Ocean breeze, p.5
Ocean Breeze, page 5
Before Jamie could go, she leaned in close and whispered, “A bit of advice - if a guy like that,” she nodded in Jay’s direction, “wanted to take me to dinner, I wouldn’t make him wait. I’ll have a word with my mom and dad.”
Before Jamie could protest, Susan was already filling drink orders at the other end of the bar.
Jamie rolled her eyes. She wasn’t used to getting so much attention from her co-workers and honestly found it a little invasive. She grabbed Jay’s Coke and brought it to his table. She set it down in front of him. He was grinning at her. She couldn’t help but grin back.
“I have to go check on my other tables,” she apologized.
“Do what you have to do. I’m not going anywhere,” he assured her.
She found herself blushing as she turned away from him and began making her rounds to her other tables. Every now and then she’d glance at him and every time she did, he was staring back at her, grinning. A few times he even raised his eyebrows at her with a mischievous look on his face and twice he winked at her. She was having a very hard time concentrating on her work.
Suddenly, Tina was at her side with her arm around her shoulders, marching her into the kitchen.
Once they were out of view of the patrons in the dining room, Tina turned to her and asked, “Jamie is there a guy out there waiting for you to eat dinner with him?”
“Tina, I’m so sorry. I know he’s taking up a table, but I thought it would be all right. I’ll ask him to leave right away,” she answered sheepishly.
“No, honey. You’re misunderstanding me. You’re not in trouble.” Tina continued, explaining, “Jonathan and I and Susan and Karen and well, all of us, are so excited and happy for you! We want you to take the rest of the night off and have dinner with your friend. Go spend some time together and enjoy yourselves. If you decide to eat here, your entire meal is on the house.”
Jamie stared back at her in disbelief. “But you’re so busy and if I leave, you’ll be understaffed.”
“Honey, you are such a hard worker. Jonathan and I couldn’t ask for a better server than you. As a token of our appreciation, we want you to enjoy the rest of the evening with your friend. We‘ll survive. The restaurant has been understaffed many times before.”
She started to protest, but Tina wouldn’t hear of it. “You’re always working either here or at school. Take a little time for yourself and have fun,” she gently advised in a motherly tone.
Jamie looked toward Jonathan working behind the grill. He winked at her and said, “Go have a good time, sweetheart.”
She thanked them both, gave them each a hug and asked them for one more small favor.
SEVEN
The Dinner
"
Jay was beginning to wonder what happened to Jamie. He was watching her every move, enjoying the embarrassed and torn look on her face every time she found him staring at her until the dark-haired woman who seated him took her into the kitchen. It looked as though a few of the other servers were incorporating the tables in Jamie’s section into their own. He hoped he hadn’t gotten her in trouble. Good job, Jay, he thought sarcastically to himself. Invite a girl to dinner and get her fired. Smooth.
He looked around nervously, wondering whether he should get up and inquire about her, and suddenly there she was, walking between the tables toward him, her face lit up by her beautiful smile. She had changed out of her uniform and was now clad in jeans, flip-flops, and a short-sleeved turquoise top. She had removed the clip from her hair, causing it to spill down her back like rays of sunlight. Jay thought he had never seen her look lovelier. He smiled broadly as she sat with him.
“That was a quick hour.”
“My boss let me go early. She says dinner’s on the house if we want to eat here.”
“Have you eaten dinner?” he asked.
“No and I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since breakfast. How about you?”
“No, I haven’t eaten yet either. We can eat here if you want or go somewhere else. It’s up to you.”
She smiled conspiratorially at him, grabbed his hand and said, “Come on.”
She led him through the entire dining room, weaving between tables and swerving to avoid crashing into servers. They ended up at the back of the restaurant, where large French doors opened up onto a beautiful deck overlooking the river. She paused when they got to the deck, allowing him to take in the beautiful setting before them. A wooden pergola covered in twinkle lights extended over the entire deck. Potted palm trees covered in light blue twinkle lights were displayed tastefully at intervals throughout. The bridge that crossed the river could be seen from there even though it was several miles away, illuminated brightly by the lights from the cars driving over it. It was a breathtaking view, especially at night.
“Wow,” Jay breathed, stopping to take it all in.
“I knew you’d like this,” Jamie replied happily as they walked along the deck.
It wasn’t very crowded out there tonight. Most of the people who came to the restaurant wanted to be seated in the dining room, near the band. The air was cool and fresh, unlike the somewhat stuffy dining room. It was much quieter and less chaotic out there. The band’s music was piped outside through speakers, but the volume was turned down low to allow for normal conversation. Jamie led him to a table for two at the far end of the deck, set in a little alcove, far away from all the other tables. Two place settings, two menus and a single lit white candle were already on the table.
He looked at her, impressed.
“I thought it would be nice to sit out here so we can talk,” Jamie explained.
He agreed and they took their seats.
“Oh, I hope you don’t mind. I already put in an order for an appetizer. Fried calamari?” she asked. “It’s a house specialty.”
