Shut Up and Kiss Me (23 page)

To my mother, of all people
, he silently continued.

There was a sharp tut on the other end of the line, and he knew he had offended her. He sighed, feeling guilty alongside his impatience. It wasn’t her fault that he was in such a foul mood. For once.

“
What can I do for you?” he asked, trying to soften his voice and get rid of the edge that his family seemed to always bring out in him.

“
That’s better,” she crooned. “Your sister’s gala is this weekend, and I’m calling to make sure you have your plus one. If not, no need to fret, I have a date for you.” She sounded as if she were smiling now. “She’s fabulous, has been living in Europe for a year. And she’s perfect for you.”

The barista set the coffee down in front of him and Will mouthed her a silent
thank you
. “Perfect for me, huh?” he asked, stifling a laugh.

His mother was still talking, describing this woman’s family, and how good it would be to have their names connected. She paused on his last comment, completely missing the sarcasm in his comment.

“
Well, of course, Will. Only the best for my boys.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Mother, no. I have a date. No need to worry.”

She continued to talk, either choosing to ignore his comment, or possibly not hearing it above her own voice.

Will raised his voice and said it again, hoping this time she’d take the hint. “I have a date, Mother.”

“
Nonsense.” She tsked him again. “Who?” she then added, sounding irritated.

“
Her name is Mila,” he said, unsure where else to start or what to share about the woman he had so quickly fallen in love with.

“
Her last name, William. What is it? Who is her father? Do we know them? I’ve never heard of a Mila.” She sounded curious now.

“
No, you don’t know her, or her family.” Will inhaled noisily, readying himself for the barrage of complaints that would no doubt follow. “She’s from Tennessee, she works as a waitress, and I love her.”

There, he’d said it. Gotten it out of the way. Deep down, his mother had to have known that he wasn’t going to ever settle for some upper-class woman that only wanted to marry him for his family name and his bank account. At least, she’d know that if she’d been paying any attention to him at all for the past thirty-plus years…

“
A waitress?” she asked quietly, followed by a dry, condescending laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous, William. Your father will never allow it.” There was a long pause and then: “…Tennessee? And what? You love her? You love a waitress? Is that what you said?” She laughed again, but without humor. If anything, she sounded anxious.

Will sighed for what felt like the hundredth time and dragged a hand down his face. “It’s not up to Dad, or you, for that matter, as I keep telling you—”

“
You’re a grown man, yes, William, you’ve repeatedly said that. And yet your father and I have yet to witness you making the decisions of a man. Namely, to do right by your family.”

“
I love her, Mother,” he ground out.

“
Nonsense,” she snapped back.

“
I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“
William—”

“
Enough, Mother. Just be nice to her.” Feeling overwhelmed and exasperated by her meddling, he was more than ready to hang up. “I need to go. I need to get to work.”

“
I just want you to be happy,” she said quietly.

“
No, you just want me to keep up the standard.”

Silence descended, neither of them having anything else to say on the matter. It was true, and she knew it, but she couldn’t admit it; she was too stubborn and proud. But she had been right in one thing: his father would not approve of his relationship with Mila. Deep down he had known that all along, but it wasn’t until the last twenty-four hours that he realized how important it was to him for them to accept Mila. He wasn’t going to give her up, and the consequences of that…

Well, where his family was concerned, the consequences could be disastrous.

“
Goodbye, Mother. I’ll see you on Saturday.” Without waiting for her to reply, he clicked off his phone and set it down on the counter. Picking up the espresso the barista had left for him, he took a sip.

“
I never know what in the hell to order in these damn places,” a voice said.

Will turned toward the deep Southern drawl and found a man seated on his left. He was an average-looking man, about Will’s age, and height, yet broader and bit on the burly side. He was plainly dressed in jeans and dark flannel shirt, with short yet unkempt dark hair and a matching beard.

“
I’d go with the house coffee then,” Will replied. “Simple.”

Smirking, the man scrubbed a hand across his short beard and shook his head. “Never did like big cities. Too much to choose from, you know? Takes all the fun out of enjoying something when you’ve got to spend an hour deciding.”

Will smiled politely in response. He felt the opposite: he’d always enjoyed variety—craved it, even. Variety broke up the mundane monotony of everyday life. But at the same time, he understood where the man was coming from. Simple sometimes was better, as was always appreciating what you had, no matter how little.

“
Just visiting?” he found himself asking. “New York can be overwhelming if you’ve never been before. I can recommend—”

“
Thank you kindly,” the man interrupted, “but I’ve been here before. Business, you know? Just never liked it much. I’m not much for the touristy sort of shit. And the women here…” The man grimaced and Will found himself stifling a laugh. “Find myself counting the minutes until I can get back home again,” he finished.

“
Southern Belles are much more appealing then?” he asked, before taking another sip of his espresso.

When the man didn’t readily answer, Will glanced up and found the man staring at him, his mouth turned down in a frown. Another moment passed, and still he said nothing.

Beginning to feel uncomfortable, Will quickly finished the last of his coffee and picked up his phone. “Enjoy your stay,” he said, stepping down of his stool. Pulling free his wallet, he fished a ten-dollar bill out and placed it down on the counter.

