Chapter 22: Be Mine

The problem with working in the public, like at the bakery, was sometimes the easy access the members of the public had to you.

The jingle bells on the door rang and in came Henry. He was holding flowers, a heart shaped box of assorted chocolate candies, a small jewelry box, and a super huge teddy bear.

“Henry, I have no time for this. If you are not buying anything but came to see me and try to woo me, I need you to leave. I am working.”

“Hear me out, hear me out. I need you. I bought you these expressions of my affection, so you have to take me back. That’s what the lady at the florist’s said. She said these purchases were a guarantee for romance.”

“I don’t care what you are expecting from me because of these trinkets. But you are not the one for me and I wish you would end your romantic pursuit of me. You have crossed the line by coming to my job. Anyway, I have a boyfriend.”

All’s fair in love and war and this was starting to develop rapidly into the latter.

“No you don’t. You’re just saying that to make me leave.”

“If you’re so smart and you think you know so much about me after two public outings, including my couple status, then you would know that I don’t want you, I’ll never want you, and I don’t want you here at my job.”

She paused, hoping her words would sink in, act as a catalyst, and motivate him to give up trying to make a romance between them where there was none. She hoped he would finally leave the bakery and leave her alone in the future. He did not. She could see this pest was not going to be so easy to eradicate.

“What’s your boyfriend’s name? What’s he like?”

“Well, he’s tall, dark and handsome. He’s an Oxford educated lawyer. He’s on his way here to pick me up after work. And he’s crazy jealous, so you better leave or he’ll pummel you until you are reduced to slithering out of here on your belly, a broken and bloody mess. Off you go. Leave now before you regret it.”

“You still didn’t answer all of my questions. What’s his name? If you have a boyfriend, you would know his name. You don’t have a name because you don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Tres. His name is Tres.”

All of those qualities were true of Tres now Arthur except for the jealous boyfriend part. It was a matter of peace of mind. She felt she could embellish a little for the greater good of getting him out of her place of employment. She did not want to say or do anything that would lead Henry on from here on out.

She was praying hard for Arthur to stop by after the library closed. The harder she prayed the worse and more vocal Henry became. Why did he have to glom on to her anyway? Was it because she was probably the newest woman to this small village in ages?

“Look at what I brought to you, bought and paid for with my own money: jewelry, chocolate, flowers, and a plush, stuffed bear. Can I at least put this locket with my picture inside of it around your neck?”

“No, no, no. No you can’t and no you won’t. Please leave!” She shouted loudly.

“No. I’m not leaving until I see him with my own eyes. You are all alone. No customers except for me. You have to serve me until closing. I’ll have a cup of Darjeeling tea, Miss.”

He was right, she was alone and as long as he was a customer he had a right to be served and a right to be there. But he did not have the right to her company as though she was a patron. She was working and she would make sure that she cleaned every inch of the bakery to avoid him and make sure that she kept busy working until closing.

When she finished her chores she would start taking inventory all to send a negative message to this clueless pain in the a**. If he still would not leave at closing, then that became a matter for the police to escort him off the premises and for her to consider getting a temporary restraining order to block his borderline stalking.

She cleaned her heart out and unless he ordered something, she ignored him. Unfortunately for her, he had money to burn tonight. First Darjeeling; then Rooibos; then Oolong; and now Orange Pekoe. At least he was not nursing each drink.

Four hours and four teas later, it was still the two of them. Rachel’s hope faded as closing time was almost there and the prospect of spending any amount time with Henry after the store closed was a personal crisis that was looming.

She walked over to the front door to lock it, but as she pulled it closed, she felt a force on the other side pushing back. It was Arthur a.k.a. Tres. She had never been so happy to see anyone before in her entire life.

She let him in and getting on her tiptoes, Rachel wrapped her arms around Arthur’s neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss.