing his part to woo her the way she wanted to be and not upset the unspoken barrier between them by pushing too far too fast. Millie was learning to appreciate his snarky sense of humor and take his overblown compliments in the playful manner in which they were intended. The night before, she’d come home to a bedroom absolutely covered with red roses on every available surface.

Deciding to share the wealth a little, Amelia brought in a few bunches of roses to the café that morning to brighten up the place and to enjoy them during the day. The ladies exclaimed over the roses of course, and Millie filled them in on a little bit of gossip where she and Chase were concerned, without going into too much detail.

“Fella spends that much money on flowers, he expects something in return,” Cherrilyn commented, a knowing look on her face.

“He can expect it all he wants…” Millie replied loftily, putting on another pot of coffee.

“Good looking guy like that, you better reel him in soon, girl, or I’ll steal him myself.” The auburn haired waitress grinned, adjusting the pale blue work uniform a bit so her ample cleavage sat up a little higher, her thick waist straining at the confines of the fabric. Though the older woman might be of an age where she could actually be Chase’s mother rather than paramour, it didn’t dampen her libido one bit.

“Hey, I’m all for the spirit of competition, you go right ahead and jump in any time you want,” Millie grinned back at her new friend. As much as she enjoyed Chase’s attentions, it hadn’t deepened into anything more yet, at least not on her side.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” Cherrilyn sniffed. “Well, look at that, here comes sunshine,” she muttered sourly as the door opened and Cutter strode in, shaking the rain from his head and shoulders.

“Who…” The rest of the words died in Millie’s throat as she caught the object of Cherrilyn’s comment. He looked the same as he had the last time she’d seen him, only grouchier if such a thing could be imagined.

Cutter sat at the counter, shoulders hunched over as he resolutely ignored the patrons and staff equally, except to call out his order. “Coffee,” he demanded, without bothering to look up from the menu on the counter before him.

Cherrilyn scowled, “Charming as usual.”

“I’ll get this one,” Millie volunteered, even though technically he’d taken a seat in Cherrilyn’s section. Moving over with a coffee pot, she overturned the coffee mug on the counter and filled it up, watching him all the while. “Cream for your coffee?” she asked softly, waiting to see what his reaction would be once he noticed her, or if there would be no reaction at all.

His eyes came up in shock and Cutter nodded, speechless for the moment.

It wasn’t nothing to him, seeing her again. Millie could see that right off the bat and a smile came to her lips as she produced a little metal container of creamer from under the counter. “Here you go. See anything you like?” her eyes flashed with faint amusement, she could have been referring to the menu or maybe something more.

“Definitely. In fact, it’s hard to know where to start,” he recovered, eyes sweeping over her form appreciatively before returning to meet her gaze.

Amelia felt her cheeks grow warmer at the frank inspection, and she wished for a fleeting moment she wasn’t wearing the plain blue uniform with her hair pulled into a simple ponytail. “Well, are you in the mood for something sweet or something savory?” she replied, setting down the pot and drawing out her notepad, more to have something to do with herself rather than stare back at him across the counter.

“Never could say no to something sweet, especially when it comes in such a pretty package,” Cutter grinned. “But I’d better stick to something savory first; I’ve got a long drive ahead of me today.”

“You’re going on a trip?” A tiny pucker appeared on her smooth brow at the thought of him leaving; though it should be nothing to her, shouldn’t it?

“Just for the day, dropping off some of my work in the City.”

“Oh, I gotcha,” Millie nodded. “I saw some of your stuff at the gallery, it’s…” Stopping to try and describe how it made her feel, she gave up and gave him a helpless smile. “I don’t have the right words to describe it, and you’ve probably heard them all before by art critics way more qualified to judge those things. But I guess I’ll settle for… inspiring; the way you find the true beauty in a subject.”

Cutter returned the smile. “Sometimes the beauty isn’t all that difficult to see.”

Millie returned the gaze for a long moment, neither of them moving or speaking as she replenished her memory with the face that so often visited her in dreams. Had his eyes always been such a vivid color of green?

“So ah, what can I get you then?” she asked, recalling suddenly she had a job to do that didn’t include standing around staring at the man.