“
Once you’ve had a good Southern woman,” the man suddenly said, “you never let her go.”

Will opened his mouth to reply, even without yet knowing what he was going to say, but the barista beat him to it.

With her hands firmly placed on her ample hips, she cocked one perfectly sculpted and imperious eyebrow at the man. “And what if she wants to go?” she asked, twisting her red-painted lips into a taunting smirk. “Tie her up?”

Grinning, the man leaned forward over the counter. “If that’s what it takes, darlin’,” he said softly.

Will smiled. “I think the way to a woman’s heart, to keeping her, is allowing her make her own choices.”

The barista pointed a long red nail in his direction and nodded. “Even if that means letting her go,” she added.

The man turned to Will, a humorless smile on his lips. “That’s a little boy’s way of doing things. A real man keeps his woman, no matter what the costs.”

While the barista snorted and turned away, Will shook his head and did the same.

There were all kinds in New York, he thought, and headed toward the door.

Work was busy, exceptionally
so,
my growing irritation made worse with the constant and nagging sensation that I was being watched. It was ridiculous, wasn’t it? There was no way I could have been found. I’d gone to such extremes to hide myself away. But Monica had been found, and if she’d been found so easily… I couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling, or the worry that if I hadn’t already been found, I would be soon.

Worse, tonight was the charity gala. Tonight I’d be meeting Will’s family…and tonight I’d be telling him the truth about me. The ugly truth…

Settling my last bill, thankful it was finally time for my break, I made my way into the back only to be met with Carlos in the hall. Red-faced, he glared at me.

“
Where are you today, Mila?” he demanded. His face taut with exasperation, he threw his hands up in the air dramatically. “You’re not here, that’s for sure.”

I stared at him open-mouthed. Carlos wasn’t a yeller; he was down to earth, relaxed, and an all-around good guy. For him to yell… I must have really let him down.

“
Just because you a new boyfriend doesn’t mean that you get to slack off,” he continued. “How many orders did you screw up today? How many meals did you drop?”

I cringed and took a step back. I had been distracted; I’d been distracted for days now, ever since I’d learned of Monica. Thoughts of Will, my future, and my past were colliding, and the fear that I was about to lose everything was consuming me.

“
Carlos, I’m sorry,” I sputtered. “I didn’t realize...”

But I did realize.
I knew exactly how bad I had been today. I had written down three orders wrong, twice I had taken the wrong money, and more than once I had tripped and spilled someone’s lunch…on them. Today had been a waste of both my time and Carlos’s, and had probably cost both of us more than it should have.

Pursing his lips, Carlos shook his head in dismay. “You’re a great waitress, Mila—a little clumsy, but still, I’ve never had any problems with you. But lately…” He trailed off and shook his head again. “You need to get it together or I won’t have a choice—I’ll have to let you go.”

I stared at him, feeling awful, unsure of what to say or do. “I think I should just go home for the day,” I mumbled, feeling suddenly on the verge of tears. “I have a lot going on, and I’m making a mess of everything.”

Carlos’s expression changed, his annoyance and anger turning to compassion. This time when he shook his head, it was in pity. “You’re overdue for a vacation,” he said. Sighing, he reached out and gave my arm a quick pat. “Take some time, come back refreshed.”

Moving out of my path, he gestured me toward the breakroom and I gave him a small smile, mumbling my thanks.

Coat and purse in tow, I left the restaurant. It was a warm day; the storm had washed the streets clean and the air smelled fresh—at least by New York standards. I made my way along the busy sidewalks, unsure of what to do now that I had the day all to myself. My phone buzzed, vibrating inside my purse. Rifling through, I pulled it free, finding several missed messages from Will. Reading through them, I began smiling, my smile growing with each new message.

Thinking of you.

Missing you.

Call me when you get home.

Several days had passed since I’d last seen him, yet we’d spoken many times. I could tell he was still hurt and confused by everything that had transpired, but he’d stopped asking questions. I didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved. Either way I’d be telling him everything soon enough.

Stopped at a corner and waiting for the lights to change, I texted him back, letting him know that I had the day off work and that I was thinking of using the free time to get a manicure and pedicure for tonight.

Not even a full minute after pressing send, my phone started ringing.

“
Hi, Will.”

“
An entire day free, and you aren’t even going to come and see me?”

“
You’ll see me tonight,” I said, grinning. “Besides, I want to look perfect when I meet your family.”

Looking up, seeing the light had changed, I stepped out into the street and hurried across.

“
Why don’t you borrow Richard for the day? Have him take you wherever you need to go.”

Laughing, I shook my head. “Borrow Richard? No, I wouldn’t feel comfortable. And the nail place Nikki usually goes to is only a few blocks from the apartment.”

“
Are you sure? It’s not a problem, I’m sure Richard would appreciate getting to spend—”

Something hard and heavy knocked into my shoulder, causing me to drop my phone. Cursing, I spun around to grab it.

“
Excuse me, darlin’.”

I went still, my breath leaving me in a rush of air. Jumping upright, I surveyed the sidewalk and the handful of people milling around, not seeing anyone out of the ordinary…or anyone familiar.

But that voice…

Biting down hard on my bottom lip, I scooped up my phone and brought it to my ear.