Marred Beauty

Chapter Three

I make it to work on time, and greet the guys as I tie the apron around my waist. Just as the first order comes in, Drake is beside me as we get to work. It gets busy so we don't have time to talk, but my body feels him near for the whole first half of the day.

My lunch break is around noon, and I walk home to check on Baxter. Once I get there, I shower him with a few kisses and let him out for a potty break. I look off into the woods and recall the dream I had. Then I shake the thoughts out of my head. I get in my head too much. Once Bax is done, I put him back inside and head back to work.

Drake is sitting on the stoop when I arrive to work. I sit down next to him.

"What's your pups name?" Drake asks.

"Baxter. Baxter Daniels."

He nods. "He was so cute."

"He's my service dog. I suffer from PTSD and I have bad anxiety sometimes."

"That's good you have him then."

"Yeah."

"Also, how come you wear clothes two sizes too big?" Drake asks.

"You don't know me, or anything about me, Drake Harmon." I stand. "I have my reasons." I don't know why this question upsets me so much. But he hits a nerve.

I head back inside to finish my shift since my break is over.

"You're a hard girl to get to know, Sienna."

I like hearing him say my name. When I finally look over at him, he smiles. You know the kind that curves up in one corner. Ah. Stop thinking about his lips. I shake my head at him. But it is nice cooking along-side of him. He's so tall, at least six foot four, and it makes me feel so tiny. I kind of like that.

It gets busy for dinner and we don't have a chance to talk until after the shift.

"Can I walk you home?"

"That's really not necessary," I tell him.

He holds his hands up. "Look: it's dark out, and I'd feel better knowing you were home safe. I'm not trying to get in your pants, Sienna."

I give him a wary look before answering him. "Okay. Fine."

It's after eleven at night, and I am a little scared to walk home in the dark. We walk down the path that leads to the cabin.

"Look, I'm sorry if I upset you earlier today. That wasn't my intention," he tells me.

"It wasn't you. It was just my own insecurities I have about myself."

Drake whips his head to the side and gives me a strange look. "What are you talking about? You're gorgeous."

"I kind of cringe every time you say I'm gorgeous or beautiful."

"You are one crazy woman," he shakes his head at me. But he clearly is the one that needs his eyes checked, not me. "Anyway, how about your parents? Are they around" he asks.

"They are deceased. Died in a house fire, back home in Maryland."

"What are you doing here in New Orleans?"

"I don't have anyone back home. I needed a place to start over after I got released from the war. I was continuing my healing process in the VA hospital here and I just kind of got attached to the city."

"The war, huh?" he mentions.

"Yeah. I don't like to talk about it. Just bad memories most of the time."

Drake shoves his hands in his pants pockets. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But I'm here if you ever do."

He is walking on my left side, where my scar is shown. "Thank you." The cabin comes into view. "Do you work tomorrow?" I ask.