The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (27 page)

As soon as Sarah and I walk in, I
’
m assaulted with the memory of the last time I was here. It was less than a week ago. Beck, Ave, and I came in for lunch. Just thinking about it brings my mood down. I wonder if he was thinking about our breakup while we ate; or when we were playing foosball
—
me and Ave against him.

“
Addie.
”
I
’
m pulled from my thoughts at the sound of my name on Henry
’
s lips. He
’
s a big guy, rotund with a serious face and a demanding presence. He
’
s also got a booming voice and would be quite intimidating to someone who didn
’
t know him. On the inside, though, he
’
s like a teddy bear.
“
Welcome back,
”
he says gruffly with a scowl. I offer him a small smile, genuinely glad to see him. He doesn
’
t return my smile, but he doesn
’
t have to
—
I can see it in his eyes, where he does most of his talking, that he
’
s glad to see me, too.
“
How are you
—
?
”

“
Oh, Henry
—”
Sarah cuts him off enthusiastically.
“
Is Roman here? Addie hasn
’
t met him yet.
”

The corner of his mouth lifts in a knowing smirk before he answers; I
’
m completely clueless as to the meaning behind his expression.
“
Yeah. Clocked in a few minutes ago. He
’
s at the bar,
”
he says, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
“
I take it I can leave introductions to you?
”

“
Yes, sir,
”
she says playfully, wrapping her arm around my shoulders as we prepare to head further into the pub. I don
’
t miss the eye roll Henry gives her. He hates being called
“
sir,
”
and she knows it; but he also likes it when Sarah is in a flirty mood, so he says nothing.
Dirty old man
.We wouldn't have him any other way.

We pass the hostess station and then turn left into the bar. It
’
s four o
’
clock, so it
’
s kind of slow, and I spot Marla straightening up table toppers. She
’
s about the same height as Sarah but curvier and softer around the edges. Her shoulder length hair is bottle blonde, her natural brunette roots tell her secret. She
’
s older
—
in her mid thirties
—
and pretty, but she hides her God given beauty under too much makeup. She
’
s sweet, though, and she calls everyone
honey
, which I think makes her charming.

She
’
s been working at Cooper
’
s for, like,
ever
. At first, I wondered if there was some kind of story behind her reasoning, but there isn
’
t really. She
’
s simply a people person and she likes that she works at a pub in a college town where there are always people coming and going. Plus, it
’
s where she met her husband
—
Eric. He
’
s the bar manager. He
’
s built like a gym teacher, strong but not as fit as the college guys who frequent the place. He
’
s just on the other side of forty with a receding hairline that no one is to acknowledge; and what hair he lacks on the top of his head, he makes up for it on his face with the low trimmed beard he keeps all year long. He swears a lot, he has a habit of yelling at the big screens whenever his sports team is playing, and he
’
s a pretty no-nonsense guy. But what I like about him the most is the way he
’
s protective over all of us girls. We never have to worry about dealing with drunk guys who get too familiar; he
’
s like our own personal bouncer.

“
Hey there,
”
greets Marla when we
’
re in ear shot. Sarah steers us in her direction and she stops what she
’
s doing to chat with us.
“
Addie, honey, it
’
s good to see you back.
”

“
Thanks,
”
I say with a small smile.
“
And thanks, again, for covering for me the other day.
”

“
Of course. Us girls have to stick together, right? And when I see that Beckham
—”
I gasp at the sound of his name and my chest grows tight with my longing for him. My eyes sting, too, but I somehow manage to keep the tears away. I never told her
why
I needed the time off. Sarah must have filled her in. I don
’
t mind but I also don
’
t want to talk about it. She notices my reaction and stops immediately.
“
Well, never mind him. We
’
re going to have ourselves a good night.
”

I force a smile and a nod.

“
I was going to go introduce her to Roman,
”
pipes in Sarah.

“
Good idea. That
’
d cheer anybody up,
”
she says with a grin and a giggle.
“
He
’
s with Eric. I
’
ve got to go check on my tables.
”

I
’
m really starting to wonder about this Roman guy. He seems to be pretty popular, given that he
’
s only been working here for a couple of weeks. Although, I guess that
’
s a good thing and it speaks highly of him.

