***********Episode 2****************
... LOUISA....
.
"That'd be $30 for the caramel mocha with whip and a blueberry scone ma'am, anything else? " I ask, handing the food and drink across the counter. The warm caramel and sweet blueberry scents tangle in the air, and I let the comfort they provide ease my tension, if only for a moment.
"I said no whip," the woman retorts, her face twisted into an angry scowl. "Can't you baristas get anything right?"
I cringe inwardly. There is a long line at the door, people echoing the ladies complaints in their own persona. Mumuring to get the line moving .
"Come on, it's getting late" Someone said, at the rear of the queue. That's the situation I've been in, since my sole employee fell ill.
I'm totally gobsmacked,
"I'm sorry. I'll scoop the whip off for you." I apologize
She huffs and shakes her head. "I'm going to be late as it is."
Then she turns on her heel and sashays away.
No tip.
That's how it's been all day. I've been slammed since dawn, and by the time the sun sets and six o'clock hits, I'm exhausted. I count the register, put the deposit in the safe, and clean the shop until it gleams. When I step outside, the sky is fully dark, and the cold air of the Pacific North coast evening sends a chill through me. My breath fogs with every exhalation, and I shove my hands into the pockets of my wool coat, trying to keep warm as I head down the alleyway, in the direction of the parking lot just beyond the alley. The Nordic-themed town where I live is already going quiet, the hours too early for pubs and too late for small business owners to stay open. This weekend though? It'll be full of tourists hitting up the famous historic landmarks.
"What have we got here boys" A coarse voice rung out from a distance behind me.
Fear and dread clutch at my chest.
Shit, I rifle for my pepper spray in my handbag willing my fingers to calm as I hear the footsteps drawing closer and malevolent cackling filling the air.
"She's a pretty piece. I bet she's got a whole bag full of tips from that coffee shop." The cutthroat hollered, his voice nothing short of cruelty and viciousness
Glancing over my shoulder, I see the two of them, dirty and probably still high from their last fix. "Leave me the fuck alone," I say, still trying to find my one weapon. But the visual of my bed where I'd left the items from my old purse before switching to a new one sends terror whirling in my stomach. Shit. Shit. Shit.
I kept walking, the panic imminent in every click of my boot heels on the silent street. I can hear them walking briskly behind me, I quicken my pace about to start running.
"I don't think that'll be a great idea darling" One of them said " Why don't you come over here and have a chit chat with us?"
A third guy stepped in my front, bringing me to an abrupt halt.
His cap pulled low over his face, apparently hulking in the shadows, awaiting his signal.
I'm stuck between them, the scent of stale beer and cigarettes making me nauseous. "Please, you can have my money. Just let me go." I plead, remembering clearly what my very first boss told me about shoplifters and burglars when I was sixteen. Give them what they want and get out of there. We have insurance; we can't get you back.
I pull out the grey paper sack filled with my meager tips and thrust it at the guy in front of me, but the other two are already too close for comfort. "I think we'll take more than your money. You tease us every damn day in those low-cut sweaters."
My stomach turns when I realize these are the guys who hang out on the corner most evenings. They've been watching me. Waiting for a night when they'd catch me isolated.
"I'm not interested," I stutter, trying bravely to shove past them. They grab me, all three at once, and I scream, but hands that smell of tobacco cover my mouth as they drag me toward the alley. Sticky grime pulls at my shoes, making me slip even with their hands on me. I fall hard on my knee, the cold, wet asphalt digging into my skin.
"Stand up whore, we need a bit of an entertainment"
I'm yanked to my feet, pain burning in my shoulders.
I couldn't help but shudder as one of them came up behind me, running his filthy tongue up the skin on my neck. Deep waves of revulsion ran through me as a tear trickled down my cheek.
"You'd do well to put the lady down if you'd like to keep your arms," a deep, masculine voice says, but I can't see him through the men holding me. Hope blossoms in my chest, the thought of someone here to help grabbing on and not letting go.
One of the guys releases me and walks toward the mystery man. I catch sight of my rescuer. Tall and broad, he looks like an avenging angel with his golden hair glowing like a halo in the streetlight. This man is going to save me.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" my attacker asks him, getting closer.