“That’s fine. You think of everything don’t you? Maybe I didn’t do as good a job surprising you as I thought,” he teased.
“Oh, you surprised me all right. I’ve never had a surprise like that before,” she said happily, flashing him her amazing smile again. “I didn’t think of everything though,” she continued. “I didn’t order you anything to drink, because I wasn’t sure what you would want.”
“What do you recommend?”
“The blackberry iced tea is very good.”
“Blackberry iced tea it is then.”
As if on cue, Tina appeared at that very moment to take their drink order. Tina looked to be in her early sixties, was of medium height and weight and wore her dark hair pulled back in a neat twist. The black dress she wore was simple yet elegant, the perfect attire for the owner and hostess of the upscale family restaurant.
Jamie politely introduced him to her and ordered two blackberry iced teas.
After Tina had gone, he asked, “Did I hear you correctly when you said you hadn’t eaten since breakfast?”
“You heard me correctly.”
“Jamie, you ate breakfast almost twelve hours ago! You must be absolutely starving!”
“I am.”
“Don’t they give you a break here?” he asked incredulously.
“Most of us choose not to take a break, because we lose tips when we do. I usually try to eat before my shift, but sometimes, like today, I just don’t have the time.”
“Let’s figure out what we want so we can place our order as soon as Tina gets back with our drinks. We need to get some food in you. What do you recommend?” he asked, looking at the extensive menu.
“Do you like seafood?”
“Yeah.”
“Well then that’s definitely what we should have. This place is known for its fantastic seafood.” Jamie paused. “How hungry are you?”
“Starving.”
“There’s this dish called Zuppa de Pesche. It’s pasta covered in a marinara sauce served with every type of seafood imaginable. There’s enough for two. What do you say?” she asked, raising her eyebrows mischievously.
“I’m game if you’re game,” he replied happily.
Tina returned with their appetizer and drinks and they placed their order. They sat in silence for a while as they munched on fried calamari and sipped their iced teas. Jay studied Jamie carefully as they ate. He had never seen her look happier. She had grinned and smiled at him many times. But he had never seen her smile the full, beautiful smile that lit up her entire face before tonight. He felt honored she shared that magnificent gift with him three times already. He had never seen her share it with anyone else.
From the first moment he saw her, Jay felt there was a certain sadness about Jamie. She masked it pretty well sometimes, but it was always there, just below the surface. At times she even seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Not tonight though. Tonight she was different - happy. He supposed it was because he had thrown her off guard with his surprise. He hoped it was also in large part because of his company.
He looked at her now, gazing at the twinkle lights all around them. Her turquoise shirt really brought out the blue in her beautiful eyes. The effect was absolutely mesmerizing. She seemed lost in thought, in awe of their surroundings yet a million miles away.
“Jamie? Are you okay?” he asked hesitantly.
She snapped out of it and grinned somewhat sheepishly at him. “I have a confession to make,” she began.
Okay, here it comes, Jay thought. She’s going to tell me she’s carrying on a long-distance romance with her high school sweetheart who attends college out of state. They don’t see each other often, but they’re committed to each other and determined to make it work. He braced himself.
“This is my favorite table in the entire restaurant, but I’ve never eaten at it before.”
“Why not?” he asked completely confused.
“Because it’s a table for two. I’ve never had someone to share it with until tonight,” she answered simply.
He reached for her hand lying on the table. He could so easily fall in love with her.
“This has always been a fantasy of mine,” she explained softly.
They looked into each other’s eyes until the spell was suddenly broken when Jonathan appeared with their entrée. The stout, jolly man looked a bit shamefaced and apologized for intruding on their private moment.
Jamie recovered quickly and politely introduced him to Jay.
Their entrée consisted of one large platter overflowing with succulent seafood and pasta. They served themselves and enjoyed trying to identify the various types of seafood on their plates as they ate.
When the platter was empty and their stomachs were full, Tina came by to clear away the dirty dishes and ask if they wanted dessert. Jamie asked her to give them a few minutes.
“I’m stuffed. I honestly think that was the best seafood I’ve ever had,” Jay exclaimed.
Jamie grinned. “What do you want for dessert?”
“You can’t possibly have any room left for dessert.”
“There’s always room for dessert,” Jamie replied mischievously. “They make this brownie dessert that is absolutely fantastic. It’s a brownie, but it’s crumbled up and piled high in the middle of a plate. There’s fudge and chocolate mousse mixed in with it. There are two scoops of vanilla ice cream served next to it and whipped cream and chocolate fudge on top. It’s made for two. Want to split one?”
He laughed. “Sure.”
After they placed their dessert order, he asked, “So, have you always lived in this area, or are you a college transplant?”
“I was born in Virginia but moved down here when I was just a baby.”
“I lived in Clearwater for a long time. I’ve lived in Port Richey, Sarasota, Coral Springs, New Port Richey and St. Petersburg,” Jamie explained.
“Wow, you’ve moved around a lot,” he commented, suddenly feeling tightness in his chest.
“Yeah,” she agreed distractedly.
“What made you decide to move to the East Coast?” he asked.
