Summer to Winter

Chapter Thirteen

Sy looked up to see the brick wall that she ran into was Henry. "Holy crap, I'm so sorry sir!" They both laughed, which he noticed happened often with the two of them. "I just spent the last hour responding to an email and I wanted to desperately ignore the last two notifications I felt, but then guilt hit me at the last second... I looked down to check my phone and then my face hit you."

"Don't worry, it wasn't anything important... it was actually me texting you to see if it was you, I saw on the street and well... we've already answered that question now, haven't we?"

She had recovered from embarrassment of her near fall and knelt down to Kal's level to give him kisses and head scratches. Kal was obviously enjoying it, his mouth open wide with his tongue hanging out and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Henry looked down at the sight of his big goofy bear and felt a tinge of jealousy.

"Well aren't you a handsome boy! Does that feel good? Do you like getting your ears scratched?" She asked, "Who is this floofer?"

"This fluffy bear is Kal and I think he likes you. It usually takes him a while to warm up to someone like this. You must have a magic touch."

"I'm a dog person, he must just know that instinctively. I know mine did..." her attention back on Kal, "oh my goodness, you are just the most handsome fella. I just want to spend all night giving you snuggles and kisses!"

He thought about her last sentence and snickered at the double entendre. "What are you up to, other than trying successfully to steal dogs from their owners?"

She looked up at him with those big brown eyes, "I realized I hadn't eaten all day when I got into my car. I've been craving a salad from this café since I got home from New York, so I thought I would treat myself. What about you?" Ah... So she wasn't following him, this is her neighborhood and old haunts. He was the one stalking.

"Do you want some company? Kal and I are pretty much done with our run. That is, if you don't mind two smelly boys at the table with you."

"Not at all! I don't want to keep you from anything if you have plans though, I was just going to do takeout before I face-planted into you."

"No plans tonight. I tend to be a homebody when filming so it's nice to have a little human interaction that doesn't involve anyone on my payroll."

"Am I loophole because production is technically paying me?" She winked as she stood up "C'mon, my stomach is quickly digesting itself."

He followed her and was surprised when a silver-haired man in his 60's grinned, waved and said "Hey Sy! You're finally back, long time no see!" There was a long line at the counter, and he was motioned for her to come to the front of the line.

"No! It's ok, I don't want to cut! I don't mind waiting, plus my friend has to decide what he wants too."

"Ok, fine... but I'm getting your usual started. No arguments."

She looked up at Henry, "The salad I'm getting is HUGE. I usually share it or end up taking half for another meal. Honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu though. It's all really great."

He studied the menu on the wall and noticed that she continued to talk to the café staff like they were old friends, catching up with what she had been up to in NYC and how long she was going to be in LA. They finally got to the front of the line and the girl at the register smiled "You know it's on Dave tonight, Sy. He doesn't want your money. Welcome back!"

Syden waved at the man behind the counter and blew him a kiss "Thank you!! I'll get you next time!" As she was ordering her drink, Henry noticed that she silently slipped a twenty-dollar bill in the tip jar anyway. When it was his turn, he ordered the 'Sy special' as well.

Since it was a nice night and they had Kal, Sy went outside and picked a table with one chair under the heater. She hadn't thought to grab her jacket since she was originally getting take out and was always cold, even when visiting family in Hawaii. Almost immediately after sitting down, Dave came outside with some water and their drinks. Sy stood up and gave him a hug. "Seriously, so nice of you to get our dinner. I really appreciate it." She continued, "Dave this is Henry, my new boss."

Henry stood up to shake his hand, "Yes, thank you so much for dinner. That was very generous of you."

Dave smiled, "Sy has been a regular here since before she waited tables for me. I love this little lady. You better be nice to her..."

Well that explains why she tipped the bucket. How thoughtful, Henry mused.

Dave walked away and almost immediately came back with their salads. Hers was already separated with half in a doggie bag. "Enjoy, kids! Let me know if you need anything else, dear."

She wasn't kidding. The salad was huge, but he was hungry, and tuna was a clean protein so he didn't feel guilty about it. He watched her pick out all the olives and set it to the side of her plate. "If you don't like olives, why don't you ask for it without?"

"Oh. Well... it's not a big deal and who I used to come here with would eat them for me. It's not like I'm allergic... got sick of them when I was a kid."

As he took a stab at her plate with his fork "Huh, well I guess it's a good thing I like olives..." he chewed, "so... when did you work here?"

"It was right after college, I was still trying to make ends meet with a student loan. I had my Monday through Friday job, but I worked here on the weekends to have some breathing room. Eventually, I kept getting raises at my regular job and didn't need to work here anymore. I still worked every now and then if Dave was in a pinch up until I moved away last year. He wouldn't let me work for free and I wouldn't take his checks. I told him just to pay it forward, so he comps my salads every time I come in. What he doesn't know is I always tip what the bill would've been anyway. I know how hard these guys work. Makes me feel a little better if they have a couple more dollars to eat out themselves."

She fascinated him with every sentence that she spoke. Brian was right, there was not one ulterior motive behind anything she did. She truly was a good-hearted person. It was really refreshing. They continued to eat and talk, Syden absentmindedly stroking Kal's head as it rested on her lap. They had long finished their meals but sat talking not noticing how late it was getting. The heater was no longer keeping her warm and she started to shiver and looked down at her watch. "Jeez, look at the time! I think it's time for me to get somewhere warmer... and you probably want to get home. I've taken up way too much of your time."