The Coffee Shop (10 page)

Chapter Nine

Annie opened her eyes.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Jumping up from the sofa, she let out a noise that sounded like some small animal with its tail caught in a door. “What the…you…we…?”

“I think you’re trying to say good morning?”

“Did you, did I, did we?”

“I know you can do it. You just put more than two words together, and you can make a sentence.”

“What’s going on here?”

“There you go. I knew you could do it.” He grinned up at her, leaning back on the sofa, both hands stretched out over the back. “You fell asleep watching the movie last night. I didn’t wish to disturb you, and before you know it I too had fallen asleep. And there you have it.”

“Oh. Right. Yes.”

“See, now you’re only speaking one word sentences.”

Reaching up she pressed her fingers to her mouth. “I hope I didn’t slobber all over you?”

He looked to his shirt. “You don’t seem to have. But that snoring, you’ll really have to do something about that. I thought a freight train was coming through my living room.”

“You are kidding.” But he just stared up at her. “Tell me you are kidding!”

Derrick couldn’t hold a straight face any longer. “Yes, I am kidding. But you should have seen the look on your face just now. It was priceless.”

“Yes, I’ll just bet it was. And how does it compare to the expression I have on my face now?”

“Well, I must say I preferred the other one.”

She turned away from him, walking to the stairs. “I’m sure you do.”

“Where are you going?”

“To wash up, run a comb through my hair, change my clothes, you know, normal morning stuff.”

“Oh, yes, right.” He laughed. “I guess I was a little distracted.”

“Well what with all that snoring you were subjected to, I’m amazed you got any sleep at all. You must be positively exhausted.”

“I’ll manage.”

Annie cast him a look of annoyance over her shoulder. “I’m sure you will.”

She climbed the stairs, disappearing into the bedroom at the top. He had always wondered what she would look like first thing in the morning, and he had to admit that what he had imagined all those times he thought of her was nothing compared to what he just witnessed right here before him. He had never met anyone like her, and he knew he would never meet anyone like her again.

He called up to her, “So, what do you want for breakfast?”

“After that lasagna last night, I think a fruit salad would be in order.”

“Now that, I can actually do.”

Reappearing from her room, she skipped down the stairs. “Me too.”

Her hair was drawn up in pigtails, and the sweater she was wearing was a size too big as it hung down around her like a cozy blanket. Derrick smiled at her.

“What?” she asked.

He quickly looked away. “Oh, nothing.”

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she put both hands on her hips. “Go ahead. You know whatever it is you are dying to say it. So, just get it off of your chest, even though I know I am going to regret saying that.”

Turning, he took her all in, and clearing his throat, he took a step forward.

“Oh, my God, just say it already.”

“The way you look. I was half expecting to see you slide down the banister.”

“Oh, you don’t think I would?” Running back up the stairs, she swung her leg over the polished, oak banister, and grasping it with both hands, she leaned over it as she started to slide down its sweeping length.

“Annie, I was joking.” But she was already sliding down it. “Annie, that’s dangerous. If you lose your balance you could fall and be killed.” He ran toward her as she came swooshing down its length, and trying to grab her, he felt the full impact of her body weight as it hit him full force, knocking him back. Holding her tightly, they both fell back onto the floor at the foot of the stairs in a heap.

Lying perfectly still, Annie then turned her head toward Derrick, who was under her. “Are you okay?” He made an odd wheezing noise, and she sat up quickly, her elbow digging into his ribs.

“Oh!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She jumped to her feet, and staring down at him as he lay moaning on the floor, she brought her hand to her mouth.

“Are you laughing?” he asked looking up at her.

“What? No.”

“You are. You’re laughing!”

She burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. Really I am. It’s just that I was perfectly fine until you decided you were going to save me.”

“So, I’m not your knight in shining armor then?”

“Oh, I didn’t say that.” Leaning down, she offered him her hand. “That you would risk life and limb for me, in my book that makes you my hero.” She leaned over him and looked around.

Derrick climbed to his feet. “What are you looking for?”

“Oh, I was just wondering where you kept your white steed.”

“Oh, that. Well, he’s out back. I only use him for special occasions. This I thought I could handle all on my own. I just had no idea you were so heavy.” Annie’s eyes grew round, and for a second he stopped breathing. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What I should have said is I’m not as strong as I thought I was.”

“That’s just another way of calling me fat, you do realize?”

“No. Okay, is there any way I can make this up to you?”

“Well, you can start by making me breakfast.”

“Done!” He grinned and hurried into the kitchen. “You just take a seat at the kitchen table, and I will do everything.” He took out several different fruits, washing some, and then pulling out a cutting board he proceeded to cut each one into bite size pieces.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

“I’ve got it.”

“Well, I was hoping to eat sometime today.”

Derrick turned to watch Annie peeling a banana. “This is for the comment I made earlier isn’t it?”

Annie shrugged. “What comment?”

“Ah, it’s going to be like that is it?”

“Like what?”

Derrick laughed. They had started to become comfortable with each other, enough to tease and barb each other.

“You got any vanilla yogurt or cottage cheese to go with this?”

“There might be some in the fridge, have a look.”

