Dear Ethan: A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 26: Rude Customer

*Ethan*

The parking in the plaza was full so I pulled over across the street and jogged over. A nervous looking woman was leaving just as I walked in. And I immediately sensed the thick tension in the air.

Usually, the mood here was light. You could hear Jodie and Sam laughing in the backroom. But it felt like a giant storm cloud had entered today.

There was a large man in a plaid shirt by the register glowering at poor Andie who was standing behind the counter. She looked scared but she held her own until he raised his voice and she flinched.

I watched as Jodie came barreling out through the backdoor and told Andie to go to the back.

She scurried to the back looking relieved and Jodie calmly relayed the order back to him but that only seemed to make him more irritated. I listened closely, watching him move. Tracking him.

It didn't seem like the man was all there but Jodie was handling it like a pro, listening and trying to calm him down. That was until his hands slammed loudly against the counter and he reached to grab her.

I reacted without thinking as if I was on the field. Instincts took over. I grabbed him quickly from behind as we wrestled for a bit before dropping onto the floor, pinning him down to the ground, my knees digging into his upper legs to hold him in place

He grimaced under me, his face turning purple as he gave me a deadly stare and yelled out a few colorful curse words, spitting in my face.

"If I let you go, you have to leave. Or we're calling the police." I glared back at him, the blood pounding in my ears. He stopped moving around and I removed my knee after a tense moment.

He got off and brushed off his pants looking shaken. But instead of yelling at me, he turned to yell at Jodie. "This is no way to run a business. I'm going to leave a one-star review!" He sputtered out before storming out.

I looked back at Jodie. Her whole face was pale and she looked like she was having trouble breathing. She was still in shock. I felt my heart constrict. I stepped behind the counter and reached for her. But she took a step back, hands shaking.

"It's just me and Andie today and he got irate when he had to wait in line for his order."

She went to the back room and then came back with the white box looking dazed. Forget the cupcakes.

"Jodie. Look at me. Are you okay?" I looked at her neck where he had held her. There was a little red splotch there but no bruising. Yet.

My anger rose. I should have called the police right then and there. I shouldn't have let him run away like that. "I'm fine," she said, closing her eyes before opening them again, "Just a little shaken." I wanted to hold her. But it didn't seem like she wanted to be touched right now. I curled up my hands into fists but kept them close by my side.

"Anyone would be. He had no right to put his hands on you like that," I said quietly, trying to unclench my hands. She gave me a wobbly smile that broke my heart.

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*Jodie*

After I got back home I took a long nap feeling like I had aged a year in a day. 

My phone pinged. I had a few missed calls from Sam and a few texts but I was too tired to answer her.

I went on Instagram and mindlessly scrolled for a bit, feeling numb. And then anger washed over me suddenly as tears fell down my face in the dark. My neck throbbed. But it wasn't physical pain, it felt almost like a phantom pain. And my ego was bruised. Shame rippled through me. I had let someone put their hands on me like that.

I hated feeling weak like I was a little girl again who couldn't take care of herself. That I was easy prey. 

If Ethan didn't come in at the right time would I have been able to protect myself? And why did I need to be saved anyway? All my thoughts were coming at me at once making me feel suffocated.

I trudged over to the shower and let the water wash over me. I just wanted to feel clean but I just felt like a sad lumpy mess.

And Ethan...I hadn't seen him come in but out of the corner of my eye, I spotted him in mid-conversation, seeing his intense gaze on the back of the man's head, his muscles tensing.

I hated how he saw me like that. But at the same time, I was grateful. Who knew what would have happened if he wasn't there?

I massaged my scalp with shampoo, working out the kinks in my neck and shoulders. He was a good friend. We texted every now and then and saw each other once in a while but that's what it was like when you were both working. 

It wasn't like being back in school when you could see each other everyday. A wave of nostalgia passed over me as I reached for the body wash.

It was nice having him back in my life again but I didn't want to get ahead of myself. Because even now our paths weren't aligned. He was busy with football and would be busy for the rest of his career. And I had the bakery to worry about. 

Work never stopped even when you wanted too. That was just the reality. There would always be games for him to play and there would always be deliveries that had to be made.

Time couldn't stop, even if we willed it too.

It was hurtling ahead and we were just all caught up in it. We could never go backwards in time.

Something about that made me feel really sad. 

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