Defining Moments (16 page)

STARING AT MYSELF
in the mirror, I slowly bring my hand up to my hair and run my fingers through it. I can’t believe I actually did it. Kat cut more than two feet off my hair and I love the new style so much. The color is beautiful, although will take some getting used to. It’s darker than I expected and makes me look even paler. Maybe I should try tanning, or better yet, that sunless tanning stuff that won’t cause skin cancer.

“Well, what do you think, Ellie?” asks Kat.

“Thank you so much, girl! It is so different than anything I’ve ever done and I absolutely love it!” I smile so big I’m afraid my cheeks will break.

Kat nods her head and gives me a wink.

It’s actually pretty amazing how a fresh haircut and color can make you feel so much better about yourself. Scissors and dye.

T
HE WEEKEND GOES
by quick, and although I see Cord a few times in passing, we don’t really stop to chat. The smiles he gives me tells me he’s happy to see me, but it seems we both are unsure of where this is going. He did mention he likes the new hair, which made me happy.

When Monday rolls around, I’m a nervous wreck. I know I’m a good chef, but the idea of working side by side with Cord for hours on end kind of freaks me out. Hopefully, once I’m there and we get into a groove, my nerves will settle down a bit.

I walk into Saint in my new chef coat, bright red as instructed, and black pants, with my trusty bright-colored Danskos on my feet. Knowing this is the start of my career, the one I chose for myself and no one else, is an amazing feeling. For the first time in my life, I’m making a huge life step for no one other than myself. It feels good, and I can only pray I don’t mess this up.

Franco meets me as I come into the kitchen, introducing me quickly to some of the others. Everyone is friendly and seems to welcome me with open arms. I hope everything progresses this well throughout the day.

I’m doing prep work when I hear the chatter in the kitchen completely stop. I look up from the prep station I’m working at and watch as Cord walks over to the main sink to wash his hands. When he’s finished, he turns and addresses Franco.

“Please ensure the prep work has been completed for tonight’s special,” Cord tells Franco in a very business-like tone, which I’ve not heard before. He sounds void of emotion. He doesn’t sound like the Cord I’ve met and spent time with. Maybe he just becomes “business Cord” when he’s in the kitchen.

My entire shift is super busy and goes by quickly. Before I know it, it’s 10 p.m. and Saint is closing. Cord and I have made eye contact a few times, him always giving me an unemotional nod, before continuing with his own duties. He’s not cold, but I can tell he is very serious in the kitchen. Where before Cord arrived, the kitchen was alive with chatter among the others, the kitchen is filled with nothing but kitchen sounds once he’s in house. He calls out instruction when needed, and replies are immediate from the other kitchen staff. He runs a tight ship.

As I make my way to the exit, I get a weird feeling, like someone’s watching me. I turn back toward the kitchen and almost run into Franco as he comes through the door behind me.

“Mrs. Harper, I am so sorry. I was in hurry to leave and didn’t realize I was so close behind you when I came through the door,” he says as he grabs my upper arms to steady me when we collide. He gently releases my arms when he is sure I’m okay.

“Oh, please, Franco, call me Ellie,” I tell him with a laugh. “And it’s Ms., not Mrs.”

“I see. Well, I apologize for running you over. Please let me walk you to your car,” he replies genuinely.

“Thank you, but I only live a few blocks from here and I walked,” I reply.

“A beautiful lady such as yourself should not be walking outside alone at night. I will drive you home.”

I’m not sure how to respond to that, but before I can open my mouth, I hear Cord’s voice.

“Thanks, old friend, but Ellie lives next door to me. I’ll drive her,” he tells him with a warm smile.

“As you wish,” Franco responds, smiling in return.

We watch as Franco walks toward his car, but neither of us says anything until he is driving away.

“This is a nice neighborhood, Cord. I can walk.”

“Ellie, I’m not allowing you to walk home alone at 10:30 at night. Yes, this is a good neighborhood, but to tell you the truth, I’m a little frightened by your children, so I think I’ll drive you,” he replies with a chuckle.

I laugh and nod, knowing that arguing will get me nowhere.

Cord opens the passenger door to his Rover and helps me in. In the few seconds that it takes him to walk around to the driver’s side, I check my reflection quickly in the mirror, knowing after a long shift in a hot kitchen, I probably look like hell. I need to rethink the makeup in the kitchen. It looks like my face is melting off. I run my fingers under my eyes to lessen the raccoon effect happening. Whatever. I’m exhausted.

As he enters the car, he’s chuckling.

“What’s so funny?” I ask.

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

I nod and look ahead as he pulls out of the parking lot. The apartment complex is literally a two-minute drive from Saint, so I don’t expect there to be much small talk. It’s been a long shift for us both, and, truthfully, I’m hoping this ‘standing on my feet all day’ thing gets easier. My feet are killing me, even with my $150.00 shoes.

