Mr. Dangerous (5 page)

Catching a glimpse of her small frown, he winked and dismissed her question. “Eh, I didn’t grow up anywhere exciting. I also didn’t grow up anywhere nearly as comfortable as here. I moved around a lot, so it’s hard to name a single place that can be called ‘home,’ you know?”

“Yes, that does make sense,” Jasmine said, a tinge of suspicion in her voice. Regardless, if he did not want to talk about whatever was going on in his world, she didn’t want to ask and ruin things.
Besides, most new couples don’t share everything about their past at first, right?

“Hey,” Mason started, shedding his previous brick wall of an attitude, “you want to know something? I love going outdoors and watching the birds fly around. Birds seem to be the one constant in any location you visit. Whether you live in cold weather or hot weather, dry or humid, urban or rural – you always find birds of some type flying free. Ever since I was a little kid, I always love watching the birds."

She smiled as she imagined a young Mason running outside, eyes full of excitement as he watched birds take flight in his backyard. She wondered what happened in his life to stifle that childlike excitement. Everyone can think back to a specific moment in life when he or she suddenly had to grow up and give up dreams that come with childhood.

Jasmine’s mind wandered as she recalled Calvin’s return from the military, which she considered her first real travesty in life – awakening her from her smooth, day-to-day routine. Some people are lucky and can hold onto childhood for a few years past adulthood; however, some are not so lucky. Some are forced to grow up quickly and become adults as children. She had a feeling that Mason was the latter.

“I used to have a pet cockatoo,” she stated. “Her name was Tootie. I was not a very creative child.”

“Oh, yeah?” He laughed. “I don’t know what you’re trying to say. I think ‘Tootie’ is a great name for a cockatoo.”

“Thank you,” she said indignantly, then joined in laughter with him.

The two laughed together until the humor faded and a comfortable silence fell between them. Jasmine typically was not the type of person who generally enjoyed silent moments, but it was not as terrible with Mason. Her ears that usually rang in annoyance in the quiet, were now filled with his unique sounds. In the silence, she was able to hear his intake of breath and the gentle thumping of his heart’s rhythm against her ear.

The silence was not awkward or unwelcomed; instead, it was sweet and smooth like molasses slowly falling from a jar and coating her heart in warmth. She felt safe in the silent moments with him, as if time froze when no one made a sound – where she could stay wrapped in his embrace for the rest of eternity for as long as the silence continued.

The pleasant silence caused Jasmine to drift off into sleep. Her heavy eyes blinked groggily as the soft glow from the candles added a sense of relaxation to the room. Mason had already fallen asleep, as his breathing was much slower and slightly louder with the lack of control. His breathing was nearly a snore, but not quite – allowing her to assume that he had just fallen asleep merely moments earlier.

She wanted to peer up at his face to catch a glimpse of his sleeping state, but she did not want to wake him and felt exhausted. She blinked several times before allowing her eyes to remain closed. Then, she fell asleep with her head against his chest, drifting to dreamland with the sound of his beating heart.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Jasmine kept her eyes closed as she stretched and yawned. The gentle beating sound soothed her slowly awake. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. She gasped, sitting upright in the luxurious bed as she listened to the door shake. Rose petals still lay strewn across the comforter. Glancing over, she noticed that Mason was no longer sitting next to her.

Puzzled with a strange sadness, she stood up from the bed and walked over to the door where the sound of his heartbeats had been replaced with the pounding of the door. Turning the knob, she was greeted with a large gust of wind that knocked her over backwards. Peering up at the figure who stood at the door, she raised her eyebrows.

“Calvin?” she asked.

“This is all your fault,” Calvin held a long metallic object that she could not make out, and smoke burned from the end. He was standing on one leg with the prosthetic missing from the other. Rose petals fell from the open wounds in his missing leg. “You’re the reason I’m like this.”

“No. Please don’t say that, little brother. I’m sorry.” Tears formed in her eyes.

She felt as if a heavy rock had been placed directly on her heart. Flashes of Mason went through her mind, and she suddenly felt the weight lifted off her. She searched the room for him – transporting to various locations and shouting out his name.

“Why are you looking for me?” Mason asked, suddenly appearing on the bed and surrounded by rose petals. “Why do you trust me so much?”

“I-I don’t know.” She looked at him quizzically, then became borderline frantic. “I think I may love you!”

