Waffles & Weddings (Cupid's Cafe Where love is on the menu Book 1) Read online

  Determined to be gracious, Sophie smiled at Clarisse as she returned with the cream and sugar. “Thank you. An orange juice with the waffle would be wonderful as well.”

  Clarisse brightened and said, “Sure thing, kiddo. I’ll be right back. Oh, do you want heated syrup with that?”

  “Syrup is fine,” she replied.

  If step one was to get herself out of the hotel room, then step two was to treat others with courtesy. If the town was going to talk, then the talk would be about why in the world a guy would leave a girl as sweet as her.

  Clarisse deposited a small metal basket with creamers and sugar packets on her table and went back to the kitchen. Sophie emptied one of the creamers in her coffee, and added a packet of sugar, stirring idly, staring at the antique jukebox against the back wall. She had unconsciously sat down facing the back of the café. That was a good thing. She wasn’t ready to be staring back at people seated at the counter, whom she was sure were staring at her.

  Turning her head to glance at the front of the diner, she noticed that the counter had the kind of jukebox terminals that had been a fixture in other diners she had seen in old photos. They were placed between every other stool at the back of the counter. There was a young boy, ten or so, flipping the metal framed pages of jukebox choices. His parents sat at a table closer to the front, talking. She also saw that Katy was heading back toward her table with a spring in her step.

  I really don’t want to talk about it. Not even with a stranger who wasn’t there.

  Sophie turned back to look down at the menu, and picked up her coffee cup, so as to be doing something with her mouth, instead of talking.

  “Well, Sophie,” Katy said quietly, pulling out a chair facing her and seating herself in it. “You’ve had quite the couple of days, haven’t you my dear?”

  Wow, she’s going to get right into it, isn’t she? I don’t even know this woman. Should I tell her what really happened? Or should I just start talking about Dad?

  Before Sophie had reached a decision, Katy started. “You know, your dad told me he had to be in Hartford tomorrow. Did he stay back?”

  Sophie’s eyes darted to Katy and then back to her coffee cup. “No, I told him to go.”

  “That must be hard on you,” Katy said.

  Sophie shrugged. “I love Dad, but he’s not good with the emotional stuff. That was Mom’s territory. We both be uncomfortable if he stayed.”

  Katy took Sophie’s hand and placed it between hers on the table top. “I’m not your mother, but I’m pretty good with the emotional stuff. Tell me what you feel like telling me, Sophie. I have a lot of empathy for anyone in your shoes.”

  Chapter 4

  “He didn’t!” Katy sat back in her chair, aghast. While telling the story, Sophie had consumed her waffle between words. She nodded her head, shoulder length hair shimmering in the overhead light.

  “Yes, he did. We had reservations for a flight to Hawaii today, and he took his ticket and went there by himself, to meet her there. Changed his flight time to Saturday morning. He must have known he was going to because he never even showed up at the Bancroft. We booked the room two months ago. We planned to stay over last night after the reception and leave this morning at nine. He… he just took off and left me a note in the room. But I didn’t get it until I went back there last night after closing everything down, and sending everybody home, still dressed in my gown. I just wanted to get married in a beautiful white dress, nothing fancy, because I just wanted a simple wedding. My mom couldn’t be there and I . . .”

  Katy could see that Sophie’s mood was going from sad to angry over the circumstances, and who could blame her. She apparently had invested a whole year of her life in this guy. Then, it turned out he suddenly found out he was in love with someone else, and they were off to Hawaii together, leaving her standing in a wedding chapel.

  “I had to keep it together for my friends, and his, and my Dad. I just told them to go home. Please, just go home and let me be alone for a while. I paid the minister, the singer, and the DJ… found the person in charge of the Great Hall and told him to shut everything down. Dad settled up the bill. We had asked that everybody just come and no gifts. I know that’s unusual, but we were going back to New York right after Hawaii. I had located a nice furnished place in Jersey City we could rent. It had such a beautiful view…” Sophie trailed off for a second, lost in memories.

