What They Deserve

THIRTY-ONE

Bailey looked around the deserted cafe and gave a happy sigh. Her morning rush had lasted a whopping ten minutes longer than usual and to top it off, she was down an employee; her best one in fact. But she felt great. Those instances always made for the best adrenaline rushes and made her feel that she was doing her part to pay back whoever she owed for her success. She always took a moment once they were through the fire to think about how lucky she was to be doing so well. 
          
Business was amazing. So amazing that she had a meeting in a few days to go over the possibility of getting a loan to expand. The property was already picked out and she hoped it would still be available if her plans got approved. Where the building sat would be a gold mine and any other entrepreneur would be salivating over the space as well. But she was ready to fight if she had to, as long as she got the loan she needed.
          
"You want me to take my break now or wait?" Micah swished the dishtowel he'd wiped the tables down with, around his head like it was a lasso. The kid had just graduated high school and proved that progressing into adulthood didn’t always mean one matured.
          
"Uh...yeah. Go ahead and go now. We should be good for another hour." She chuckled as she bobbed her head up and down, realizing she'd been daydreaming.
          
"'K." Micah didn't waste a second. He threw the towel into the sanitizing pail before going to one of the registers to clock out. 

She smiled, thinking about how much of a goofball he was, grateful for his energy and spirit.
          
Ding.
          
Bailey sighed again as Micah's husky frame bounded away. 
          
Her other employee was busy making pastries in the back. She'd be the one Bailey had to kick out to take a break once Micah got back.
          
She grabbed one of the towels and began wiping the counter down. Her mind wasn't on work anymore. She wasn't even thinking about her meeting. There was a certain man that was taking over her thoughts.
         
Samuel was all she seemed to think about most of the time. He had come into her life in an unexpected way. At least, she hadn't been looking for him. She hadn't been looking for any man.
          
Bailey was happy where she was in her life. She owned her own successful cafe and was still young with plenty of time to find the man of her dreams.
          
He just happened to come into her cafe one day. He just happened to catch her eye and proceed to steal her heart.
          
It had been obvious that he wasn't from around there.
          
When he walked in during the lunch rush, he'd looked around, taking in the character of the place. He got in the line, ignoring the menu on the wall as well as all of the women in the place staring at him. 
          
Bailey made herself focus on taking care of her customers, barking out orders to her employees. When he stepped up to the counter, he looked straight into her eyes and seemed to freeze.
          
"Hello. What can I do for you?" Bailey finished wrapping the previous customer's sandwich and passed it on to Micah. 
          
"What's good here?" His voice was strong and carried an air of certainty, despite his question.
          
"Everything, of course." Bailey winked at him, flashing a dazzling smile.
          
She watched as he swallowed and averted his eyes, looking at the menu. "Uh…"
          
"What are you in the mood for? Pastry, sandwich, coffee? All of it?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, hoping he'd look at her.
          
His gaze flickered to her and he gave her a smirk. "Are you trying to get me to buy the whole menu?" 
          
"Maybe." Her smile became flirtatious as she shifted her weight. 
          
"Okay. Do it. Show me how amazing everything is." He raised his eyebrows to challenge her.
          
Bailey didn't back down. "You got it." She began to assemble sandwiches while calling out the rest of his order.  Her employees stared at the stranger in amazement for a split second before realizing they needed to get a move on. The other customers were already groaning at the man, impatient to get their sustenance and be off for whatever task they had to complete.  
          
His order had been ready in less time than he thought it should have taken.
          
Bailey had a pleased grin on her face as she handed him his three bags of food and told him he could come back to get his two drink carriers. "Enjoy." She winked at him again before returning to the rest of her line. Where he went with his massive order, or even what he'd done with it, was beyond her. But she hoped to see him again.
          
And she did. He came back every day after that, always getting something different. He took the same seat at the corner of the cafe near the window each time. Every so often she caught him watching her, but he was slick and looked away before she could acknowledge him. 
          
It was on a dreary day when business was slow that she went over to him. Without asking, she took the seat in front of him. 
          
The look he gave her was one of shocked pleasure. His attention focused on her as he placed his latte on the table.  
          
"So I was right." Bailey said it knowing he would agree. But she wanted to hear him admit it. Even more, she wanted to hear his voice again. 
          
"About?" The quizzical expression he wore told her he wasn't thinking about their first meeting.
          
"The food and drinks. They're all good. So I was right." Her tone wasn't boastful but a little teasing.

“Or I just really like coming here for the view.” The wicked smile he gave her sent a blush up her face.

“Oh. Well…” She couldn’t think of anything to say, stunned by his response.
          
"I’m kidding. Well, not entirely. But you were right. It's all amazing. And I've been mixing it up, getting a blended variety." He sounded like a food critic to her. 
          
"Good." Her smile widened and had a feeling her next suggestion wouldn’t be turned down. "Now why don't you let me take you out?"
          
He made a strangled sound as he struggled to swallow the bite of his pastrami and swiss croissant. His eyes focused on her, questioning how serious she was. 
          
"Sorry. I guess I should have waited until you finished." She shrugged and offered him a napkin from the holder in front of her. “What d’ya say?”
          
He took it from her and wiped his mouth, never taking his eyes off of her. "But you don't even know my name." 
          
"I'm Bailey." She held out her hand to him, even though she wore a name tag, waiting for him to introduce himself. 
          
He was hesitant, but encased her offered hand in his, much gentler than she expected. "Samuel." 
          
"So… we got a date?" Bailey pressed. 
          
"Sure." He chuckled as he gave in, his face blushing this time. 

"Great. Finish your lunch and then we can make plans." She pushed herself up, hesitating.

“Yes?” The grin that spread across his face made her heart pound.

“I was just curious if you really ate and drank all of that stuff?”

His laugh was good natured as he shook his head. “As much as I would have loved to, no. I kept a sandwich and drink and then gave the rest to a group of homeless people that were down the road.”

Her heart ached a little at his generosity. “Aww. I hope they said thanks.”

“They did. And I’m sure they thought it was all amazing.”
          
The door alarm sounded, breaking Bailey out of her reminiscing. She looked up to see just the man she'd been dreaming about. “You must have known I was thinking about you. The smile that blossomed on her face was all for him.
          
And now here they were; six months after she'd taken the chance to ask him out and she wondered if he knew that he’d stolen her heart that day.