“I’ll have the special; Skinny Pete knows how I like it. Don’tcha, Skinny Pete?” he said a little louder, and Millie was conscious of the fact that both the cook and Cherrilyn watched them as if their simple conversation was the most fascinating thing in the entire universe.

“Sure thing, that’ll be up in a jiffy,” Millie smiled; moving off to make sure Skinny Pete got the order ticket even though he’d already heard the order. “You catch all that Petey?” she called to the cook, who gave her a sheepish grin, head ducking down between his shoulders at being caught eavesdropping.

“You know him?” Cherrilyn sidled close to the prep station.

That was a complicated question, and one she wasn’t eager to get into at work in too much detail. “Sort of, I ran into him in the woods a couple of times out by our house, why?”

Cherri looked back at where Cutter was adding sugar and cream to his coffee. “No real reason, only that’s more words come outta that man at one sitting than I’ve seen for the past year,” she snorted.

“Yeah? Does he come in here a lot?” Millie’s gaze darted back over to him.

“Not too often, maybe once every few weeks or so. Before today I didn’t even think he knew how to smile though. First the sea of flowers from your sweetheart and now charming the beast outta that man, you’re racking up quite a fan club,” she teased the younger waitress.

Millie looked to where Cutter was again, expecting to see a friendly expression on his face, taken aback by the scowl that awaited her there. “Not so fast…” she sighed, picking up the condiments she headed back over to his counter. “What’s the matter? It’s a bit early to complain about the food isn’t it, I haven’t even brought it over yet.”

“You’re leaving?” How had things gone so wrong so fast? One moment they were smiling at each other and the next he was prickly as a porcupine walking over hot pavement on a sunny day. “Cutter wait…” Before he could leave, she came around the side of the counter. “You need your breakfast. If you’re ticked off at me, I can switch with Cherrilyn if you’d prefer.”

“I’m not hungry,” he growled stubbornly and her brows drew together as her own stubborn streak kicked in.

“Oh, would you stop being such a baby and sit down already?” Amelia ordered, shoving at his shoulder lightly; the shoulder she’d sewn up not too long ago that she suspected would be completely healed without any trace of a scar. Taken aback, Cutter sank back onto the stool again. “Your order will be up in a minute. Now park it or I’ll have to go let the air out of your tires, you got me?” Millie growled back at him just as fiercely.

“Yeah, I got you.”

“Jesus Millie, remind me never to get you mad at me,” Skinny Pete blinked at her.

“I’m not mad… he’s just…ugh!” The man was infuriating, pushing her away and then pulling that kind of attitude when someone else paid attention to her? What the hell was that?

“I thought you said you didn’t know him?” Cherrilyn sidled up to her, having watched the interplay between them.

“I don’t exactly…” Millie gave Cutter a firm look to make sure he stayed put where she’d left him, knowing full well he could hear their entire conversation. “I guess I have a problem with guys who don’t know a good thing when they see it.”

“Huh?” Cherrilyn’s brow puckered in confusion.

“Skinny Pete’s cooking.” Millie gave them a wry smile, picking up the plates and returning to her grumpy customer. “Anything else I can get you? More coffee? Some juice?”

“More coffee please, Miss,” Cutter replied politely, the hint of a smile in his eyes.

“More coffee coming up,” Amelia nodded, relieved that he’d lost the hostility for the moment. Retrieving the pot she gave him a refill and set the check down beside his plate. “You sing out if you need anything else, okay?”

“Thanks,” he nodded in recognition, already in the process of adding Tabasco to everything on his plate. “Oh, and Amelia…?”

Millie turned back, expecting him to ask for water or a different flavor of jelly or something. “Yes?”

“For the record, I do know a good thing when I see it. Only, the way I see it, it’s too good for the likes of me,” Cutter added, shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth.

“Yeah well, no one ever said you were too bright.” Amelia shook her head with an exasperated sigh, turning away again before she said something else they might both regret.

He ate his meal in silence, throwing surreptitious looks in Amelia’s direction from time to time but for the most part keeping his focus on the food. For her part Millie was attentive but not pushy, leaving him to eat in peace as she tended to her other customers.