It had been drizzling rain for hours. Streams coursed down the windowsill of the diner. But even so, the rain couldn't quell the diner's bustling afternoon completely, it seemed everyone was crazy enough to be out in the light shower, much to Aaliyah's dismay.
One of the cooks had called in sick and Jim, her manager, was in dire need of someone to handle desserts. Fortunately for her, it was her specialty.
"So are you going to tell me what happened?" Samantha asked after a few minutes of silence, accepting the glaze from her friend so that she could paint it over freshly baked mini apple pies.
"What do you want to know?"
"Not every sordid detail, obviously. Just the G rated stuff. It is my big brother we're talking about after all." Samantha shivered
Aaliyah had the impression that his world was ordered by a sense of right and wrong, that he had integrity. He wasn't preoccupied with pretending to be something he wasn't.
A small smile spread across Aaliyah's face. "It was... different."
Samantha raised her eyebrows. "Oh."
"Not a bad different. Definitely one I'm not going to forget for a long while. Now I just have to figure out how to stay the hell away from him."
"Why? What do you mean?" A frown marred her brow at the mere suggestion.
"We had our moment, but I'm really hoping this is once and done for him, because..." She let her face fall into her hands as the memory of their night settled over her.
"Lia, what?"
"I don't know. It's been a bit of a whirlwind so I don't really know what to think." She grabbed a fork and pressed the tines around the rim of the pie shell until there were ridges all around it. "To be honest, Samantha, I don't know up from down right now."
"I know you're hyper focused on everything that's been going on in your life right now, but if you're attracted to him, and he's obviously super attracted to you, why not just go for it?"
"I've been to hell and back, Samantha. You know this."
"Jason isn't some asshole frat boy. Maybe you should give him a chance."
Aaliyah's shoulders slumped and sadness flickered behind her eyes. "I'm scared. I don't want to go through what I went through again. I was a mess."
"He's been through some pretty rough stuff too," Samantha said.
Aaliyah lifted her gaze to hers.
"Stop waiting for something bad to happen. The best thing you can do is get to know him a little more. Stop trying to control what you can't control."
Letting him in scared her, but Samantha had a point. She needed to learn to be more open to it, after all, she did feel safe in his presence when she wasn't overthinking.
As Aaliyah slid the baking sheet into the oven, she heard the bells on the door jingle behind her. She turned slightly to see Jason come through the door. He was soaked through. The room seemed to become smaller and her breath hitched as she stared at the tall man who stood across her. Despite being soaked with water, she found him very cute, and felt the need to sweep the hair stuck to his forehead away, just so she could see more of his face.
Samantha frowned and interrupted her train of thought, leaving her flushed but glad that no one noticed her staring. "You're soaking wet."
Jason draped his jacket over a chair. His hair glistened with droplets of water. "Truck came in; someone had to unload it."
"You're going to get sick, Jason." Samantha chastised.
"Let me get some towels so you can dry off," Aaliyah said, glad to be able to leave to catch her breath, even if for a couple of seconds. She headed to the back and grabbed two towels out of the supply closet. Back in the diner, she found him rubbing a paper napkin over his hair.
"Thanks," he said, eyeing the towels in her hand.
"Of course." She handed him the two towels.
She watched him towel his hair dry as he sat on the chair in his usual jeans and shirt as she mopped up the puddle of water from the door to where he'd sat. The normally kempt blond strands looked unruly after being rubbed with the towel, and Aaliyah wondered how he managed to look good even when disheveled.
She put away the mop and the mop bucket, and then headed back to Jason's table and said, "Would you like a drink, or something to eat?"
Jason leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Sweet tea. And what's the special today?"
"Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a roll."
"Then I'll take that,"
"All right, I'll put the order in." She smiled and removed the wet towels off the table.
While she waited for Jason's order to be ready, she bussed tables littered with napkins and cups and water glasses and carried the gray tub back to the sink before pulling out the mini pies from the oven and setting them on the counter to cool. Before she knew it, the bell dinged, signaling Jason's food was ready.
She grabbed the plate and placed it in front of him and said, "Is there anything else I can get you?"
"Not that I can think of, but you can sit down and keep me company."
Aaliyah rolled her eyes playfully at him. "I can't right now. I'm working."
He shrugged "Then take a break."
"I just can't take breaks whenever I feel like it, Jason. Besides, we're short staffed today so it's not a good time."
Jason leaned forward. "Then how about dinner tonight? My treat."
Before she could give him an answer, Samantha poked her head in front of the table and butted into the conversation. Aaliyah glanced around to see the restaurant was mostly empty now, so Sam had been able to sneak away from her waitress duties to bother them.