“School. BCC gave me a scholarship.”
Jay thought Jamie suddenly looked sad. That was not the emotion he was going for. He decided to change the subject.
“Is this your first year at BCC? I don’t remember seeing you at all last year, but I guess that doesn’t mean anything. It’s a big campus.”
Jamie grinned at him. “This is my first year at BCC. I attended Saint Petersburg College last year. How about you? Are you a native Floridian?” she teased.
“You know how they say no one actually comes from Florida?” he asked, a grin on his face.
“I do.”
“Well, I am actually from Florida. I was born here, my mother was born here, my grandparents were both born here and we‘ve always lived in Cocoa Beach.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that was possible,” Jamie smiled.
“I’m a freak of nature.”
Just then, Jonathan arrived with their dessert.
“Oh, my God!” they both exclaimed in unison, smiling at each other. Jonathan had given them an extra- large serving. The plate was a huge mass of brownie, ice cream, chocolate fudge and whipped cream. They each grabbed a spoon and dug in.
Twenty minutes later, they were sharing the last bit of ice cream. “I don’t think I’m going to need to eat breakfast tomorrow,” Jay commented, patting his stomach.
“I don’t think I’m going to need to eat at all tomorrow,” Jamie agreed.
Jay knew it was late, but he didn’t want their time together to end yet. Jamie looked so happy. He didn’t think she wanted their time together to end yet either. He took a chance.
“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked.
“Sure. Where do you want to go?”
Just as he thought. He smiled. “I have somewhere in mind,” he answered secretively.
When he planned this evening, he had a few different places in mind for after dinner. They all depended upon Jamie’s mood and the outcome of their dinner together. He thought about possibly bringing her to Mike’s party, but that was out of the question. She had been working non-stop in this busy restaurant for the past seven hours. He didn’t think bringing her to a noisy house party would go over well. Now, there was only one place he thought would be the perfect setting to end their evening. He was thrilled because it was his first choice all along.
EIGHT
The Date
"
Before they left the restaurant, Jamie and Jay thanked Tina and Jonathan again when Jamie retrieved her backpack with her work clothes from the back. As they walked past the bar on their way to the exit, Jay noticed the bartender and a server whose nametag read Karen standing together smiling as they watched them leave. Sure that this had something to do with him and not wanting Jamie to be embarrassed, Jay turned his head toward the opposite wall, feigning sudden interest in the large swordfish mounted there. From the corner of his eye he saw Jamie mouth a quick thank you to the two women. He chuckled to himself, ecstatic his plan went off without a hitch, and thankful for the unsolicited help he got along the way.
“Where are you parked?” he asked when they stepped outside into the parking lot.
“Oh, I don’t have a car,” Jamie answered.
“How do you get around?” he asked in surprise.
“The bus mostly.”
“You take the bus home when you get off work late at night?”
“Yeah,” she replied simply.
“Jamie, that’s dangerous!”
“It’s okay. I’ve never had a problem. Once in a while I bum a ride from one of the other servers.”
Jay led her to his car. Beneath the light of the streetlamp sat a two-tone sky blue and white 1957 Chevy Bel-Air convertible. The car was in mint condition.
“Jay, your car is beautiful!” Jamie exclaimed.
“Thanks,” he beamed. “It was my grandfather’s. I helped him restore it,” he said proudly as he held the door open for her, taking her backpack and stowing it in the back.
Jamie sat down and looked around the interior. “Wow, even the inside looks like it’s brand new,” she said in awe as he backed out of the parking space and pulled out of the lot.
“It’s kind of my pride and joy. It means a lot to me, so I take really good care of it,” he explained, somewhat embarrassed. He didn’t normally talk about his feelings, but with Jamie it was different. He told her things he would normally keep to himself.
“It means a lot to you because you restored it with your grandfather. I don’t blame you. I would treat it like gold too,” she agreed.
Jay turned to look at her. Most people would probably think he took such great care of his car because it was worth a lot of money. Not Jamie though. She immediately understood the car had much more sentimental value than monetary value. She just seemed to get him.
She broke the momentary silence. “So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asked playfully.
“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure you’ll like it.” He paused then added, “You strike me as the kind of girl who enjoys bungee jumping.” He looked at her and continued mischievously, “Hang gliding? Alligator wrestling?” Then, as a last resort, he added with a grin, raising his eyebrows, “Karaoke?”
“I trust you,” she said with a smile.
Oh, he could absolutely fall in love with her.
“We’re almost there,” he said, turning into an empty beach parking lot. He parked the car as close to the sand dunes as possible and turned off the ignition. “I thought you might like to take a walk on the beach,” he said, turning to her.
Tears suddenly welled in Jamie’s eyes. She quickly turned toward her window.
“Jamie?” he asked softly.
She turned to face him, wiping her eyes. “I would love to take a walk on the beach with you. I’m sorry. It’s just I haven’t been to the beach in a very long time. It’s one of my favorite places to be.” She paused, studying him intently. “Of all the places we could have gone, how did you know to pick this one?”
