My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 9

Nina

Enzo didn’t seem to recognize me right away with my uniform and my hair pulled back. He came in and sat down at the counter while I was pouring coffee for another customer, which I nearly spilled all over the table out of shock.

My hands trembled as I approached the counter. Was he following me, or was this just a coincidence? Now, more than ever, I regretted ever sleeping with him. Why must he insist on playing with my feelings like this? Couldn’t he just move on to the next girl?

I walked behind the counter and immediately turned my back to him, pretending to fiddle with the coffee machine.

“Hi, Nina.”

So he did recognize me.

I took a deep breath and turned around to face him.

“What are you doing here?”

Enzo looked around and gestured a bit with his hands. “What do you mean? It’s a diner. I’m hungry.”

I frowned and folded my arms across my chest. “You and I both know that you could have gone to any other restaurant in town, and you chose this one. Are you following me or something?”

Enzo shook his head. “Can I just get a menu, please?”

With a huff, I grabbed one of the laminated menus from behind the counter and tossed it down in front of him.

Just then, my boss came out of the back. He was a kind old man named Phil. He walked with a cane, but his mind was sharp and his hearing was even sharper.

“I hope you’re not being rude to a customer, Nina,” he said.

“No, I-” I started, but Phil cut me off when he saw Enzo.

“Oh!” he said. “Enzo Rivers! Welcome.”

Enzo smiled -- not smirked, but genuinely smiled for the first time since I met him. He looked handsome when he smiled, and suddenly I had a flash of a memory from Friday night in his bed. I blushed and looked at the floor.

“Is Nina being harsh?” Phil asked.

Enzo shook his head. “No. She’s just surprised to see me, that’s all.”

“Hm.” Phil looked up at me then and winked before hobbling off to go count the register while Enzo scoured the menu.

“What do you recommend?” Enzo asked. He glanced up from the menu. His brown eyes were captivating, but I tried not to let them get to me.

I shrugged, somewhat annoyed at his question. He was clearly trying to get me to talk to him more than I needed to, but Phil was watching and I couldn’t be rude in front of my boss.

“I like the grilled cheese,” I muttered.

“A grilled cheese sounds good right now,” Enzo said, handing the menu back to me. “And some fries. Oh, and a soda.”

I pursed my lips together into a sarcastic smile and snatched the menu away, ignoring Phil’s dissatisfied glare, then retreated to the kitchen to put in Enzo’s order. I hid back there while the cook made his food.

My hands still shook a bit as I carried the plate of hot food back out to the counter. I set it down in front of Enzo, then filled up a glass with ice and root beer for him.

“Mm,” Enzo said, his mouth full after taking a bite of grilled cheese. “This is good… Thanks for the recommendation.”

“You’re… welcome,” I replied when I looked over to see Phil glaring at me from the register. While Enzo ate, I busied myself with pouring coffee for other customers and clearing tables. I always felt Enzo’s eyes on me as I worked, but whenever I turned around, he only seemed to be looking at his phone and his food. It was unsettling to feel like I was being watched, only to find out that I wasn’t being watched at all. I chalked it up to Enzo making me nervous, but it felt like there was something else at play here.

When Enzo was finished, he waved me over.

Thank god, I thought to myself. He’s leaving.

Enzo handed me a wad of cash, which I took to the register to get his change. Much to my dismay, he followed me to the register; not that that was out of the ordinary for customers, but I guess that I hoped he would keep his distance.