"Oh? Dinner? That sounds nice. You should go, Lia." Samantha said with a huge grin and gave a thumbs-up sign as she headed toward one of her tables, and Aaliyah gaped after her.
She turned back to Jason, who took a bite of his lunch as he waited for an answer.
"Dinner sounds nice, but tonight is not really a good night. I need to grab some household things for the house after work." She spoke quickly, the thought of being alone with him made her stomach flutter, a feeling too reminiscent of her early years.
"I'll take you by the store afterwards. No problem." Jason shrugged.
She sighed. The man was persistent.
"Okay," she offered.
"Cool."
After lunch, she cashed Jason out and walked with him to his truck. The rain lightened to a slow drizzle, and the clouds began to break, allowing some light to seep through.
"Oh, I almost forgot." she said and handed him a small takeout box. "I made these apple pies. They're really good or at least everyone has been telling me they are. I got one for you and Lucas before they were all gone."
"Thanks," he said, and he smiled back at her appreciatively. "So, I'll pick you up after work?" A Vespa suddenly caught Aaliyah's eye, and she couldn't resist a squeal of excitement. "Oh my god, look at that!" she exclaimed before she ran over to see it, leaving Jason looking confused behind her.
She stepped under the store canopy and over to the Vespa. It was a beautiful midnight blue with a black helmet dangling from the handlebar. She'd always wanted to own one, and even now, she couldn't resist running her fingers over the beige seat
An older gentleman was sitting out front in a rocking chair.
"Excuse me, sir?" Aaliyah asked. "How much is this?"
"I was asking four grand, but you got a nice face. Thirty-five hundred."
Aaliyah bit her lip, contemplating whether or not she should buy the Vespa. Walking was beginning to take its toll on her. She was tired when she walked home, and in the morning her legs and feet often ached. However, she was afraid to deplete all the money she had saved during her time in Port Isabel. What if Nathan found her? What if she needed to quickly get away but didn't have the necessary funds to do so?
"Do you think you could hold this for me?" she asked. "I can pay you half now and the rest in payments, I mean until it's paid off. It's just that money is a little tight right now..."
He pointed to the sign on the window. "Did you not read the sign? Cash only. I don't have a layaway."
Sadness swept her features. "Oh. Um...okay. Well—"
"Hey, Charlie!"
She turned to see Jason running up to them. He pointed over to the Vespa. "How much for the Vespa?"
"For you, my friend, three thousand."
Aaliyah's eyes widened. "What? But you just—"
Jason held up a hand to cut her off and gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to the older gentleman. "Title on hand?"
"Of course," he said. "You want to test drive first?"
"Nah, I know you're good for it," Jason said. "Will you take a check?"
"For you, of course."
"Great." Jason reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking out a folded check.
Aaliyah's eyes widened.
"Jason. What are you doing?"
"Getting you the Vespa," he said simply as he began filling out the check.
She gaped at him in shock, frozen to the spot. She blinked before finding her voice. "Absolutely not."
She reached for the check in his hand, eager to tear it into shreds, but he lifted his arm in the air. Jason held the check up high, out of Aaliyah's reach.
"It's okay," she reassured, reaching up toward his hand. "I'll just save up a little more until I can afford it. It's fine. Really. It'll be okay."
"I can give you the money, Lia. I have savings," Jason said.
She shook her head. "No. No. I can't let you do that. I would never take your savings."
"I want to."
"You hardly even know me!" she exclaimed.
A chuckle escaped from the lips of the old man on his rocking chair and he muttered something about young love, but Aaliyah was sure she had misheard. Plus, she was too busy trying to convince a stubborn Jason not to spend his money getting her a Vespa.
"I know you enough to know you're good at keeping your word," he said, grinning. "Besides, why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"
She hesitated.
"Look. Having somebody help you doesn't mean that you failed," Jason murmured, gazing down at her. "It just means that you're not in it alone." He was no longer grinning, but serious.
She frowned at him, at a loss for words. The thought was very sobering, and she softened toward the Vespa, feeling guilty about her fit. His intentions were good—misguided, but not from a bad place.
"Lia, please."
Finally, she said, "Okay, but it can't be a gift. I won't take it unless you loan this to me."
He sighs heavily. "Okay. On loan. Indefinitely."
"You two sound like an old married couple," added Charlie. "And I should know, because my wife—God bless her soul—and I talked like that to each other for fifty-five years."
Aaliyah flushed bright scarlet and glanced quickly at Jason, who was smiling at Charlie.
"You think?" Jason laughed as he handed him the check and followed Charlie inside the store to retrieve the key and title. After a moment, Jason returned and stood in front of her.
