Peacekeepers

Chapter 74: Unknown Expectations

August 11th, 1893

(3 days until the wedding)

It was another day at the cafe, the early morning bringing in the usual crowds. Alice fluttered from table to table, rather liking this job with how social it was. Of the three girls she was definitely the most outgoing, so a job like this was right up her alley. Luckily the people here didn't know what other alleys she'd been up before this. It was nice to be free of that stigma. The only issue she has now was how old she was for being unmarried. In her late 20s she was... well, nearly at the end of her ability to have children. It was a sad state, but she'd learned to accept it a long while back.

She looked up as the door opened, ringing the little bell above it that let them know someone new arrived. A clever little contraption.

"Good morning, feel free to-" she spotted who it was and smiled. A regular... she'd seen him come every morning now. He was big and brawny with sun tanned skin and bleach blond hair from being out all day. Apparently he was a farmer from nearby, and he came in every morning now for some tea and a big English breakfast to start the day.

"The usual, Justin?" She asked, feeling that familiar little warmth in her belly as he smiled to her. He'd been coming for a few weeks now, and always when she just started her shift.

"If ya please." He said in a thick Scottish accent. He followed her over to his normal spot where she brought him a cup of tea to start off with.

"Is it a two sugar day?" She asked with a chuckle. How much work he has to do depended on the sugars he wanted.

"Aye." Justin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Gotta work the back fields this afternoon. Gonna be tough. Plus I'm plannin' on fixin' up the garden some. I sell the flowers sometimes and someone wants the whole lot."

"Goodness, all of your garden to one buyer?" Her eyes widened. "That's a lot of flowers."

"Aye, some big party nearby startin' soon." Justin chuckled. "Gonna be a real show if they're buyin' that much in flowers."

"Will... will you have time this afternoon again? Or maybe tomorrow?" She asked hopefully. "I know you're busy."

He looked up to her in surprise and gave a grin that made her heart melt. "Are ye asking me on another date, Alice?"

"I am." she smiled back as she spoke softly.

his grin widened and he glanced out the window as if judging something. "I could work on the garden tomorrow." he replied with another heart stopping smirk.

"Deal." Alice said happily. "Two sugars it is." She said, giving him the two cubes on the side of the saucer before handing it to him. He took the cup and her breath stopped a bit as his touch lingered on her fingers longer than necessary as he took it from her.

Oh the things she'd do to this man.

"Yer lookin' very cute this morning, Alice." He said before taking a sip of tea.

"And you're looking very handsome." She replied with a smirk, which widened in triumph as he blushed against his teacup. She gave a soft giggle and smiled to him sweetly before she walked into the back of the building, leaning against the door and letting out a long dreamy sigh,

"That boy here again, I take it?" The rough voice of the chef said a bit too loudly for her liking.

"Shush, Aaron!" She said in a whisper. "He'll hear you!"

"As if he doesn't know you're sighing and grinning like a fool back here. You're smitten, that's for sure." He grinned as he cracked several eggs and got some ham ready for Justin. They all knew his regular order.