Nicholas Sparks - Safe Haven

“Hey, guys,” she said, addressing the kids. “I hear your dad didn’t want to cook dinner for you.”

Kristen giggled but Josh simply nodded. “He said he was tired.”

“That’s what I heard,” she said.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Thrown under the bus by my own kids. I just can’t believe it.”

“I wouldn’t throw you under the bus, Daddy,” Kristen said seriously.

“Thank you, sweetie.”

Katie smiled. “Are you thirsty? Can I get you something to drink?”

They ordered sweet teas all around, along with a basket of hush puppies. Kristen brought the drinks to the table and as she walked away, she felt Alex’s gaze on her. She fought the urge to peek over her shoulder, though she desperately wanted to.

For the next few minutes, she took orders and cleared plates from other tables, delivered a couple of meals, and finally returned with the basket of hush puppies.

“Be careful,” she said. “They’re still hot.”

“That’s when they’re the best,” Josh said, reaching into the basket. Kristen reached for one as well.

“We went butterfly hunting today,” she said.

“You did?”

“Yep. But we didn’t hurt them. We let them go.”

“That sounds like fun. Did you have a good time?”

“It was awesome!” Josh said. “I caught, like, a hundred of them! And then we went swimming.”

“What a great day,” Katie said sincerely. “No wonder your dad is tired.”

“I’m not tired,” both Josh and Kristen said, almost simultaneously.

“Maybe not,” Alex said, “but you’re both still going to bed early. Because your poor old dad needs to go to sleep.”

Katie shook her head. “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “You’re not poor.”

It took him a moment to realize she was teasing, and he laughed. It was loud enough for the people at the next table to notice, though he didn’t seem to care.

“I come in here to relax and enjoy my dinner, and I end up getting picked on by the waitress.”

“It’s a tough life.”

“You’re telling me. Next thing I know, you’ll be telling me that I might want to order from the kids’ menu, seeing as how I’m gaining weight.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything,” she said with a pointed glance at his midsection. He laughed again, and when he looked at her she saw an appreciative gleam in his eye, reminding her that he found her attractive.

“I think we’re ready to order now,” he said.

“What can I get you?”

Alex ordered for them and Katie jotted it down. She held his gaze for a moment before leaving the table and dropping the order off in the kitchen. As she continued to work the tables in her station — as quickly as people left, they were replaced — she found excuses to swing by Alex’s table. She refilled their waters and their teas, she removed the basket when they were done with the hush puppies, and she brought Josh a new fork after his had dropped on the floor. She chatted easily with Alex and the kids, enjoying every moment, and eventually brought them their dinners.

Later, when they were through, she cleared the table and dropped off the check. By then, the sun was getting lower and Kristen had begun to yawn, and if anything, the restaurant had gotten busier. She had time for only a quick good-bye as the kids scrambled down the stairs, but when Alex hesitated, she had the sense that he was about to ask her out. She wasn’t sure how she was going to handle it, but before he could get the words out, one of her customers spilled a beer. The customer stood quickly from the table, bumping it, and two more glasses toppled over. Alex stepped back, the moment broken, knowing she had to go.

“See you soon,” he said, waving as he trailed after his kids.

The following day, Katie pushed open the door to the store only half an hour after opening.

“You’re here early,” Alex said, surprised.

“I was up early and just thought I’d get my shopping out of the way.”

“Did it ever slow down last night?”

“Finally. But a couple of people have been out this week. One went to her sister’s wedding, and another called in sick. It’s been crazy.”

“I could tell. But the food was great, even if the service was a little slow.”

When she fixed him with an irate expression, he laughed. “Just getting you back for teasing me last night.” He shook his head. “Calling me old. I’ll have you know my hair went gray before I was thirty.”

“You’re very sensitive about that,” she noted with a teasing tone. “But trust me. It looks good on you. It lends a certain air of respectability.”

“Is that good or bad?”

She smiled without giving an answer before reaching for a basket. As she did, she heard him clear his throat. “Are you working as much this coming week?”

“Not as much.”

“How about next weekend?”

She thought about it. “I’m off Saturday. Why?”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other before meeting her eyes. “Because I was wondering if I might be able to take you to dinner. Just the two of us this time. No kids.”

She knew they were at a crossroads, one that would change the tenor of things between them. At the same time, it was the reason she’d come to the store as early as she had. She wanted to figure out whether she’d been mistaken about what she’d seen in his expression the previous evening, because it was the first time she knew for certain that she wanted him to ask.

In the silence, though, he seemed to misread what she was thinking. “Never mind. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Yes,” she said, holding his gaze. “I’d love dinner. But on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ve already done so much for me that I’d rather do something for you this time. How about I make you dinner instead? At my house.”

He smiled, relieved. “That sounds perfect.”

On Saturday, Katie woke later than usual. She’d spent the past few days frantically shopping and decorating her house — a new sheer lace curtain for the living room window, some inexpensive prints for the walls, a few small area rugs, and real place mats and glasses for their dinner. Friday night she’d worked until after midnight, plumping up her new throw pillows and giving the house a final cleaning. Despite the sun that slanted through her windows and striped her bed, she woke only when she heard the sounds of someone hammering. Checking the clock, she saw it was already after nine.

Stumbling out of bed, Katie yawned and then walked toward the kitchen to hit the switch on the coffeepot before stepping out onto the porch, squinting in the brightness of the morning sun. Jo was on her front porch, the hammer poised for another whack, when she spotted Katie.

Jo put the hammer down. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Yeah, but that’s okay. I had to get up anyway. What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to keep the shutter from falling off. When I got home last night, it was hanging cockeyed, and I was sure it was going to give way in the middle of the night. Of course, thinking that the crash might wake me up any minute kept me from falling asleep for hours.”

“Do you need some help?”

“No, I’ve just about got it.”

“How about coffee?”

“Sounds great. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

Katie went to her bedroom, slipped out of her pajamas, and threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She brushed her teeth and hair, just enough to get the tangles out. Through the window, she saw Jo walking toward the house. She opened the front door.

Katie poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Jo as soon as she entered the kitchen.