  She shook herself and continued, “Anyway… I’d been so happy that we could afford it if we pooled our incomes. I thought . . .” She sniffed and then pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “I don’t know what possessed me. We just decided a couple of months ago we’d get married. We should have waited.”

  “I don’t think that would have done you much good,” Katy offered. “It seems that he wasn’t right in the head anyway, and it would have just delayed the inevitable!” She turned serious again, saying, “Look, Sophie, it’s 10 AM. You need to check out of the hotel soon, or they’ll charge you another day’s stay.”

  Sophie snapped her fingers. “You're right, Katy. We only booked the room for one night, figuring we’d be on the way to Hawaii by now. I need to go back and check out. But I don’t know where I’ll go. I had planned for a couple of weeks off in Hawaii. Now, I have no place to stay. Dad’s out of town, and besides, I really don’t want to stay with him. After yesterday it would be uncomfortable for both of us, for a while anyway. ”

  Katy nearly smiled. She had the perfect solution. One that would not only help Sophie but also one of her favorite customers. “Well, I have a few ideas about that, Sophie. How much luggage do you have?”

  “Just a small carry-on and a garment bag. I had planned to buy some clothes in Honolulu,” she sighed, looking down at her plate wistfully.

  “Alright, why don’t you go get them, check out, and bring them back here? We can get you lunch, or maybe from the looks of it, another waffle” Katy said, smiling. “In the meantime, let me look into a couple of things. I might have a solution for you.”

  Katy watched Sophie’s face shift through several emotions, uncertainty, sadness, and finally acceptance. Good. She needs to be here, near her father. Not alone in New York without family.

  Katy stood up, having seen another potential problem to be solved up front, and said, “See you in about an hour.”

  Chapter 5

  The maid, who was still cleaning Sophie’s floor, glanced her way with a smile and a nod. Sophie told her she was going to check out, grabbed her bags, and went back downstairs to the front desk. The desk clerk told her that she was welcome to stay another night, but would have to change rooms because the one she was in had been booked for the next week.

  Sophie realized that the clerk knew she was the bride from yesterday’s disastrous wedding. She flushed with embarrassment, but the clerk didn’t mention it and was very gracious with the checkout procedure. The bill had been paid by her dad as a wedding gift, along with the cost of the Great Room and staff.

  Soon, she found herself on the street again with her carry-on in tow and her garment bag slung over her shoulder. The morning had turned warm and sunny, but not hot. A good thing, since she had to walk three blocks with a black plastic garment bag over her shoulder. Thankfully, the bag wasn’t transparent, and none of the people she passed on the street realized she was carrying her white, satin wedding gown.

  For a moment, while she had stood in front of the mirror in her room to be sure she was presentable enough to go out again, she had considered leaving the dress behind. But she couldn’t do it. She recalled walking by the bridal boutique and falling in love with it. No matter what had happened between her and Rob, the dress was still lovely, and it made her feel beautiful.

  Smiling at the recollection, she set off down the street toward the rest of her life and Cupid’s Cafe.

  Chapter 6

  As she entered the diner, she noticed things she hadn’t before. To the left were the counter and stools. On the right were four boot
hs, with an aisle about five feet wide between them and the counter. In the back, past the booths and about sixteen feet of red and white checkered floor tiles away, was an area with three four-top and two two-top tables. Behind them, on the left side of the back wall, sat the big old-fashioned jukebox, and to the right, set into the back wall were restrooms. Between the restroom doors was a short hallway, with a door at the back, which now stood open, revealing a sunny patio on the other side of the outer screen door.

  Looking around, she didn’t see Katy. One of the servers saw her come in and pointed toward the open back door.

  “She’s out on the patio with someone. She said for you to go on out,” called the server, who wore a name tag identifying her as Suzanne.

  “Thanks, Suzanne,” Sophie said and headed to the back. When she opened the door, she saw there were four white glass-topped tables set on a terra cotta tiled floor, under umbrellas, with a clear blue sky above. Katy was seated at one of them, with a man who looked to be in his early 30’s, wearing chinos and a blue Oxford button-down. She left her luggage in a corner near the heavily leafed privacy hedge which she thought had to be at least eight or ten feet tall. It was shady in the corner where a Katy and the blonde young man sat, awaiting her.

