My Boyfriend is a Monster (37 page)

“Oui,” Nathan said as if it were nothing.

“Oui,” she copied nodding her head. “A little uppity isn’t it,” she stated not making eye contact and pretending to read the menu. Since it was in French she had to.

“What?” Nathan asked casually
. “You don’t speak it?” His tone was almost aghast.

“No,” she said in her best French accent then continued in the same accent. “I do not speak the French.”

“That was the most -”

“Awesomest,” Lily finished.

“Horrifying French accent, I have ever heard . . . and my brother is Cajun,” he finished ignoring her vote. “But how can I expect you to speak French when you can’t even speak English,” he said smartly then started to laugh.

Lily tried not to laugh. “Awesomest is a word,” she said confidently.

“No,” he said wincing. “No it is not.”

Looking ar
ound for a waiter she tried to hold back the laughter. “Wonder if they have a dictionary here?” she said then let it out.

Suddenly a waiter appeared at the table.
“Oui Madame?” he asked having noticed her looking help.

Lily stopped laughing and looked at Nathan in a panic. “Oh my God, what do I do?”

The waiter was confused and looked at Nathan who was just smiling and waiting. “Je ne comprends pas,” he said slightly shrugging his shoulders.

“Shit,” she exclaimed embarrassingly hunkering down and putting her hands up hiding her face. “Please fix this.”

Nathan hunkered down to her level and hid his mouth from the waiter as well and replied in a loud whisper. “Do you still want a dictionary?”

“No,” she said sitting back up and trying to look as sophisticated as she possibly could.

“"La carte des vins merci,” Nathan said asking for the wine menu.

“Bien sûr,” the waiter said apologetically and disappeared.

She looked at him.

“I asked for the wine menu.”

“Thank you, I didn’t think they were this observant.”

“Of course, look at you.”

Lily was caught off guard by his comment.

Nathan looked at her hopelessly. “When something so bea
utiful walks into a room it cannot help but be observed,” he said reaching for her hand.

“You’re embarrassing me,” Lily said extending her hand so their fingertips could touch.

“Don’t be, I should be the one who’s embarrassed . . . how can I measure up to something so stunning.”

Looking into his eyes and feeling his fingers race along her own she could
not help but play their moment in the hallway over in her head. The air was getting thick and she was becoming hot as she took a deep breath. “Please,” she begged.

“Okay, but you make it hard looking like that.”

“You make it hard . . .” suddenly she couldn’t think of anything to say.

Waiting for her to finish he noticed her turning red with embarrassment and knew she was stuck. “I’m glad I didn’t get stuck with just - you make it hard.”

She laughed. “I wish you did.”

“Really?” he said purposely trying to embarrass her.

“Shit, I meant, I wish you were the one that got stuck, not hard,” she said trying to explain with her hands covering her face again. “Only me,” she said crumbling into her chair.

“
Lily, nothing you could say could ruin tonight,” he assured her with a chuckle.

“Oh we’ll see,” she wondered aloud.

“I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. And never with someone as beautiful . . . ever,” Nathan said bringing a calm to her face.

“I think someone might experience 50 shades,” Lily said sitting back up hoping her flirting was at par but did
not notice the waiter had returned and was standing beside her.

“50 shades?
” the waiter tried to repeat while smiling confused.

“You have got to be kidding,” Lily said wanting to hunker back down, but this time completely under the table.

“C'est un livre,” Nathan said laughing.

“Livre?” the waiter asked about what book.

“Cinquante nuances de Grey,” Nathan said pronouncing the book in French.

“Oh, oui, Cinquante nuances de Grey,” the waiter said
finally understanding. “J'ai entendu parler de ce livre,” he laughed and shook his head explaining he has heard of this book.

“Wait, is he putting down my go to book?” Lily asked still embarrassed
, but giggling.

“Sort of,” Nathan continued to chuckle.

“How many copies did he sell of his book?” Lily asked jokingly.

The waiter did
not understand what she was saying so he continued his conversation with Nathan. “Mais il les rend plus sexy,” he said forgiving the book, especially if it made women feel more sexy.

Nathan was
not sure if he agreed with the waiter but agreed nonetheless. “Oui, plus aventureux,” he said commenting on the book making some women more adventurous.

“Oui monsieur,” the waiter agreed. “Puis-je vous offrir quelque chose?” he asked wondering if he could get him anything.

“Chateau Margaux,” Nathan said ordering a wine.

“Très bon,” he said and left the table.

Nathan looked at Lily who was trying not to burst out into laughter or tears, she did not look like she could decide. “I love this place,” Lily said looking around the restaurant trying to change the conversation immediately.

“I’m glad.”

“Here’s hoping the food is good.”

The waiter returned with a bottle of Chateau Margaux
, looking to Nathan to see if he wanted to test it first. Shaking his head the waiter began to pour them both a glass and stated he would return shortly to take their order. Raising his glass Nathan smiled. “To the most fun I’ve had in a French restaurant bar none.”

“Why thank you,” she said and raised her glass. Taking a drink Lily actually enjoyed the taste and let her sip run a little longer. Finishing with a pleasant sigh she set her glass down. “Very nice,” she said wanting to take another.

