He was sorry he’d said goodbye?
What did that mean?
She slammed the drawer shut. She needed to get her act together. A few tourists were starting to drift into town for the warmer weather and the hotel was at seventy percent. She flipped the lights on and turned on the ubiquitous background music.
She was going to be okay.
If nothing else, Elliot had brought her to life again. Shown her how important human contact was. She should date again. Just because she spent so much time working didn’t mean she shouldn’t make an effort to get out a little, to have a few friends.
She peered closer at the glass she was polishing and, disgusted, rubbed away the lipstick marks. Even the scalding hot water in the dishwasher failed to get rid of these annoying prints. She’d rewash this one though, because, really, it was just… gross.
Always, always, these glasses needed polishing. She’d get as many in as she could before it got busy.
Which might be sooner than later. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow and turned around to address the guest she’d heard walk through the doors.
And then proceeded to drop the damn glass.
Again.
It fell onto the bottles in the well, bounced off the Jamison, and onto the floor.
It was Elliot.
What the…
As he approached the bar, his lips twitched for just a second before tilting into a smile. He didn’t stop at the bar.
Instead he walked around, stepped through the opening, and stopped in front of her.
He was here.
Elliot was here, behind the bar.
She ignored the glass and licked her lips. Her mouth had gone dry and a roaring filled her ears.
“Hey,” he said, suddenly not looking as confident as he had before. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
“Hey,” she returned. He looked so good. Better even than she remembered. Was his sister back in town? “Um… do you want a drink?” But he shook his head.
“No. I wanted to ask you something.”
Why was he here? He wanted to ask her something? She hoped this wasn’t about that damn check.
“What?” She swallowed hard. Scared to death by the hope growing inside of her.
“Will you have dinner with me?” He tilted his head to one side and a lock of that black hair fell across one eye. “And maybe take me hiking?”
“How–” her voice wobbled a little. “How long are you here for?”
He grimaced a little. Was he embarrassed? “I’m not staying at the hotel.”
“You’re not?”
“I rented a condo. I kinda like this little town. It has a lot going for it.”
“Yes,” she sputtered. “And yes.” She couldn’t stop that joy that threatened to take over her entire being.
And then his hands were out of his pockets and he was stepping over broken glass to get to her. “God, I love that smile.” He wrapped his arms around her and she tucked her face into his shirt.
Best. Hug. Ever.
“I love how you smell.” The words escaped unheeded. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
He tilted her chin back and searched her eyes. “I don’t know how this is gonna work out. But I couldn’t stop thinking of you. I couldn’t stop thinking we needed to give whatever this is some time.”
“And so, you’re here.” She touched the side of his face. It was rough as though it had been several hours since he’d shaved.
“I’m here.”
—The End—