"Here." He handed her the key. "You sure you know how to drive one of these things?"
She hopped onto the Vespa and started the engine. "A friend of mine used to have one. I learned everything from her."
"Good. So I don't have to worry about you crashing into that pole as soon as you leave this parking lot."
Aaliyah laughed. "No, you don't have to worry about that. I'm a pretty good driver." She turned to face him. "Whaddya think. Does it suit me?"
"You'd need a helmet for that." Jason walked toward her and removed the helmet from the handle. He slipped it on her and gave her a little pat on the top of the head. "Now it suits you."
She smiled broadly, pleased.
"Thank you," she said again. "Really. I love it."
"No problem," he said. "So...about that dinner?"
"Okay, but it's my treat."
It had been about six o'clock when Aaliyah finished her shift at Sandi's and agreed to meet Jason for dinner down at Portside Grill. It was a fairly new restaurant having been opened on the edge of town three months ago. It was very fancy and the food was raved about from its opening.
Aaliyah turned left into a parking lot and to her right, she saw Portside Grill. The walls were made of a mix of brick and wood, and the sidewalk that surrounded the building had cactuses and small trees dotted on in the makeshift garden. Wagon wheels and cow skulls leaned against the walls and decorated the building. Above the double doors was a blue neon sign that said, "Come on in!"
She parked the Vespa in the only available parking space by a small tree at the far end of the parking lot and turned off the ignition. She removed her helmet, hopped off the Vespa, and was surprised to see Jason already there waiting for her by the front of the building.
He smiled a beaming smile when he saw her face and waved her over. She couldn't help her own smile as she went up to him.
"Busy night, huh?" Jason said as the two of them walked to the entrance.
"Yeah. Hopefully, we can get a table," Aaliyah said. It would be a shame if they had to wait. Aaliyah hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and was rather hungry.
"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Jason said. There was a twinkle of mischief in his eye as if he knew something Aaliyah didn't. What could he be planning? Aaliyah wondered.
As Aaliyah entered the restaurant, she saw and heard the familiar sights and sounds of Portside Grill. There was a certain rustic feel that Portside Grill emanated. The floors were glossy hardwood and the seats were red booths lined up against the walls. The walls housed all sorts of old western memorabilia, ranging from cowboy hats, whips, big belt buckles, and even an old repeater above the bar. The lighting was low and ambient, giving enough illumination to see a menu yet dim enough to cast moody shadows on the floor. Hustle and bustle in the restaurant filled the restaurant, the chatter of waiters taking orders and patrons talking mixed in with the slow-tempo country music that came from the speakers above.
Jason walked up to the receptionist at the waiting stand and said, "Moore party. Table for two please."
The receptionist flipped through a small black booklet that had the list of reservations for tonight and said, "Here you are. Right, this way please."
As the three of them walked to a booth on the right side of the restaurant, Aaliyah said, "I didn't know you had to have reservations ahead of time?"
Jason fiddled with his earlobe with his pointer finger and looked away from Aaliyah. "Well, I kinda know the owner of the place," he said. "I might have given him a phone call after I left the diner and told him I wanted to have a special dinner with a very special lady this evening."
Aaliyah wished she would have put on more foundation beforehand because she felt her cheeks flush red. She pressed her lips together and turned away briefly, hoping he didn't notice that she was trying not to smile too hard.
"Here's your table," the waitress said as she gestured towards a booth. Aaliyah and Jason slid themselves into opposite seats to face each other. The waitress placed down two menus on the table, pulled out a pencil and notepad, and said, "What would you like to drink?"
"I'll have water with lemon, please," said Aaliyah.
"And let me get a Coke," said Jason.
The waitress nodded and went to get their order. Aaliyah grabbed her menu and looked it over.
"Ooooh," Aaliyah said. "Tonight's special is a sea bass crusted with herbs and lemon. That sounds really good."
"I'm looking at the Garlic Tilapia with Mushroom Risotto," Jason said.
A gentle hum escaped her lips. "Oh, that sounds delicious too."
Aaliyah scanned over the menu once more to get more details about the delightful looking sea bass.
"Oh wow, look at this. The sea bass is freshly caught every morning from the nearby lake. It's pan-seared and doused in all sorts of herbs and spices. And it only cost...."
Aaliyah reeled back her head when she looked at the price.
"Twenty-five dollars? My goodness, that's expensive."
"That must mean it's really good," said Jason.
"True," Aaliyah said, "I'm sure it must taste excellent."
"You can get whatever you want. It's all on me tonight," he said.