“I thought you might like it. So, what do you feel like eating?” Nathan asked looking at the menu.

Lily did
not even bother to pick up the menu. “Whatever you suggest, just don’t tell me what it is if you think, I’ll think its gross,” she said in a jokingly but serious tone.

“Very well,” he chuckled.

“Serious,” Lily said wanting to be clear. “If it crawled before it got to my plate, I don’t want to know,” she explained. “You see where I’m going with this?”

“I do,” he assured her.

“I feel I should say something about the other night.”

“You don’t have to,” he offered.

“I was hoping you never had to see any of that, and I am sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologiz
e.”

“Thank you, but I’m glad you did. In case you couldn’t
put two and two together, he sometimes got rough,” she explained while Nathan just nodded. “Pretty rough some nights, but I finally stood up for myself and left him.”

“You stood up to him pretty good the other night too,” he said taking a sip of his wine.

“Yeah, I did. And please don’t get upset, but I will never let a man treat me like that again, so if . . .” Lily said then started to laugh as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I don’t,” Nathan said quickly to extinguish any thought. Then with the most genuine smile he could give her he held out his hand.

“I know,” she said and took his hand and squeezed. “I just want to show you I’m not a frightened little girl. But a strong woman, a woman you’d want to be with.” Letting a single tear slide down her cheek and catching it with her free hand she began to laugh with a bit of nervousness.

Squeezing her hand to get her attention she l
ooked at him totally exposed.

“When you stood up to that man at the party it showed me without a shadow of a doubt what I already suspected.”

“About me,” Lily inquired while sniffling.

“That you are the most beautiful, funniest and strongest women I had ever met,” he said taking her hand and resting it on his cheek. It wa
s the most perfect kind of soft.

Then
he gently kissed it.

CHAPTER 16

ONE: A Preacher in Yazoo City

H
e sat in the booth at the farthest corner of the old diner quietly sipping at his tea. He had fading reddish brown hair and a weathered face that looked kind and contempt. It was not the fact he wore an - on duty - badge of a priest, the white detachable collar worn in front of a black clerical shirt that made him seem instantly kind. It was his frequent smile that seemed genuine and comforting.

Two other men filled the diner who dressed like they just walked out of a mob movie and spoke like they lived it. They were rude and short with her all night. She tried to be polite and talkative to make the obvious Out of Towner’s feel at home but she was met with insults about the way she talked and the town she lived in. Even the food she served was
“Horrendous”
and the coffee as they put it tasted like
“Cat Piss”
. In fact the only positive thing they said actually made her skin crawl since they wanted to know when they were done with their business here if she wanted to go back to the hotel room with them and take one in the front and one in the back.

But when the man wearing the white stripe came in and took a seat at the farthest booth, she felt safer. Then when she welcomed him and he smiled back at her she felt warm, guarded even. The night even felt a little sophisticated with his English accent. She liked him, he was polite and patient. And she tried to engage him whenever she could, since the alternative made her earlier dinner want to vacate.

“Where are those eggs Frank?” she asked filling the coffee filter up and dumping the last bit in the pot out.

“Their coming Amber, hold your horses,” Frank said from the serving window.

“Well he’s been waiting,” Amber said putting a new pot in and starting the brewer.

“He’s a priest
, not the freaking Pope.”

“He’s a customer that’s been waiting an awful long time for his eggs
, especially since his is the only order.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Frank said leaving the window.

“Hey sugar,” one of the mob men who introduced himself as Bobby called out. He was a balding man with a rather large nose. His suit was well worn but he had a dirty look about him.

Amber did
not want to go over, but did. Wondering how much longer they were going to be here she stood waiting for their next rude comment. “What else can I get you?” she asked putting on her best fake smile.

“More coffee,” the other one who introduced himself as Andy said, dangling his empty mug from his finger. He was fat and bought his suit off the rack. He looked cheap and sounded even cheaper.

“I just put a new pot on. It’ll only be a couple of minutes.”

“Why don’t you give us a little show until then,” Andy said still dangling the mug on his finger. He began looking her over a little too creepy for her taste.

“You have a nice set sweetheart, really firm I bet,” Bobby said looking back and forth from her to his friend. “What are you sixteen, seventeen?”

“If I’m seventeen don’t y
ou think I’m a little illegal to be asking things like that?” she asked letting her home town niceness wane.

“We won’t tell
s, if you don’t,” the mug twirler said puckering his lips and sending a repulsive chill up her spine.

Thankfully she heard the sweet sound of the “Order up” bell go off and Frank’s phlegm filled growl yelling at her to, “Come and get it.”

Grabbing the breakfast plate she walked over to the man of cloth who smiled graciously as he sat up and made room. “It smells delicious,” he said softly and smiled.

She placed the plate down and noticed his tea was done. “More tea?” she asked.

“That would be delightful my dear,” the man said handing her his cup.

“Ketchup or vinegar, maybe some barbeque sauce,” she offered before going to get more tea.

He laughed lightly. “Heavens no, but thank you, just the tea would be lovely.”

“Right away sir,” she said feeling as if she was in a whole other diner.