THE CAMELLIA TAVERN

CHAPTER 32: A TEMPORARY GOODBYE

Tuesday, July 14

"Welcome to The Camellia Tavern. May I get y'all somethin' to drink to start off with?"

It's a line I've probably said thousands of times over the last few years, but tonight, I'm irritated with having to repeat it again and again.

I hate that I have to work on Warrick's last night in town for a while, but I'm somewhat appeased knowing that we'll at least have a few hours together after work. I'm sure he won't have any trouble keeping me awake for a few hours after the late shift.

By the time we're closing for the night, I'm tired, but that tiredness is no match for the excitement I feel about spending another night with Warrick. We both take our cars to his place and I ask him if I can't take a quick shower before bed.

I shower in the master bathroom and make a mental note of the shampoo and soap he uses because the smell reminds me of him.

After the shower, I towel dry my wet hair until it's just damp. He obviously doesn't have a hairdryer, so I figure this is as good as it's gonna get.

He's loaned me a t-shirt that says "Royals" across the front, presumably from the days when he played baseball for them, which makes me curious about that time in his life. He never really talks about it, but it was two years of his life.

When I come out of the bathroom, I find him lying shirtless in the bed, and the view is certainly something to be admired. I climb into bed next to him and lay my head down on the pillow.

"Do you miss it?" I ask, letting my curiosity get the better of me.

"Do I miss what?"

"Playing baseball.'

He rolls over on his side to face me. "Yeah, I guess sometimes I do. But baseball was something I was good at--not really something I had a passion for."

I imagine there had to be a lot of pressure--playing professional baseball at such a young age. Then again, Warrick seems to deal with pressure like it's no big thing. He doesn't seem to get stressed out as easily as most people do. I guess that's part of what makes him so well suited for the chaotic nature of the restaurant business.

"Any progress on the grad school front?" he surprises me by asking.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I finished applying to two schools yesterday."

"And where are those?"

"One in Huntsville and one in Mobile," I report. "I've still got several more to apply to though."

He nods then scoots a bit closer to me.

"I'm gonna miss you, Milly," he says running his thumb back and forth across my cheek and I stare into his eyes wishing he knew how much words like that mean to me.

"I'm sure you'll have plenty in Tuscaloosa and Dothan to keep you busy," I say, attempting to sound unemotional when I feel anything but.

"I'd take you with me if I didn't think you'd be bored to death," he says then plants a kiss on the tip of my nose.

And if he offered to take me with him, I'd have a hell of a time saying "no" but, in reality, I can't afford to take any more time off of work than I'm going to for the summer program.

Ugh. Why does everything always seem to come down to money?

"What are you doing August 8th?" he once again surprises me with his question.

I smile because that's weeks away. "Um, let's see. Probably working. Depends on what night that is."

"It's a Saturday night, but I think your boss might let you off if you're nice to him."