Anna gave him a brief up-and-down. This man was very… agreeable. A people pleaser? Someone who loved to be loved? Or hated to be hated? She found herself wondering which kind of person McKay was.
“I suppose you’re right. Yes, I’m Anna. Anna Clayton,” she introduced herself.
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“Nice to meet you Clayton. I’m McKay, McKay Allister.” He grinned and winked at her. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”
Anna scoffed quietly. “Oh, God, don’t call me that,” she muttered, checking her phone again for Nathan’s email. Nothing. The woman looked back up at him in time to catch the wink. She arched an eyebrow in amusement before leaning forward a few inches and murmuring, “Never heard of you.”
(Haha oh gosh I meant to call her by her first name but I ended up writing Clayton. 😂😂 Was my brain not working yesterday?)
“Well, I’ve never heard of you either, Miss Clayton, so I’m assuming you’re new around here.” He checked his watch. He didn’t mean to be rude, but he did have work in an hour. “I’m assuming this is your first time at this establishment, correct?”
(Omg 😂)
Anna noted the moment he checked his watch, but she didn’t think anything of it. She was still waiting on that damn email.
“Please don’t refer to me by my last name,” she said more specifically. “But no, it’s not my first time. I’ve been here before, once or twice, but obviously not as frequently as you.”
The woman didn’t spend much on things that weren’t necessary. The money she earned usually went… elsewhere, outside of her control.
He could keep referring to her as her last name just to be annoying, but he decided it likely wasn’t best to get on her nerves.
“Hmm… strange. I’m shocked that I haven’t seen you here before,” he said. “I’m here almost every day.”
“Well, I must’ve come in the days you didn’t,” Anna teased lightly. “But I don’t come here often, as I said.”
She glanced down at her phone again, waiting for her email to refresh again. “Dammit,” she muttered under breath when nothing showed up.
McKay glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want to be nosy, but he couldn’t help but wonder what she was so agitated over.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Is 'everything' too broad of an answer?" Anna asked humorlessly. Why was she so cynical today? Was it really just the apex of all her problems coming out to a complete stranger in a coffee shop. Albeit… a handsome complete stranger. "I'm expecting an email from my firm, and I haven't gotten it yet. I should have it by now."
“Yep, that sounds like a problem. And it also sounds like you aren’t having a very good day.” He sent her a smirk before he stood up. “Want a coffee refill? You might need it. I understand how crazy work can be.”
“Try three months,” she corrected. It hadn’t been a very good three months. Anna frowned a bit at the smirk. Were her troubles funny to him? “No. If I have any more I won’t be able to sit still. But thank you.”
“Hm. Well, is there anything I can help you with then?” He took a sip of his coffee. “If you need me to leave you alone, I will. You know, to finish up your work and all.”
Anna couldn't help but scoff. "If there was any work to do, I'd be doing it. I'm waiting for this damn email. You don't have to go." She refreshed the screen again when another phone call came through, startling her. This one she quickly answered and sounded much more light than her one with Harry. "Daisy?" She blinked. "Wait, why aren't you at school, darling?" Her face went blank. "No, you're not. I told you I can't-" She cut herself off, looked over at McKay, and lowered her voice while covering her mouth. "I can't afford that school. It's too expensive."
He raised an eyebrow. This woman was different than the people he normally met in the bar. He wouldn’t say that she was strange; she was simply more intriguing than most of the other customers.
He sat there in silence, staring blankly at the wall until she got off of the phone. “So, you have a kid?”
The conversation that followed consisted of simple responses — ‘yes’ and ‘no’ — on Anna’s behalf. Mainly ‘no.’
She hung up eventually and looked back over at McKay. “Yes,” she said quietly. “Daisy is my daughter.”
“Daisy. That’s a cute name for a kid.” He grinned and stirred his coffee. “So you’re a single mom, and you have a tough job. Sounds… rough, to say the least.”
