Chapter 14
Colette’s heart raced as she stumbled in shock. The drinks on her tray wobbled precariously, almost toppling before she managed to steady het grip. Her mind was in a whirl, the reality of Matt and his sitting together hitting her like a physical blow
“You sure do ks a lot about stock market and exchange rates, Ms. Iris,” one at the elder gentle conversational.
“Oh, well, it’s where I cared my first dollar, so… Iris replied with a modest shrug, her were carrying a hint of pride
“You must be very pool, Matheo, the elder gentleman continued, turning his attention to Man
- his tone both asparvest
Colette felt a pang in her chest as she watched Mait neal approvingly at Iris “Very I hundly know anyone more knowledgeable about the market than Iris,” be said, his words slicing through Colette’s already fragile composure.
“Hurry up and put a ring on her finger already, then, before someone else naiser the exchange rates,” the ebler gentleman joked, and the table erupted in laughter. Stary had finished placing the food on the table, and now it was Colette’s turn to serve the drinks. Her hands trembled violently, as if she were standing in the freezing cold of Antarctica. Her senses were scrambled, ructions miling beyond her control..
In the midst of her turmoill, Colette realized she was waiting for Matt in deny it. She watched as he and Iris shared a secretive smile, a silent communication that excluded ber entirely. It wasn’t hard for Colette tu imagine that she was the butt of their inside joke,
“Actually, I am already married,” Matheo said with a reful smile, breaking the moment. The old man seemed unpertabod, quickly dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand. But for Colette, her true test of patience had only just begun.
As she started placing the first glass of drink on the table, lier eyes met Matt’s. His shock was evident, hicexpression a Slowly, his eyes narrowed in disapproval as he realized his wife was serving drinks to his business partners.
one of disbelief and confusion.
Colette’s hands shook even more, the glasses clinking silly against t tray, her mind tared back to her teenage years, to the days when she was a nervous. wreck, unsure of herself and her place in the world. The same feelings of inadequacy and fear now surged back, stronger than ever.
Colette’s heart thuided in her chest as she nangated the crowded restaurant floor. Her hands were trembling, but she focused on keeping her head down. The last thing she wanted was for Iris to reconize her. She knew that if driv did, it could lead to an embarrassing serme, not just for her, but for Mathew as well. He would be mortified if his affluent business partners discovered his wife was working as a waitress. With practiced efficiency, she placed the drinks on the table and retreated quickly. Iris was too busy basking in the attention of the group to notice the mousy scaitress slipping away.
As she hurried away, she thought she heard Matt whisper, “ity.” Her heart skipped a heat. Had he really said her name, or was it just her imagination? She didn’t wait to find out. Fleeing as fast as her legs would carry her, she burst out into the dimly lit alley behind the restaurant. The alley was a place where the staff came to smoke or take a break during the day. Leaning against the paintiess reid brick wall, she tried to catch her breath. The wall, old and worn, seemed to absorb her anxiety. She was still trying to calm her racing heart when the back door of the restaurant swung open, and Matt walked out, striding purposefully towards her
“Why are you doing this, Colette? Matt demanded, his voice tinged with anger and something else–shame? His eyes raked over her black apron, and Colette felt a pang of hurt. Was he ashamed of her now, because she had taken a job as a waitres?
“Doing what?” she replied, trying to sound indifferent.
ent. Maybe she wanted him to say it, to admit what he was thinking
“You left me, Colette. I didn’t abandon you! You are still my wife, and my wife doesn’t need to work as a waitress to earn a living His voice grew louder, each word laced with frustration. He stepped closer, grabbing her chin to force her to look into his eyes. “What is this, Itty? Another way to show the world that I’m a failure? That I’ve failed as a husband who can’t provide for his wife?”
“I never said that!” Colette interrupted, her voice shaky, but Matt wasn’t listening,
“Then why else are you working this low paying job? Unless this is yet another way of blackmailing me into giving in to your crazy demands?” He was shouting now, his grip tightening on her shoulders as be pulled her closer. “Is that it, Colette? You want me to Gre Iris, or you’ll keep doing things like this to torment me? To hurt me more?
His voice was filled with pain, and though he turned his face away, Colette saw a line tear escape his eye, Suddenly, she understood. This wasn’t just about their fight. This was about Matt’s post, about his mother who had worked low paying jobs to support him and his siblings after their father died. The bitterness of those years, the struggle and the shame, had scarred him deeply.
Colette hadnt understood just hose deeply this had affected him until she saw the anger in his eyes today.
Colette’s words were cut ull as Matt’s hands clamped down on her shoulders, pulling her into a fervent kiss. The world around her blurred, The sounds of the city and the restaurant fading away. Im lips were insistent, demanding, as if he was trying to erase all the pain and misunderstandings
with this one act. She felt the rough texture of the brick wall against her back and the cold, metallic surface of the dumpster heside them.
His body pressed against hers, and she felt the undeniable evidence of his arousal. Her checks flushed with a deep crimson, reminiscent of a schoolgirl’s first
Chapter 15
kiss. She responded in kind, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer. Time lost all meaning as they kissed with a desperate passion, each of them pouring their emotions into the embrace
When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathless. His eyes bored into hers, a strange mixture of desire, regret, and something she couldn’t quite place. She was half–expecting him to demand she come home with him, to fix everything right then and there.
But instead, he surprised her. “Dinner on Saturday?” he asked, his snice almost sheepish. The intensity of the moment shifted as he looked at her w hopeful expression
with a
Colette nodded, will catching her breath. ‘Great, I’ll pick you up at eight then, he said, his voice lighter, almost relieved. He leaned in for another sweet kiss, this one more tender than the last, leaving her yearning for more.
He pulled away and left, the back door of the restaurant closing behind him with a soft thud. Colette stood there, her mind reeling. The kiss, the unexpected invitation–it all left her feeling more confused and conflicted than ever.
She leaned against the cold brick wall, her fingers touching her lips where his kiss still lingered. Why did she feel so sad and disappointed? She realized it was because he hadn’t asked her to come home. The dinner invitation was nice, but it felt like a step backward, not forward. It proved that he wasn’t letting Iris go, that he still saw this as a temporary rift, something that could be fixed with time and patience, without giving up his dear–dear tris.
