Chapter 137: Waiting Game
For a while, the steady stream of customers coming into and going out of the diner had been enough to keep Emily busy, to keep her mind off the impending arrival of one Derek Haven. But now, it had come the time of night where there was nobody at the diner but her and Ben, the cook.
And with all of the cleaning up done, and the tables and chairs set to rights, Emily had nothing to do.
And so with nothing to keep her preoccupied, she was seated instead of standing like usual. Not only had she taken a seat, she had taken a seat that afforded her a view of the front door. And she had been occasionally looking through it from time to time. Hoping to see Derek’s familiar figure making its way to the diner, or at least his car, out there somewhere, so that she knew for a fact that he was coming.
Emily was embarrassed on her own behalf. She felt like a parent waiting in the dead of night. Ready to catch their misbehaving teenager who had snuck out to go to a party. But despite the embarrassment, Emily could not find it in herself to move. She had to know when he finally came so that she could make sure to look as menacing as possible.
But so far there was nothing. There was neither hide nor hair of him, and no matter how hard she squinted into the darkness outside, Derek did not materialize. And his lack of appearance was making Emily begin to doubt. It was hard to resist the urge to go outside and check if he was not already there, just parked a bit further away.
The longer Emily waited, the more her doubt was slowly replaced by anger.
How dare he! He had called saying that he would be coming by, to explain everything. And now he is making me wait. Shaking her head to clear the irrational anger, Emily stood up, grabbing a cloth as she began wiping down furniture that did not need to be wiped down at all.
She had to get herself under control. If she was already angry before he even arrived, then there was a huge chance that by the time he walked through those doors, she would be ready to fight and not in a listening mood. That was no way to resolve things, and Emily wanted this matter resolved. If there was one person who deserved a second chance, it was Derek Haven. In all of her time knowing him, he had never given her a reason to doubt his character. She hoped that whatever it is that he had to say restored her faith in him.