“You don’t even know me. How could you love someone you don’t know? All you do know is that I’m hiding something, isn’t that right?”

“That’s not entirely true. Everyone has a past,” she said, her voice cracking in hesitation. She ran over to the bed. His demeanor suddenly changed as she came closer. He spread his arms to welcome her into an embrace. She smiled in excitement and jumped onto the bed, only to fall through the bed and into a large pile of rose petals. Feeling her throat tighten, she panicked as she realized she was drowning in the petals. She couldn’t hear, couldn’t speak, and couldn’t see as she slowly became consumed by each and every one of them.

Jasmine sat up straight in bed with her eyes wide and her body covered in sweat. Glancing at the alarm clock, she saw that the time was half past four in the morning: time to get up and get ready for work at The Morning Bell. She quickly put on her clothing and headed out of the door.

As she walked outside, she dialed her cell phone to call Calvin, hoping he would answer. Thankfully, he did. Although he was angry at her – and she angry at him – he still agreed to give her a ride to work with no questions asked on the condition that they did not speak during the car ride. The situation was fine by her. Her brother had to go find a new job and she had work to complete at the café.

After the world’s most awkward car ride in the history of time, Calvin dropped Jasmine off at work. Unlocking the door to The Morning Bell, she watched in the reflection as her brother’s car disappeared around the corner. Her diner was exactly as she left it – crisp, clean, and ready to open. She began setting out plates and napkins when Abby entered and gave a small wave.

“Abby? What are you doing here so early?”

“Hi, Jasmine. Can I talk to you?” she asked, looking nervous and as if she had been crying before entering through the door. “I just need someone to talk to, is all.”

“Of course,” she motioned to a chair. “Sit. Talk. What’s going on?”

“Well,” tears formed in the girl’s eyes, “my parents kicked me out of the house. I have nowhere to go.”

“What?” Jasmine gasped, shocked. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve just been fighting for a long time,” she hiccupped as she began crying more, then started to ramble. “You see, I wasn’t supposed to have this job in the first place. They don’t want me to be a chef, and they definitely don’t support me taking any steps to achieve that dream. My parents want me to join the family business and become a lawyer. They don’t understand that I’m just not that kind of person. Don’t give me that look, Jasmine. No, I’m not, and I’m okay with that. I don’t like school. I like to cook. I just never thought that I would be kicked out because of my dreams.”

“You definitely should never be kicked out of your home.” She looked at Abby sympathetically. Her heart broke for the young girl, looking up at her with the saddest eyes she had ever seen in her entire life. She wrapped Abby in a gentle embrace and assured her that everything would be all right.

For the time being, she recommended that she stay with her in the apartment upstairs. Abby shook her head in disbelief, but accepted. Jasmine grabbed her hand and led her upstairs, attempting to make an exciting adventure out of the terrible situation. She showed her all around the apartment and gave her a grand tour.

“How do you do that?” Abby randomly asked after she had calmed down.

“How do I do what?” She raised an eyebrow.

“You always know exactly what to do to make everything better.”

Chapter Five

The day chugged along slowly. Abby and several other waitresses took orders while Jasmine handled the cooking in the kitchen, as Mason had not yet come in for work – nearly three hours past opening time. As she scrambled eggs and stirred pancake batter, she attempted to squander the thoughts that crept through her mind about her experience last night.

She had a wonderful time and felt as though she were on cloud nine, floating through the kitchen like a princess who successfully courted a prince. Despite her happiness, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that something was wrong, since Mason had not come to work yet. Perhaps he was angry with her or regretted the previous night. Then again, her paranoia could have been due to the strange nightmare she had as well.

As she continued cooking, she suddenly heard a gasp from the diner. Peering out of the kitchen window, she witnessed a crowd of dining guests and staff members surrounding the television screen that hung up against the corner of the wall. The television was a recent addition to the café – a modern version of reading a newspaper with breakfast. The channel was always placed on a local news station, which came in handy during the winter when schools could be potentially closed due to snow storms.

Typically the Rootsville news station featured mild theft arrests, wedding announcements, and feel-good stories about Good Samaritan acts of kindness. However, at that particular moment, she knew that something must have been terribly wrong.

One of the waitresses, Gwen, appeared in the kitchen with her typically-perfect mascara now smudged around her eyelids as if she had been tearing up. Her hand, which still held a notepad from taking orders, was shaking. From outside of the kitchen, Jasmine heard more gasps and the sound of someone asking for a remote to turn up the volume.

