While she'd enjoyed speaking with Gary a couple of weeks ago, she didn't know if she wanted to go up and say hello. She wasn't interested in any man romantically and from her limited personal experience, men weren't interested in being friends.
Before she could duck out, she heard him call her name. She turned and smiled.
'Hi, Gary.'
'Hi.' He waved her over, then motioned to the empty seat on the other side of the tiny table. 'Do you have a moment?'
She barely hesitated before nodding. There was just something about him, she thought as she took a seat. He defined…nice.
'Looks like a lot of work,' she said, motioning to the papers. 'Are they good?'
'Some. The assignment was to compare three religions, past or present, finding similarities and differences. There are a few Web sites that provide very tidy lists. Some of my students went there and copied the lists. They won't be happy with their grades.'
'I can imagine. Going online is easier than going to the library.'
He nodded. 'I don't object to using the Internet for research, but I do expect them to assimilate what they've learned and write it up using their own words.'
'Sounds reasonable.'
He smiled. 'They won't see it that way. So, how's the job search going?'
She shrugged. 'Not as well as I would like. I think…' She hesitated, then leaned forward. 'I turned down a great job. It was at a very popular and upscale restaurant. The food was good, the money excellent. In theory, it was everything I wanted.'
'But?'
'But I had a funny feeling. I just didn't like the owner. I can't even explain what it was specifically. He was a little over the top, but that's fairly typical in the business. There was just something about him. Something…'
'Dark? Dangerous? Threatening?'
She smiled. 'Thanks for helping. Actually he was…cold. The staff seemed afraid of him and not in a respectful way. More like they were worried he was going to have them shot at dawn. And the kitchen was too quiet.'
Gary frowned. 'How can a kitchen be too quiet?'
'Have you ever worked in a restaurant?'
'No.'
'They're crazy places- especially in the kitchen. It's hard work with a lot of pressure. The kitchen staff is loud, insulting, especially if they're gifted. But it wasn't like that. I just wasn't comfortable.' She sighed. 'I turned down the job. I still can't believe it.'
'Sounds to me like you listened to your gut. Finding the right job is important. It helps define who you are as a person. Why would you want to spend the majority of your time in a place that didn't feel right?'
She stared at him. 'When you say it like that, I feel positively in tune with the universe.'
'You are. Dani, this has to be right for you. You're not desperate- don't settle.'
His gaze was steady, his expression kind. She nodded slowly.
'You're right. I'll keep looking until I find the right job. Maybe then I won't regret all the years I've already wasted.'
He raised his eyebrows. 'You're too young for regrets.'
'You'd be surprised.' She sipped her latte. 'My family owns restaurants. I've wanted to go into the business my whole life. My parents died when I was young and my grandmother raised me and my three brothers. There was always something tortured about my relationship with Gloria- that's my grandmother. It was as if she didn't really like me.' She paused. 'I should probably stop talking now.'
'Not on my account,' he told her. 'I'm a good listener.'
She frowned slightly. 'Yes, you are. Why is that?'
For a second, she would swear he looked uncomfortable, then he smiled. 'It's a gift. Go on. Gloria was acting weird.'
She smiled. 'More than weird. I got my master's and came home to go to work in the family business. There are four restaurants in all. Two fine dining places, a sports bar and a place called Burger Heaven. She put me to work there, which was fine. I was more than willing to prove myself. But years went by and I couldn't get her to talk to me about moving up the food chain. Nothing I did made her happy.'
She shook her head. 'I finally quit.'
Gary studied her. 'There's more to it than that, Dani. But if you're not comfortable talking about it, I understand.'
She believed him. He would be okay with her moving on. Yet there was a part of her that wanted to tell the whole story, to share it with someone outside of the family.
'Gloria and I had a huge fight. I demanded to know why she'd been holding me back. She said it was because I wasn't a real Buchanan. My mother had had an affair and I was the result. She was never going to let me work anywhere but Burger Heaven. She said I wasn't worthy. So I quit.'
Gary nodded slowly. 'She sounds like a very unhappy woman.'
Dani blinked. 'You're taking her side?'
'Not at all. I'm saying that if she raised you and then later refused to see your potential because of who your father is, there are a lot of rules in her life. That doesn't usually make people happy.'
'I hadn't thought of it that way. Honestly, and I know this makes me sound like a horrible person, but I don't care if she's unhappy. She's been so mean to me for so long.'
'So you quit and now you're going to find something you like.'
'I am. No matter how long it takes.'
'What about your father? Are you also looking for him?'
'No.' Dani sipped her latte, then set it back on the table. 'I'm afraid,' she admitted. 'I'm guessing he didn't know about me, but what if he did? What if he just didn't care?'
She wasn't looking for any more rejection in her life right now.
'Is that enough of a reason not to go looking for him?' Gary asked.
'So far it's working just fine.'
'He's your family. What is more important than that?'
Good question, she thought. 'So what about your family?' she asked.
'Two sisters, both married. Between them they have seven kids.' He grinned. 'I love being an uncle.'
'No kids of your own?'
His expression tightened slightly, then he relaxed. 'I've never been married.'
He had to be in his mid to late thirties, she thought. While not everyone got married, it was strange that Gary hadn't. He was a great guy. Kind and sensitive and easy to talk to. The kind of man who…
Duh, she thought, wanting to smack herself on the side of the head. Of course. He was gay.
She looked him over. All the signs were there. His low-key occupation, the perfect grooming, his interest in actual conversation, the lack of any sexual spark.
Relief spilled into pleasure. If Gary was gay then maybe they could be friends. She could use a few more friends in her life.
'I WOULD HAVE COOKED,' Madeline said as Lori stirred the simmering beef and filled a pot of water for the noodles.
'I've got it,' she said. 'You cooked all week.'
Madeline leaned against the counter. 'I cooked twice, we had takeout twice and leftovers once. I'm not overwhelmed with work.'
'You should be resting.'
'You should try to catch your breath,' her sister told her.
Lori set the pasta pot on the stove and turned on the heat. 'I'm fine. The whole breathing thing is fine.'
'You looked panicked- like we're going to be firebombed any second.'