When we pull into the parking area, Cord parks the Rover in his spot and pats my hand before saying, “Sit tight,” before getting out and walking around to open my door.

Such a gentleman.

“Ya know, Mr. Cordero, I am completely capable of opening my own door. I appreciate the gentlemanly gesture though,” I tell him with a smile.

He shakes his head, not looking at my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Harper, but you will not be opening any doors when you are in my presence. My mama taught me better than that.” He smirks at my shocked expression.

“Well, I can only hope the manners I taught my children stick as well.”

“All in due time, my dear. My manners have become more important to me as I age. I’m sure your boys behave themselves as they’ve been taught; although, they probably won’t understand the importance of true manners until they fall in love for the first time and
want
to do those things for their lady,” he propounds.

I nod, knowing he is probably right. I only pray my boys are gentleman when they find the women who could someday become my daughters-in-law.

We make our way to my apartment door, neither of us saying anything else. The chemistry between us isn’t lost on me. I am extremely attracted to Cord, and although he hasn’t exactly come out and said it directly, I can tell he’s affected by me too.

I put my key in the door and am just about to turn it when Cord reaches out and wraps his fingers around my hand, halting my movement.

“How did you like your first shift at Saint?” he asks, sounding genuinely interested.

I smile up at him, noticing immediately how tall he is and the fact he is very close to me.

“I really enjoyed it. I can tell already that I’ll like my time working at Saint,” I tell him honestly.

“I’m glad to hear that,” he replies as he steps back from me. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Nodding, I walk inside and shut and lock the door behind me. Although Cord makes my heart flutter with excitement, he also calms me. His demeanor, the way he always touches me gently with his hand on my lower back or the way he kisses my hand—it’s like my soul just knows he is good for me.

OVER THE NEXT
several weeks, my life finally seems like it’s settling into a new rhythm. Working at Saint is amazing and I enjoy it so much more than I ever thought possible. Cord and I don’t chat much at work, but we run into each other a lot outside of work since we live next door to each other and seem to be hitting the gym at the same time most days. I really enjoy his company. He’s funny, caring, honest, and definitely easy on the eyes. We’ve gotten together for a neighborly dinner a couple of times, and we always fall into easy conversation. He’s super easy to talk to, and we’ve spent hours just chatting about nothing and everything at the same time. He still hasn’t said anything more about his wife, but I don’t expect him to. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.

When Destry came home to meet his sister, I only got to see him for short periods of time and there was always someone around, so we didn’t get the opportunity to chat while he was here. We finally connected when I got to go see him last weekend. I’d had to reschedule my trip once due to getting some weird stomach bug. The fact that he wanted to chat with me about moving back to Colorado was a surprise. He’d always wanted to play football for BSU, so for him to seriously be considering giving it up, along with his scholarship, was a very intense discussion. It scares me that in the few short months that he’s been gone, he’s grown up so much. He said he knows football is not a career path for him; he wants to be a chemical engineer and be close to his family. I made him promise he would finish out this semester since he’d already accepted the scholarship for it. We made a list of things he needed to get accomplished, like getting accepted at and then transferring his credits to UC. By the time we were done talking, he seemed lighter and happier.

He’d talked to the twins about it when he’d come home to meet his sister and they were obviously on board with him coming home. Dez laughed uncontrollably when he told me Eli and Ben got into a huge fight about whether they’d rent a house or move into a bigger apartment when Dez gets back so they can all live together. Apparently, Eli won. They’ll be renting a house.

I told him before I left that he’d need to call his dad and tell him what he was doing. He said he would, but I could tell he was dreading it. Justin loves that Dez is a football player, although we’ve always known his passion lives in science, not a sport. Justin will probably give him a hard time about it, but I’m sure he’ll be happy that Dez will be home again.

My visit with Dez was good but short, and I miss him so much. I’m immensely happy he’s decided to come home. It may be selfish, but I really hated him being so far away. Hell, he isn’t even eighteen years old yet. I had to give power of attorney to the football coach in case he got hurt and needed medical help. Having him home will be one less stressor on my anxiety list.

Justin, on the other hand, is still randomly sending me text messages about missing me or messing things up. I have just stopped responding to him all together. Apparently, having a young girlfriend and a new baby isn’t all he thought it would be.

I’ve met Sami for dinner and drinks a couple of times too. She’s hilarious and I adore her, but I can tell our “dates” are the only time she has to herself. I feel for her. I remember those days and, although I loved raising my boys, I know how exhausting it was and I don’t miss that part of it. Sami is one of the most genuinely good people I’ve ever met, and I am so happy to have her in my life.

Heading out for the day, I’m almost to my car when Cord pulls into his parking space next to me. He smiles and waves before getting out of the car and walking over to open my door for me. Such a gentleman.