“You’re not sure?”

“I leave some of the decision making up to them. I tell them I’m pretty open to most things. And there have been times when they put stuff in there I would never thought to have, and I was glad they did.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, one time they put in some exotic fruits. I didn’t know what half of them were. But I gave them a try, and I really enjoyed them. Another time they put in some unusual fruit juices. One time there was what looked like homemade beef stew.” He smiled at the memory. “We treat each other really well. I pay them generously for what they do, and they repay the favor by giving me homemade stew, probably a family recipe.”

Annie had stopped what she was doing, watching him as he worked.

He caught her gaze. “What?”

She sighed contentedly. “I love hearing stories like that. It gives me faith in the world again.”

“You’ve lost faith in the world?”

“I try not to. But sometimes, when I see the news…I try not to watch it, I find it so very depressing, seeing all the pain, the suffering, strife and hatred. I honestly don’t know how people can watch two or three hours of it every night and then sleep peacefully when they go to bed. I watch and it has me in tears.”

“You know why that is?”

“Because I’m weak and pathetic?”

Derrick took a step back. “Now, why would you say that?”

“I’m sorry. It’s that self-defense mechanism again, putting myself down before anyone else has a chance to.”

“Did you think I was going to put you down?”

“No, I don’t know why I did that. It’s become this automatic thing with me.” She smiled up at him. “I would never expect that from you.” But then her eyes turned to the sink, her lips puckering in concentration. “Then again, there was the comment about me being heavy, if I recall.”

“I never meant it that way. You do believe me don’t you?”

“Well…”

“Oh, I get it, you’re trying to make me squirm just a little as payback.”

“Maybe just a little.”

He went back to cutting the fruit. “No, what I was going to say was it’s because you care. How many people can say that and really mean it? So many have become hardened, or desensitized, by the constant bombardment of the endless violence. And it’s to be expected. It’s become a defense mechanism to maintain our sanity.”

“Wow. Such deep conversation and we haven’t even had breakfast yet. What could the rest of the day possibly hold?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I got a little carried away there, didn’t I?”

“No, it’s nice to see that. Someone who still has such passion in today’s world. So many people feel drained and beaten down, there’s no room left for passion anymore.” She paused, looking at him. “It’s nice to see.”

He couldn’t help but smile to himself, and as he finished cutting up the various fruits, he scraped them into two bowls with the knife.

“No yogurt or cottage cheese, but I did find this.”

“What’s that?”

“Whole wheat bread.” Annie started searching through the cupboards.

“Looking for this?”

Derrick was holding out a toaster, and grinning, she took it and plugged it in. “Do you want some?”

“Sure.” He set the bowls on the kitchen table, and sitting down, he watched Annie as she busied herself getting out the plates and buttering the toast. He could grow used to this, Annie in the kitchen making toast first thing in the morning, eating fruit salad together across from each other as they talked.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Annie was standing before him with two plates of toast. “Like what?”

She shook her head and set the plates down on the table. “Never mind.”

They ate their fruit salad, crunching on their toast. Derrick watching Annie eat as he smiled across at her.

“You’re doing it again.”

“Hmm?”

“Looking at me.”

“Oh, well then I had better stop that right now.” Bringing his hand up covering his eyes, he tried to find his mouth with his fork. He missed, and a piece of apple fell into his lap.

“You had better uncover your eyes, or your entire breakfast is going to wind up on the floor.”

“If you insist.”

“Actually, it’s your stomach that I think will thank me later.”

He grinned, keeping his eyes on his bowl.

“So, what surprises do you have in store for me today?”

“Well, if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.” The way she was looking at him over her toast, from across the table, made him grateful there was a table between them just then. He chuckled to himself. “I thought we could do some cross country skiing.”

“Oh, you did, did you?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. Well this is going to be interesting, to say the least.”

“You’ve never tried it?”

“You were there when I had the conversation about not liking the cold? Skiing would actually involve you going out and staying in it for long periods of time.”

She was moving her hand in little circular motions as she spoke, and he found it amusing watching her explain herself in that way.

“But you will try it, right?”

She sighed. “I will try it.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.”

“That makes one of us,” she muttered.

Putting their empty plates and bowls in the sink, Derrick rinsed them and stuck them in the dishwasher. Looking up, he saw Annie leaning against the counter watching him. “What’s that look?”

“Oh, I was just thinking of how well your mom taught you.”

Standing, he closed the door to dishwasher. “Did you just call me a mama’s boy?”

Turning around, she leaned her elbows on the counter, resting her head on her hands she looked up at him thoughtfully. “I think it’s sweet.” And then she leaned toward him. “You have no idea the brownie points you earn with women when they see you do stuff like that.”

“Did you just give away a trade secret?”

“Well, I figured you’d tell all your male friends and then maybe they’d do it too, so it wouldn’t always be left to us.”

“Ah ha, a conspiracy in the making.”

“If you want to call it that. When you think about it, it’s a win-win situation. The women aren’t stuck doing the dishes, and they may just show their appreciation after.”

“Hmm. I’ll have to remember that.”

Standing, Annie turned to the living area. “All right, where are these skis?”

“They’re out in the car.”