“I’m sure they will be.” I laughed. “They are sharing their entrée.”
“Oh man.” Shayla shook her head and patted my shoulder to show her condolences. “But at least you have Mr. Rich, he should be good for a few dollars, right?”
“Yeah. He always tips well.” I smiled and looked out into the dining room to make sure that none of my customers was looking around for me. I stared at Zane Beaumont again and I noticed that he kept his hands to his side of the table. I always saw his dates with their hands stretched out and inching towards him, but I never saw him holding hands with them. I wondered if he had slept with them all? He was certainly good-looking enough to bag any girl that he wanted. I wondered if he dumped them as soon as they said yes. I wouldn't have been surprised to find out he was a kick ‘em-out-the-next-morning sort of guy. I shook my head and grinned to myself, he was a spend-the-night-at-their-place-and-leave-early-in-the-morning sort of guy. I was positive of it.
“What’s so funny, Lucky?”
“Just wondering if Mr. Rich is as good in bed as he looks,” I said wryly and turned to Shayla with a grin. “And don’t you dare say a word.”
“Girl, I’m not going to say anything.” She winked at me and laughed. “But I’m betting that is a man that can go all night long.”
“Okay, I’m out of here.” I groaned and ran back into the dining room. I didn’t want to think about Zane and sex. It had been too long since I’ve dated or had sex, and just thinking about him was getting me hot and bothered. But it had been my decision and I needed to remember that. I couldn’t afford to daydream about a guy like Zane.
“Everything okay, Lucky?” Zane’s voice was deep and husky, and he looked at me with concern. “I hope nothing’s burning in the kitchen.”
“Oh no. It’s all good.” I smiled at him and turned away from his gaze. Every time he said my name I felt a flush inside. “Do you guys need anything else?”
“Just the check.” His smile was gone and his eyes were vacant again. “And quickly please.”
“Sure.” I turned away, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. “I’ll get it right now.”
“So Zane, where are we going now?” His date preened.
“I thought we could go get some cocktails on the beach?”
“South Beach?”
“Yeah, we can go to Washington? I know a cool place.”
“We can go to my place.”
“Yeah, we can do that.” His voice was smooth as silk. I peeked behind my shoulder and watched as he caressed her hand. Asshole! I thought to myself as I printed out Zane’s check. I wanted to slap myself for thinking that perhaps he wasn’t the playboy I had thought him to be. He obviously was. He was not boyfriend material, and I had to keep reminding myself of that.
“Here you go.” I dropped the check off at the table and spoke to the girl, ignoring Zane. “You can pay at the front.” I walked back to the kitchen quickly and into the bathroom. I locked the door and quickly splashed some water on my heated face. I was upset, and frustrated. I stared in the mirror at my dark brown hair and brushed my fingers through my ponytail. I gazed into my wide, upset eyes through the mirror and saw the stress lines at the corners and sighed. I looked depressed and washed out; you couldn’t even compare me to the bevy of girls that Zane paraded in and out of the restaurant. Sometimes living in Miami gave me an inferiority complex and I’m not one prone to low self-esteem. Don’t get me wrong, I have my days like everyone else, but generally I am happy with my looks and my life. I’m not Miss America, but I don’t think I’m ugly. I didn’t like the uneasy feeling in my stomach. I didn’t really understand why I was so upset at Zane’s dismissiveness. It wasn’t like we were friends or had anything. And it wasn’t as if I fancied him. I mean, yes, I’ll admit it, I think he’s cute, but he’s not all that. And he’s a player and he’s pompous. The typical rich handsome guy who has had everything handed to him. He wasn’t the type of guy that I wanted to end up with. No, not at all. I just had to keep reminding myself of that.
“Lucky, you there?” Shayla banged on the door.
“Yeah, I’ll be right out.”
“You better, your young man is waiting outside for you.”
“What young …” Oh shit, I thought. He was probably mad that I gave the check to the girl. My heart started thumping and I felt a little sick. What if he decided that he wasn’t going to come back to this diner? What if I never saw him again?
“Thanks, Shayla.” I walked out of the bathroom and through the kitchen to the front of the store where Zane was waiting for me with a concerned expression on his face.
“Hey Lucky, thanks for coming over to talk before I left.” His blue eyes pierced into mine and I stared back at him without a smile.
“Sure.”
“I have to go in a second since she’s waiting in the car.”
“Okay.” I wanted to ask him why he called her “she” instead of by her name. “So did I get something wrong on the bill or something?”
“I wanted to apologize if I said anything to upset you.” He paused. “I just hope I didn’t come off as rude.”
“Oh no, of course not.” I was taken aback at his statement.
“I was raised to treat everyone equally.” He continued and I looked at him in surprise. What was he talking about? “I hope you don’t think I was disrespecting you as a waitress?”
“Not at all.” I blushed and looked away. All he saw when he looked at me was a waitress. I wanted to laugh. Even if I didn’t have my rules, he wouldn’t be interested in me.
“Good. Well have a pleasant evening Lucky.”
“You too.” I smiled at him weakly.
“Oh, I intend to.” He grinned at me and then sauntered out the door after rubbing my shoulder. I went back to his table to collect the cash he had left on it for my tip. My jaw dropped when I saw the $100 note and a short “sorry” message on a napkin. I looked back to the front of the restaurant and sighed. I stuffed the note into my pocket and walked back to the kitchen with my head starting to pound. I was so confused and felt almost delirious. I touched the spot on my shoulder that he had rubbed and I felt a warm flush run through my body as I remembered his warm touch. I shook my head at the excited feeling that was running through my veins. “Remember the rules Lucky,” I muttered to myself as I started on my side work duties.