Gwen opened her mouth and closed it several times before finally choking out, “You should come see this.”

“All right,” Jasmine agreed hesitantly as she slowly made her way out of the kitchen and into the diner among the dozens of people watching the television screen in horror. Images flashed of fire damage from a local restaurant. Video footage scanned the scene, showing the devastating wreckage. The once-beautiful building, an old-fashioned Italian-style eatery, lay crumbled in ashes on the ground.

The camera panned and zoomed into the last remaining piece of the building, which was the restaurant’s sign, featuring the Italian flag against a deep emerald wood. On the sign, however, was a truly horrifying sentiment that elicited a gasp from Jasmine, causing her to cover her mouth. Etched and drawn with ashes, the shocking statement was written: “Burn as we have burned.”

On the television screen, a woman in a sleek business suit looked visibly shaken as she prepared to give the report. Clearing her throat, she began, “Today, the town of Rootsville has witnessed a horrific tragedy. The Italian Grill has been demolished in flames by an unknown arsonist. Using several high-powered matches, the assailant is believed to be still at large. There have been no fatalities, though several staff members have reported burn injuries. It seems as though the perpetrator was attempting to gain attention; therefore, police do not believe the arsonist is a safety threat at this time. The department is, however, warning local business owners to remain extra cautious of those who enter each establishment.

“Currently, our hard-working police officers are attempting to gather evidence and will continue to work hard to keep our town safe. Please do not attempt to capture these criminals on your own. If you have any information that could be helpful to the case, please contact the local police department. Thank you. Stay tuned to the news station for occasional updates regarding this devastating situation. For now, it’s time to tune into weather updates with meteorologist Bobby Remsen. Stay safe, Rootsville.”

As the station turned to weather updates, the diner became silent. No one moved; no one spoke. Unlike the silence she experienced with Mason the night earlier, this silence was upsetting and loud. The quiet that overwhelmed The Morning Bell spoke volumes, as it was a quiet of fear and anxiety.

Everyone wanted to speak and to voice his or her opinion, but was simply afraid. It was as if the silence was the only thing keeping the panic of the situation at bay. Jasmine knew that everyone needed someone to start the conversation to ease the fear, so she sighed. Dozens of heads, previously glued to the floor, turned toward her.

“Well, how about we all sit back in our chairs and relax. Everyone gets a free cup of coffee on me. Children can have any juice for free as well,” she said with a gentle smile.

Then, she disappeared into the kitchen and rested her back against the wall, shocked at the events she witnessed on the television. Thinking quickly, she grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and dialed her brother’s number to check to make sure he was okay. The phone rang several dials until eventually, he answered.

“Jasmine?” Calvin asked, his voice full of concern – much to Jasmine’s surprise. “Are you doing okay? Did you see the news?”

“Yes,” she said, equally concerned. “Are you okay? I know you were looking for job applications and I was just hoping that you weren’t in the area that burned.”

“I was nearby, but thankfully I left before anything went down. Part of me wishes I had driven slower and possibly witnessed the person who did it, but I didn’t. Did you see the destruction? The whole Italian Grill is burnt to a crisp.”

“Yeah, I saw,” she said, her voice numb in disbelief. “I’m hoping it was a one-time situation, but nothing like that has ever happened here before this.  What if they target The Morning Bell next?”

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that. Besides, why do you even care? I thought you hated me.”

“I never hate you. I just…” he took in a deep breath, “I just feel really alone right now. That’s not your fault. None of this is your fault. I suppose it’s been getting to me that things will never be normal again and I have no one who understands that.”

“Why don’t you call up your friend from the military? He sent letters for months after you came home. Maybe he’d be a good person to talk with about all of this.”

“I can’t talk to him. What happened out there haunts me every day.” His voice cracked.

“He was there with me so, it’s like he’s just a reminder of that.”

“I’m sorry,” she said sympathetically. As angry as he made her, she knew that he was suffering and needed his big sister to forgive him and guide him.

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. I should have never taken my anger out on you. It was unfair and absolutely untrue. Can you ever forgive me?”

“I’m your sister. Of course I forgive you,” she laughed. “Just don’t do it again.”

“I won’t. I’m sorry,” he said sincerely before continuing. “Anyway, that news story was crazy, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it was,” she sighed.