"I'm the man who is going to end you this instant"
The cutthroat rushes my rescuer but he's thrown against the brick wall of the building next to us with such force the window above him cracks. My assailant falls, unconscious, maybe dead, and the two men still holding me let out curses. I twist and turn, desperate to get out of their grips. With everything in me, I stomp on one man's instep, and as soon as his grip loosens, I twist and free my arm, jutting the heel of my hand into the other guy's nose. They're both groaning in pain, but they release me, shove me to the ground, and run. The man who saved me doesn't go after them, instead he strides toward me, and my breath catches at the sight of his face. Chiseled to perfection with ice blue eyes, he looks like my vision of a Nordic prince.
"Th-thank you" I stutter, my voice faltering as my body trembled
I let out a tremulous sigh, my mind still trying to recollect from what had transpired.
"Are you all right?" He holds out a hand to help me up, and I take his offering. His large palm engulfs mine, a spark passing through me at the contact.
"I am now. I'm so glad you came through."
I'm still shaking, and he hasn't released my hand. "Do you live nearby?"
"I was walking to my car." I shrug. "I'm not too far from here."
"I'll accompany you to ensure your safety."
I snort, amused at his offer, then taking him in .
His huge massive figure, goodness the height of him. I purse my lips in bewilderment.
"God, you're tall."
He smirks, his full lips suddenly all I can focus on.
"And you're tiny"
I straighten my shoulders. I am petite at 5'2". Usually that's something I don't like about myself, but the way he called me tiny makes me feel delicate in a way my curves typically don't allow. "How tall are you?"
"Six feet and five inches. That's how you Americans say it, correct?"
So I was right, he's not from around here. "Correct. Where are you from?"
"Norway. I'm…..visiting some relatives."
His pause makes me wonder what he could be concealing. He's got to be an important person or something. Taking in the designer coat and scarf he's wearing along with just…everything about him, there has to be more to this mystery man.
He releases my hand and slips out of his coat, draping it over my shoulders. Then he offers me his arm. I thread mine through the crook of his elbow, and the scents of cedar and leather overtakes my senses. Involuntarily, I draw in a long breath and savor him.
"You okay?" He asks
I had stopped shivering, but my cheeks were now flushed with embarrassment
I nod " you smell nice"
His eyebrows wrinkle at the corner when he smiles. "So do you"
"I smell like coffee" I frown
"Nope" he droops over me mimicking my long inhalation
"Orchids and vanilla"
Swoon. Things low in my body tighten, and I wonder how I went from a near sexual assault to a fairy tale. "My car is just up here," I say, because if I don't change the subject, I might kiss him.
"I'm at your disposal."
We walk together in the crisp night air, silence between us, but a strange sense of comfort as well. When we reach my car, I wish I'd parked farther away. I pat the top of my beat-up old coupe, and grin. "This is me. Thank you for the rescue…" I leave my words hanging in the air, hoping he'll give me his name
"Jake" He graces me with a slight bow of his head
"I'm Louis... Louisa.. but everyone calls me Louis" geez now I'm tripping over my own name.
" My pleasure Louisa" He says.
The feel of my full name on his lips, gods..
My heart swells and flutters at the sound of it
He leans close, his big body so near mine, caging me in without making me feel uncomfortable. Then, his lips brush my cheek and he steps away. I open my car door and look back at him as I slide into the driver's seat. "Will I see you again?"
He nods. "Without doubt."
I start the car and pull forward with the scent of him still lingering. Now, instead of dreading work tomorrow, I can't wait to come back because of the possibility of seeing Jake again. I resist the urge to look for him, I don't want him to think I'm desperate, but I do risk a glance in the rearview mirror. Disappointment and confusion swirl in my gut. He's gone. How is that possible? I stare over my shoulder and shock rolls through me when I see him standing right where I left him, watching over me as I leave. My brow furrows, and I return my focus to the mirror. Nothing.
"What the fuck?" I whisper, but when I cast my gaze back to the place where Jake was standing, this time he's nowhere to be found.