Cliff's Good Deed

5 - Izzy Explains Cliff's Mistake

After recovering from the initial shock of having Hannah Blessing as their server, Cliff leaned back in his chair. "How did you get to work this evening? Seeing as how your car isn't safe, you probably hitchhiked, right?"

Hannah's lips formed a perfectly straight line. She said nothing.

Cliff got Izzy's attention. "She's dying to call me an asshole, but she can't because I'm a customer and she'll get into trouble."

Hannah folded her arms across her chest. "You think I'm afraid of being fired from this crappy server's job? Think again, asshole. You'd be doing me a favor."

Izzy stifled a laugh by clamping a hand over her mouth.

Cliff snorted. "Except you don't accept good deeds from me, so I won't do you the favor of having you fired."

"Good. I'll be able to call you an asshole all night long. What can I get you to drink?"

"A lager."

Izzy's grin wouldn't fade. "It appears you two share some interesting history." To Hannah, she said, "I'll also have a lager."

"IDs," Hannah said, her tone businesslike.

Izzy scoffed. "Come on, we were just carded at the bar."

Cliff fumbled for his wallet. "It's okay. Clearly this waitress is interested in me. She just wants to check me out, my name, where I live, and my age." He held out his driver's license.

She snatched it from him. "In your dreams, and by the way I'm not a waitress. I'm a server." After looking over Cliff's ID, she handed it back. "Thirty, eh? I didn't think you were that young."

"Burn!" Izzy exclaimed with delight. "I like her, Cliffy."

Hannah verified Izzy's age and handed her ID back. "Same last name and address. You're his wife? My condolences. You got the worst end of the deal."

"Dios mío! I'm not his wife. I'm his sister."

Cliff smirked. "Yep, I'm still single, Hannah. That means you still have a shot with me."

Hannah ignored him. "I'll be back with your drinks."

After she walked away, Izzy could barely contain herself. "What was that all about? Spill it, bro."

He told her about the confrontation at the car dealership. He finished by saying, "I was just trying to do her a solid. I can't understand all the hostility directed toward me."

Izzy leaned back in her chair. "You didn't handle it right. You hurt her pride."

He couldn't make sense of his sister's response. "If I were in a similar situation, my pride be damned. I'd be grateful if someone offered to bail me out."

"Would you?" She let the question hang before continuing in a scolding tone. "You forced your way into her affairs by slapping your credit card on the dealership's counter and treated her like an inconvenience for holding you up. You made her feel small."

"That was not my intent—"

Izzy interrupted before he could finish. "What you should have done was introduce yourself like a polite gentleman and ask if there was anything you could do to help her out. You should've allowed her the power of choice instead of charging in like a bull and trying to take control."

"She would've said no either way."

"Yeah, probably, but she wouldn't have gotten angry. She wouldn't have thought of you as an asshole."

"Why are you upset with me?"

She sighed. "I'm not. I guess you need to be a woman to understand what it's like to be condescended to by a man."

"Sorry."

"It's not me you should apologize to. You owe your apology to...what did she say her name was?"

"Hannah." Cliff scanned the dining area but didn't see her. "You don't think she's going to spit in my drink, do you?"

Izzy suppressed a grin. "Well, she did seem pretty annoyed."

Hannah returned with their drinks and asked for their food order.

"Just a salad," Izzy said. "If my brother orders wings, I'll steal a couple from him."

When Hannah turned her attention to him, Cliff noticed again her attractive features. Those pretty brown eyes, high cheekbones, and a complexion so clear, he wondered what it would be like to rest his palm against her cheek or run his fingers though her long, clean, shiny hair. She wore no ring confirming she was still single. He wondered why since she was such a hottie.

"Cliffy?" Izzy spoke, breaking the spell after he had ogled her too long.

"Yeah, uh, I'll have an order of hot wings and a salad but hold the fries. They're not healthy, you know."

Hannah rolled her eyes. "As if wings are healthy." She walked away before he could respond.

He watched her until she disappeared into the kitchen and was overcome by a strange emotion, a feeling new to him. "Izzy, I do want to make things right with her."

She regarded him. "You should, but why now? Have you finally decided to listen to your little sister's advice?"

"I always value your advice, but..." He continued looking toward the kitchen.

"But, what?"

He wondered when she would reappear. "I...I don't know."

She gasped. "OMG, you like her! Could it be after all your fleeting relationships and random hookups, this lady is the one?"

He scoffed. "Let's not get carried away."

"Is it because she refuses to be intimidated by you?"

What Izzy said helped him put words to his feelings. "Just the opposite. I think I'm intimidated by her. She fascinates me."

"Oh, now I get it. That's a first for you, isn't it, feeling challenged by a woman? What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know yet."

"I suggest you man up and ask her out."

Cliff shot his sister a sideways glance. "After everything that happened today, I'm afraid that's a non-starter."

Izzy shrugged. "Maybe, but you won't know for sure unless you try."

What are Cliff's chances?