Aaliyah lowered her menu enough to frown at Jason. "No, that wasn't part of the deal," she said. "You paid for the Vespa, I had dinner. That was our agreement."
"Not tonight, though," said Jason with a hint of pride. "It's our second date. Now, call me old-fashioned but I think the man should pay for dinner."
Before she had the chance to say anything else, a waiter came by and dropped off their drinks. Aaliyah's water was in a tall clear glass with a slice of lemon attached to the rim, while Jason's Coke was in a traditional amber glass soda bottle.
The waitress took out her notepad once more and said, "So, what will we be having for tonight?"
"I'll have the Garlic Tilapia with Mushroom Risotto," Jason said.
Aaliyah looked back at the menu to see if there was anything less expensive she could get. Kind as he was for doing so, she couldn't let Jason pay that much for her dinner. "And, I'll have the Crab Cakes with a side of salad," she replied.
The waitress smiled and said, "Excellent choices. We'll have them out right away." She then picked up the menus and walked off.
Aaliyah took a sip of her water and said, "I should have known you'd pull something like this."
"What do you mean?" he said innocently, clasping both of his hands together in front of him and giving her the same boyish grin that made her cheeks burn, again.
Aaliyah rested her elbows and the table, and cupped her face with her hands. "You can play innocent all you want, Jason, but I saw that look in your eye when we walked in that you were up to something."
Jason propped up his right elbow on the table and rested his fist on his face. "Alright, fine. You caught me." he said, "I just really enjoyed your company the other night and I was looking forward to another night talking to you. If you still want to pay for dinner, I won't stop you. I'm really sorry if I've upset you."
"Well, you backing out on our deal would upset me, so how about we stick to our original agreement?"
Jason nodded, a smirk fighting on his lips at her stubbornness and said, "As you wish."
As they waited for their food, they made small talk, mostly about the weather and about how busy they both had been with work.
"I have one order of Crab Cakes with a side of salad, and one Garlic Tilapia with Mushroom Risotto," the waitress said.
Aaliyah looked up from the table and saw a waitress holding two plates of food.
Jason raised his hand and said, "That'll be us!"
The waitress placed both orders down from the table and said, "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call." She then walked off.
"So, besides working at White Lumber, what do you on your free time?" Aaliyah asked. She relished the first few bites of her Crab Cakes. Nothing had ever tasted so good in her life.
"Well, my father and I own a vineyard. The Moore Vineyards. Ever heard of it?"
Aaliyah's eyes widened slightly. She had vaguely recalled a conversation between a few a town's women she served at the diner one day.
"I have actually. That sounds so..." She trailed off, thinking of the words to describe how impressive she thought it was.
"Lame? I know." Jason chuckled as he lit a forceful of fish and pasta in his mouth.
"Lame? What are you talking about?" Aaliyah raised a brow at him, staring like he was delusional. "What you and your father do is really impressive. You literally grow your own grapes. That amount of patience for that kind of work is astronomical." Her eyes lit up like she was an excited child, and she could see that Jason's expression mirrored hers just slightly.
"You really think it's cool?" He asked, taking another forkful of his food.
Their eyes met and Aaliyah nodded her head
"You know, I could take you on a tour of the vineyard someday if you're interested?" He leaned forward, his voice suddenly an octave lower, rumbling down her spine as he spoke. She was unable to look away from his handsome face as he smirked at her.
"Really?" she asked.
Jason nodded. "I could even introduce you to my dad, he would be elated to tell you about all the different grape species."
Aaliyah opened her mouth to speak, but Jason's phone rang out and cut her off.
"Speak of the devil," Jason muttered as he started at his phone confusedly. He made to put it back in his pocket, before stopping in tracks, seemingly thinking his decision through.
"I can tell it's important." Aaliyah said, smiling at Jason as she leaned back into her seat and folded her hands over her chest.
"Yeah, it's my father. It could also be a false alarm." He reached a hand to run it through his hair, before smiling at Aaliyah and picking up the call.
She watched his face morph from the boyish smirk it had, to a worried frown and hushed whispers as he agreed to head to the vineyards.
"Aaliyah —" he tried to explain, but she only shook her head.
"It's okay. We were done with dinner anyway." She nodded her head and picked her bag up from the table, sliding it over her arm.
"Are you sure?" he looked at her guiltily, as if he was doing something terribly bad.
"Yes! Now hurry, so you can be there in time to save the day." Aaliyah teased, eliciting a small laugh from him.
"I'll make it up to you," he promised, before racing out of the restaurant. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him go. Even though the date was cut much a shorter than she anticipated, Aaliyah couldn't deny that she had a really good time