  Katy looked up and smiled, pointing at a seat between her and the man, who stood up gracefully. “Chase, this is Sophie Rivera, the young lady that needs accommodations. Sophie, this is Chase Peters. He owns some furnished apartments near here and comes in for lunch a lot. I thought of him immediately when you said you needed a place to stay. ”

  Chase moved a chair out for her and put out his hand, which she shook briefly. It was smooth and dry, hard and muscular but he didn’t try to squeeze her hand as if they were about to arm wrestle. Good, she hated that. Chase was quite good looking, not flabby, maybe athletic, but not the jock type. Tennis? Biking. Who knew?

  He waited until she sat before sitting. Old-fashion manners. That’s refreshing. Sophie looked into his eyes and saw something. A flicker of interest or something more. She felt almost shell-shocked for a second. Sophie was used to men staring at her, but this felt like something else.

  She glanced away feeling shy and a bit unsettled by his attention. She wasn’t exactly feeling bold about men.

  Suddenly, panic clutched at her heart. What did Katy tell him about her? Did he know I was in desperate need of an apartment, because of my jerk of an ex-finance? Heat rose in her cheeks, and Sophie kept her eyes on the table, hoping to hide her blush.

  All at once, she felt angry. Angry at herself for being so self-conscious. Stop being so paranoid and get ahold of yourself! If he knows, he knows. Lots of people know. Are you going to worry about them all?

  She straightened her spine and directed her gaze directly at Chase. Her lips moved into a natural smile, and she said, “Do you live around here?”

  Not a brilliant opening question, but at least it is the start of a normal conversation.

  Chase didn’t seem put off by the question. His answering smile sent tiny flutters through Sophie’s stomach.

  “As a matter of fact I do, not three blocks from here. I have my own apartment in one of the buildings, but I rent the rest out to grad students and faculty, or anyone who needs a furnished place for a while. They’re not as plush as the rooms at the Bancroft, but they’re clean and private. Each one has its own entrance, and private bath, with….” Chase said, but Sophie wasn’t really paying attention to the apartment’s amenities.

  Instead, Sophie watched Chase’s animated face. It intrigued her. She’d done enough commercials and modeling to recognize that extra something that caught the camera’s attention. Chase was handsome, but it wasn’t just that. It was the way his eyes lit up when he spoke of his apartment that captured her interest.

  “…happen to have a studio available right now, short term, $1,500 a month,” Chase continued.

  Sophie took note of the amount. It wasn’t a problem, she had some saving, but was she even going to be here a full month? Maybe she should explain to Chase that she was thinking of staying around on a very short term basis.

  Sophie was about to interrupt when Chase said, “I understand you’re an actress and don’t have a job in the local area, but your father is well known in the UC community, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find something soon. I don’t see a problem with giving you the benefit of the doubt. That is, if you want the place and if you plan to stay.” He said the last sentence in a rush as if he knew he was babbling.

  “Um.” Sophie was at a loss for words. She hadn’t seriously considered staying here and looking for work but… Did she really want to go back to work in New York? If she was honest with herself, then the answer was no. Her heart ached at the thought of returning to New York without Rob. But, if she were to stay in Berkeley, was there enough commercial or documentary work she could do? She’d done a couple of short documentaries in New York, but this wasn’t New York, and she didn’t know anybody here except her Dad anymore. Some old friends, yes, but they all seemed to be married or scattered throughout California.

  Chase watched Sophie struggle for words. Her eyes darted from him to Katy and then down to the table. Her hand reached up and caught a strand of her glorious blond hair. She twisted it around a finger without saying anything for several long seconds.