She missed talking to her brother. The two spent several minutes speaking about the events that transpired over the television. Never once in her entire life had she ever experienced something so shocking and sad. Violent crime never happened in Rootsville; it simply didn’t exist.

Even the other night when the thief entered The Morning Bell, she knew that he would never shoot because no one ever did. Of course, she had heard of violent crime occurring in other, more populated, towns. The problem with committing a crime in Rootsville is that everyone knows who everyone is – you couldn’t stay hidden for long.

On the phone, Jasmine expressed her concerns about her diner, then briefly mentioned her date with the new chef who she said would, hopefully, keep her safe. Calvin seemed intrigued and wanted more details, but had to leave. He had an interview at a local car mechanic and he didn’t want to be late, as he stated that he truly did want this job to work out. She wished him good luck and then hung up, feeling happy that she and her brother were on better terms.

She was not, however, feeling happy about the situation going on in Rootsville. She felt scared for the safety of The Morning Bell and the one person she counted on to protect her still had not shown up for work. She strolled over to the sink and stood over it, taking deep breaths to stay calm.

Suddenly, she felt strong arms wrap around her stomach and a warm whisper in her ear that said, “So, you thought you could just sneak out on me in the morning, huh?”

Gasping, she turned around and clutched her hand to her heart. “You scared me. Why would you sneak up on me like that?”

“I’m sorry.” Mason backed away with his hands up in defense. “I was just trying to surprise you. Why are you so jumpy?”

“Why are you so late to work?” she snapped, then composed herself. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m just nervous today. Didn’t you see the news?”

His face suddenly became ashen, “What? What happened on the news?”

She explained the events that transpired on the television, her voice slightly frantic in fear. His eyes flickered slightly with anxiety; he was very nervous about the situation. She wondered why he would be so terrified, as he had not grown up in the area and had probably dealt with crime in other cities.

Perhaps he was simply worried about her. Although she didn’t want him to feel nervous, she was grateful that he was concerned, as she had – only moments earlier – feared that she may never have heard from him again. Although she did not mention her concerns, his eyes were intent as he studied her, knowing something else was bothering her besides the story on the news.

“Hey, is something else wrong?” he questioned. Noticing her dismissive look, his face changed to a sudden realization. “Did you think I was avoiding you?”

“Well, no,” she started, then continued with confidence. “Actually, yes. I, for one, thought we had a fantastic date last night and when you didn’t show up for work, it was quite concerning.”

Mason’s face, which was previously attentive to her concerns, turned to stifle his laughter. He began chuckling and gave her a deep kiss on the mouth. When he pulled away, he said, “I didn’t have my alarm on because I had assumed we would leave for work together. I was unaware that you had different plans of leaving on your own.”

She felt her cheeks redden. Looking back, she wasn’t entirely sure why she had decided to leave on her own rather than resting in bed with him. Perhaps she felt anxious being away from work or maybe her nightmare had spooked her from his arms. Whatever the case, she saw that he did not have any bad intentions – he simply overslept after a long night of passion, and now he was looking at her with that same look again.

His eyes were full of love, just as the night before; yet, she noticed a twinge of something else. As loving as he looked at her, it was slightly tarnished by something going on in his mind. He seemed momentarily distracted by an internal monologue. She decided to brush it off.

“I’m sorry I made such a big deal about you not showing up for work,” she said, embarrassed.

“Don’t apologize. You’re the boss. I could definitely be fired right now.” He winked.

“Who says I’m not still considering firing you, huh?” She winked back.

“Because of this.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and brushed his nose against hers. Then, ever-so-slowly, he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips. She pressed her lips deeper on his, savoring his unique taste. The gentle hint of tobacco rested on his tongue, covered by a cool, minty flavor.

He sucked in a shocked breath when her tongue danced around his, causing him to dip her with passion. Holding onto her leg gently, he slowly parted his lips from hers, then brought her back to standing. Breathlessly, she smiled lovingly at him.

“Get to work,” she said as she took off her hairnet and put it on his head.

“Yes, ma’am,” he saluted her and headed over to the grill.

Later that evening, after closing up The Morning Bell and wishing Mason a “goodnight,” Jasmine sauntered up to her apartment with Abby close behind, who offered many thankful sentiments throughout the entirety of the evening. Proclaiming that she would sleep on the couch, much to Jasmine’s refusal, Abby raced into the living room and rested sideways on the couch, claiming that it was plenty comfortable.