"Yeah, with that and Harry out running up all my credit cards with his gambling addiction, my life is a cakewalk," Anna sighed. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I'm not usually like this, I swear. I'm afraid you've just caught me on a really bad day. Daisy wants to transfer to a private all-girls academy next year, and the tuition is… through the roof."
McKay squirmed in his seat as his listened to her, conflicted. He felt awful sitting here listening her problems, knowing that there was a possibility he could do something about them. McKay, unlike this woman, wasn’t struggling; he had a high paying job and thousands of dollars in the bank. However, he did know what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck. He wanted to help this woman, but would it come off as weird? Too generous?
“I’m sorry about that. I- I know how much of a struggle finances can be.” He chuckled softly. “But your ex… he doesn’t sound like a very fun guy.”
Anna opened her eyes and gave him a slightly-lingering up-and-down look. "Well you don't look it," she said bluntly, noting the expensive look of his clothing, shoes, and hairstyle.
"He's not," she agreed quietly. There was something in her voice. It was hidden but it was there. Love. She still loved him. "He gambles regularly, and he lost very nearly everything we had. There was only enough left for one month's worth of essentials, and I threw him out after that. I can't stand it. I need something steady. Reliable. Flying by the seat of your pants doesn't work for me, God forbid." She muttered the last part.
God, she needed a drink. A glass of wine or champagne, a shot of tequila, or better yet, a scotch. Whether she had realized it or not, Harry's gambling had thrown her into a drinking addiction. She'd needed a way to cope, and a bad way was better than no way, right?
“Look, I know we just met, but I can help you,” he suggested. “You know, lend you so some money. You won’t need to pay me back.”
He hated how the statement made him sound. A lot of people felt guilty or embarrassed when borrowing money from people, and he had no doubt she would turn down his offer for that very reason.
“Everyone has a bit of trouble in life from time to time,” he said. “It’s no big deal.”
Anna was shocked at his offer. This random stranger she had just happened to meet was offering her money? Free money, and she didn’t have to do a thing? What was the catch?
“You have to know I can’t accept that,” she replied, almost biting her lip as she spoke. But I do need the money. It would help tremendously.
“And why can’t you? I don’t want to brag, of course, but lending you a few thousand dollars wouldn’t be a big deal.” He shrugged. “Consider it a gift, if that makes you feel any better.”
A few thousand? That would, hopefully, be enough to cover the cost of Daisy's new school for the first semester. And maybe help with her flat's rent check for the month.
Still, Anna shook her head. "What's the catch?" she asked. There always was one.
“Hmm, well, you could get coffee with me again tomorrow,” he suggested. “I mean, I don’t want to sound like a creep, so you don’t have to if you don’t want. It’s simply a suggestion.”
Anna was caught off guard. “That’s it?” She covered her mouth quickly, realizing she’d said it out loud. “I-I-I’m sorry,” she stammered quickly. “I didn’t mean it in a negative way. It’s just… I’m not used to such generosity. I’d love to get coffee with you tomorrow.”
He snorted. This woman sure was mysterious, but she also entertaining. “You act so shocked. Yes, Anna, I’m not doing this to get something in return.” He grinned at her. “So it’s a date, then. I’ll pay.”
"When you've experienced the things I've experienced, people without an alternate motive will make you surprised," Anna said, a firm tone backing her words. But she quickly blushed at his words. A date? She'd agreed to a date? "You really don't have to do that," she said, her voice turning shy and losing its volume.
He noticed how flustered she became, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Or maybe it’s not a date. It’s whatever you want it to be,” he replied. “And nah, don’t worry about it. I invited you, after all. It’s only right for me to pay.”
"No, no," Anna countered softly. "It can be a date." She hadn't been on a date since Harry. Was this a date? Was she doing it right? God, what would Daisy say if she discovered her mother went on a date? "Alright, if you insist…"
Shoot. Was he making this awkward? He had been on dates with multiple women before, and normally he felt more confident, but being with her made him nervous. “Anna, we don’t have to go out if you don’t want to. Really,” he insisted. “I’ll give you the money, no date necessary.”