“Mister Forster likes you.”
“What?” Bryony stopped moving.
Todd leaned against the counter, crossing his arms at his chest and his legs at his feet.
“I can tell by how he looks whenever he comes in here. He likes you. When I told him I’d told you about my brother, he said, ‘Wise choice.’”
There were so many things wrong with this conversation. Todd should not be talking to her like this. And she should not have such a strong response to what he said. Her heart rate increased. Heady confusion came as her thoughts bathed in euphoria mixed with rising trepidation.
She ignored Todd’s comment and readied the cash drawer for the day, counting money being the best way to calm herself.
Todd was quiet for a minute or so before saying, “I wish my father was like Mister Forster.”
His words surprised her. She stopped counting and looked at him. “Why?”
“He seems to care about everybody,” Todd said. “And I’m not just talking about students. He talks to the janitors, asks about their families, remembers the details so the next time he sees them, he can ask, ‘So how’s it going with Jay’s broken leg?’ or, ‘Did your Lorissa win the contest?’”
“How do you know what he says to other people?”
“I pay attention,” Todd answered quickly. “Most of what I’ve learned about how to get along with people came from noticing how others get along well.”
“Okay.” Bryony looked sideways at the young man. “Maybe that sounds less stalkery now.”
“Anyway,” Todd said. “I think you deserve someone like him, Miss Green. You two deserve each other.”
“What?” She stumbled over her next words. “Mister Forster and I aren’t… we don’t… we hardly know each other.”
“You can change that,” Todd said. “You should get to know him.”
“You and I shouldn’t be talking about this.” How had this happened? Maybe she had not been such a good choice as a supervisor. She should have established better boundaries, been less empathetic, a more decisive authority figure. “You need friends your own age.”
“You need to give Mister Forster a chance.”
“I agree!” Lillian emerged from the back of the store.
Of course she would show up right at that moment. Lillian had a way of turning up at opportune times, usually like a guardian angel, occasionally more like a plucky, annoying sprite.
“When did you get here?” Bryony asked.
“You didn’t hear the back door? You two must have been so wrapped up in your little tete-a-tete you didn’t notice me back there.”
“I think Bryony should ask Mister Forster to go on a date,” Todd said.
“Oh, happy day!” Lillian clapped and looked upward. “Someone else agrees with me.”
“This is no business of yours,” Bryony glared at Lillian as she tied on her apron. “Or yours,” she said, glancing at Todd. She didn’t like them ganging up on her.
“I’m sorry, Miss Green,” Todd said.
“Apology accepted. Would you please unlock the front door now?”
Breaking with his routine, Cal had not shown up for his morning coffee, and Bryony decided to walk home before the after-school crowd arrived to ensure she would miss him then, too. She knew she would be hyperaware of how Lillian perceived her every interaction with the man. She would feel awkward, and it would show. Lillian might take that as a sign of her interest in Cal. He might, too, and she wasn’t ready for any more encouragement from Lillian or confusing comments from Cal.
Why did being attracted to someone have to be so confusing, agitating, threatening?
She remembered the revelation she’d had about her father the day Alma socked him in the arm. Maybe it was that simple. Maybe she’d been raised to fear strong men. And maybe Cal was one of the strongest men she’d ever met. Not in terms of athleticism, though he did seem fit. His strengths were his mind, and his obvious love for people in general, and his sense of humor.
A blue sky with wisps of cloud backdropped the traffic light as she approached the intersection. She glanced at the car stopped at the red light allowing her to cross. Cal drove a similar car. She made eye contact with the driver. The young man behind the wheel met her eyes and smiled. She replied with a brusque tip of her head and looked forward, a slowly curving Mona Lisa smile on her lips . She had wanted it to be Cal.
The realization came like a puff of smoke that faded as fast as it appeared.
Two blocks from her house, the cell phone in her pocket buzzed. She pulled it out and flipped it open, familiar with the number.
“Hello?” she answered.
“You weren’t in the coffee shop, and I wanted to talk,” Cal said.
“You wanted to talk?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I need to go over forms for the program.”
Bryony held the phone tight to her ear. “Are they important?” They must be if he couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
“Forms have no inherent importance, but we must fill them out,” he said. “We could meet somewhere for dinner, and I could, uh, hand them over. I mean, I haven’t eaten, and you probably haven’t either.”
Was he asking her for a date? Had Lillian or Todd said something to him?