  Chase mentally smacked himself. The second she’d walked out onto the patio, he’d felt as if this entire world had just been re-centered. She was everything he had ever wanted in a woman, beautiful on the outside and, from Katy’s description, beautiful on the inside as well. Her smile had knocked him senseless, and he heard himself babbling on about his apartment but couldn’t seem to stop himself. Why not come right out and tell her I think she should come live in my building so I could see more of her! What’s gotten into me?

  “I’m sorry. We’ve hardly even met yet, and here I am going on about being your landlord. Give me a second chance. It’s nearly noon, and I’m starving. Could I interest you in lunch?” Chase said, quickly trying to overcome his sudden enthusiasm for having Sophie as a tenant.

  Sophie nodded, and Chase let out a sigh of relief. Apparently, he hadn’t made a complete fool of himself.

  Katy had been sitting there smiling at the two of them the entire time, amused and pleased at having succeeded in distracting Sophie from her earlier funk. She could tell Sophie and Chase would be comfortable with each other right away. Outside of the basic reason for getting Chase to come over to Cupid’s Cafe, she wanted someone to make a positive appearance in the girl’s life, taking her mind off what, at first, appeared to be a failure, but in Katy’s mind was a blessing. Rob was an idiot for leaving Sophie.

  “If you two are going to order lunch, I’ll excuse myself. I should go see if Suzanne needs some help, but I’ll send someone back to get your order in a little while,” Katy said while making her way inside.

  Sophie and Chase barely noticed her leave.

  Sophie pretended to read her menu while taking secretive glances at Chase. Nice blue eyes looked out of a chiseled but oval face. When their eyes did meet, he seemed to see her. It wasn’t exactly staring, but it felt like he was interested in learning about who she was. If she hadn’t just been dumped, it would have been a compliment, but currently she wasn’t feeling very confident.

  What does he see? A potential tenant or a loser that needs help finding a place to live?

  Sophie turned her attention to the menu, rather than worrying about what Chase thought.

  Once they had ordered, they fell into an easy conversation. Chase seemed very interested in what she did in New York, and she entertained him with some stories from her experience as an actress in commercials.

  Chapter 7

  “So, I said to the guy, no, that’s not enough light to do that in, you’re going to need reflectors. He looked at me strangely and said, ‘Look, hon, you’re an actress, I’m a director. I direct, you act, OK?’ And I thought, oh my gosh, what have I done? He’s going to
ask for a replacement because I’m difficult to work with, and I’ll never get another job like this.”

  Sophie took a quick breath and continued her story. “He stormed off, and I sat down and looked at the script for a while. Next thing I know, here come these guys with tripods and reflectors, three of them, and they’re setting them up right where they should be. The director is all ‘I thought there wouldn’t be enough light over in this corner, so we’re gonna do it with natural light reflected in on the table, OK guys?’”

  Chase was staring at Sophie with amazement. “So, did he fire you?”

  “Oh, no. He took all the credit, but he knew I was right. I did take a few classes in filmmaking and lighting. I’ll say this, I learned my lesson and won’t ever do that again. I’ve worked with him a lot since, and he’s never mentioned it. But he keeps hiring me. Or, that is, he did. If I stay in California, I can probably use him as a reference, but I’m not sure that will mean much here.”

  During lunch, they had grown comfortable talking about things, getting to know each other. Chase had told her that he was an architect, but hadn’t made a name for himself yet. He was with a firm that designed and built or remodeled commercial buildings and worked as a project manager for them. He was also an inventor of sorts, a tinkerer, he’d said. He had made some good investments and had managed to leverage them into two apartment buildings, renovating and redesigning them himself.

  He was originally from Santa Barbara, and had gone to school at Cornell, but decided to return to California for the sunshine. Chase had smiled as he said that, showing perfect white teeth. Sophie enjoyed his sense of humor about things and marveled at how much he laughed. Rob never laughed that much.

  It was stupid of Sophie to compare Chase to Rob, but how could she not? Rob had been her entire world forty–eight hours ago and now… well, now he couldn’t be. At least, the comparison was about something that was positive. Sophie needed to be around people who were generous with their smiles. If laughter was the best medicine, then at a time like this she needed as much laughter as she could get.