When we reach the bar, Eric and the guy I
’
m guessing is Roman have their backs to us. Eric
’
s giving him instructions, but that doesn
’
t stop Sarah from interrupting.
“
Hey guys. Look who
’
s back!
”
She announces my presence as if I
’
ve been gone for months instead of days. I open my mouth to make a comment to that effect, but then Roman turns around. We lock eyes instantly and I suddenly have no words. I stand up straighter, stiffening under Sarah
’
s arm. She notices and looks down at me. She then follows my eyes to Roman, who is wearing the same kind and attractive smile he was wearing this morning.
“
Sooo
—
why do I get the feeling you two have met before?
”
she asks.

“
Because we have,
”
he answers, his smile stretching wider.

I feel a blush crawl its way into my cheeks, which annoys me. That
’
s
such
an Avery trait and totally uncharacteristic of me.
Why on earth am I blushing now? I didn
’
t blush this morning. Geez
—
I was not prepared for this.

“
When?
”
asks Sarah, pulling me from my thoughts as she looks back down at me.

“
This morning,
”
I murmur, my eyes studying Roman. I can
’
t tell what he
’
s thinking and it makes me feel a bit self-conscious.

“
What?
”
Sarah cries, pulling her arm from around me so she can press her fists against her hips.
“
He
’
s
Mr
.
Yoga
?
”

I cringe, pulling my eyes away from Roman to glare at Sarah.
Really? Did she really have to say that out loud?

“
Mr. Yoga?
”
asks Roman with a chuckle.

“
I didn
’
t
—
I didn
’
t catch your name. Um. Earlier,
”
I stammer, running my fingers through my hair.

“
Fair enough,
Miss Yoga
. I didn
’
t catch yours, either.
”

“
That
’
s Addie,
”
says Eric, joining the conversation.
“
Glad you
’
re feeling better. You two better clock in; Marla
’
s about due for a break and the dinner crowd won
’
t be long behind her.
”

“
Sure thing,
”
I reply, feeling relieved for an excuse to make my exit.

“
Addie,
”
Roman calls my name as I turn. I pause and look back at him.
“
It
’
s nice to meet you
—
officially
.
”
My embarrassment decreases as I remember his kindness. It
’
s obvious he
’
s not judging me now any more than he did this morning and I have no reason to be self-conscious.
Well
…
maybe a little self-conscious; but not enough to be rude.

“
You too, Roman,
”
I say before Sarah and I make our exit.

“
Oh, my gosh,
”
Sarah gushes in a mock whisper.
“
I can
’
t believe
Prince of Troy
is Mr. Yoga!
”

“
Small world, right? Should I be embarrassed?
”
I ask, needing a little reassurance.

“
What? No! He
’
s a nice guy,
”
she insists.
“
He proved that much to you this morning; plus, he
’
s got that
good guy
vibe, you know? I
’
ve definitely picked that up over the past couple days. Besides, you said you were going to go back to his class, so you were going to see him again anyway. No
—
you have no reason to be embarrassed.
”

I take a deep breath and puff out a sigh.
“
You
’
re right. Thanks.
”

It
’
s nice being back at work and I welcome the distraction. It isn
’
t long before business picks up. It
’
s not crazy busy, but it
’
s not dead either; there
’
s just enough to do to keep me occupied. My trips to the bar are frequent and every time I speak with Roman, I feel a little more comfortable around him. He doesn
’
t mention my tears from this morning, obviously remembering that I didn
’
t want to talk about it then and correctly assuming that I don
’
t want to talk about it now. Sarah was right
—
he does give off that
good guy
vibe. I think back to the text I sent Avery earlier and realize that maybe I was right. Maybe I do have a new friend. Or at least a new
could-be
friend.

The dinner rush is all but forgotten by eight o
’
clock, which is when Marla heads out; but the night crowd starts trickling in after nine. I
’
m off at eleven and I
’
m hoping the next couple of hours go by fast because I
’
m starting to feel tired.