Chapter 43: Tina Hendrix
William hung up the phone, still groggy. After washing up, he picked up his phone to see the message from Gary.
'100457 Baker Street.' *Is that even a real address?* William was puzzled. *Forget it, it's probably a bar. I'll just take a taxi later; the driver will know where it is.*
After getting dressed, William drove to his mother Lina's café. He hadn't been there since Lina opened it, so he decided to take a look.
Finding the German Hill Coffee Shop on Oxford Street, William parked the car and pushed open the door.
As William walked in, a beautiful waitress greeted him, "Welcome." William smiled and nodded at her as she led him to a table by the window.
William looked around the café his mother had bought. The overall style was very English, with small, round-legged wooden tables and chairs. There were large glass windows and two rows of red sofas against the walls, giving the place a warm atmosphere.
William thought it looked quite nice. He said to the waitress, "A cup of latte, please. Thank you."
"Of course, Mr. Devinshire. Should I let Mrs. Devinshire know you're here?" the waitress asked softly. Her flirtatious gaze made William's heart skip a beat.
The girl was truly beautiful, looking to be only sixteen or seventeen. She had elegant blonde hair, bright eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips painted with pink lipstick. Her face had a slight blush, giving her a youthful air.
However, this was an employee at Lina's café. William didn't dare let his mother catch him flirting with one of her waitresses.
William put on an apologetic expression and said to the beautiful girl with a smile, "If Lina isn't busy, then yes, please. Thank you."
"Of course, Mr. Devinshire. My name is Tina, by the way, and I get off work at five," she said, winking at William. She swayed her hips as she walked toward the service counter, turning halfway to blow him a kiss.
William laughed as he watched her go. A beautiful woman's attention always put him in a good mood.
Suddenly, his mother Lina came into view, staring daggers at both William and Tina. Tina spoke carefully to Lina, "Mrs. Devinshire, William just ordered a latte. I was about to make his coffee. Do you have any instructions?"
Lina stared into Tina's eyes and said, "It's fine. Go and make William's coffee."
"Yes, ma'am." Tina hurried off.
Lina walked over to William's table and sat down. She gave him a stern look before saying, "Don't get any ideas about Tina. She's your Aunt Mary's daughter. You met when you were children. You even broke one of her dolls, remember?"
William thought for a moment. "You mean fat Aunt Mary? The one who weighs over 200 pounds?"
Lina shot William a look. "How can you talk like that?"
William glanced at Tina, who was returning with his coffee, and found it hard to believe. This was the same little Tina who was always crying? The one who, after he broke her doll, had wailed while holding onto him for an hour?
"Mr. Devinshire, here is your coffee." Tina placed the latte on the table in front of William. After standing up straight, she blinked at him, her cheeks flushing as she smiled.
"Tina, you can call me William. Sorry I didn't recognize you; it's been so many years since we last saw each other," William said with a smile.
When Tina heard that William recognized her, she covered her mouth happily and looked at him with her big eyes. "It must be more than ten years. We haven't seen each other since you and Grandpa Henry moved to London. Brother William, I still remember how you used to take me to play in the old castle, and you also broke my favorite doll." After saying that, she wrinkled her nose cutely.
Lina looked at the two of them and scolded, "William, what are you even doing here? Finish your drink and get out. I have things to do and I don't have time for you."
"Tina, a customer just came in. Go take their order," Lina instructed, staring at Tina.
"Yes, ma'am, I'm going." Tina picked up her tray, turned, and gave William a quick glance before making a 'call me' gesture.
William nodded at Tina, who nodded back and happily blinked at him before going to help the other customers.
Seeing that his mother was still glaring at him, William quickly said, "Mom, your coffee is really good. This is the first time I've tried your coffee. I'll have to come by more often."
"Don't even think about it. Don't come here. I know what you're up to. I'm warning you, if you try anything with Tina, be careful Aunt Mary doesn't come looking for you."
William remembered Aunt Mary's 200-pound frame and shivered. He asked, "How did Tina end up in London working for you, Mom?"
William had been traumatized by Aunt Mary as a child. Every time he recalled being hugged by the 5'6", 200-pound woman, he would shudder.
"Since you're rich now, I wanted to learn about our family's old castle, so I called your Aunt Mary in Oxford to ask about the situation. When Tina found out, she insisted on coming to London to 'see me'. Hmph, seeing me was the excuse; seeing *you* was the real reason. Now I know why the little rascal insisted on working here instead of going back to school. She's after you! No, I have to send her back to Oxford to finish her studies."
William quickly interjected, "Mom, Tina just got here a few days ago. It wouldn't be right to send her back so soon! After all, our families have been close for generations. When we buy back the castle, we'll need Uncle David and Aunt Mary to help look after it, since we won't be living there."
"Fine, let Tina stay in London for a few more days, and then I'm sending her back. And I'm warning you, don't come to the café these days. I don't want to see you, do you understand? William Devinshire," Lina warned in a low voice.
"Okay, Mom, you're the boss," William nodded in agreement.
Seeing William agree, Lina didn't say anything more and got up to attend to her work.
William sat alone, bored, drinking his latte. Looking at his watch, he saw it was almost noon. He called a waiter over to order lunch. After about ten minutes, he saw Tina approaching with a tray, bringing him his meal. Because the café was crowded, Tina didn't say much, only whispering, "Brother William, the bread is really good today. You have to try it," before hurrying off to another table.
William picked up a small roll and saw a folded note underneath it. He picked it up and saw a phone number written on it. William smiled and slipped the note into his pocket.
Not far away, Tina saw William pocket the note and gave him a sweet smile. When she noticed him looking back at her, she pouted her lips playfully, which was very cute.
After lunch, William finished another cup of coffee and got up to pay the bill. As he was leaving, he made a gesture to Tina: *Wait for my call.* Tina nodded in response.
William walked out of the café, got into his car, and drove away.
---
$5 Tier – Early Access!
Read 30 chapters ahead of public platforms like RoyalRoad and Scribble Hub — with plans to increase to 40 chapters ahead once I reach 10 members!
Chapters are posted as soon as they're completed, so you'll always stay ahead of the curve.
Support the story and unlock early access:
Patreon is linked in My Profile or About.
Please select your membership carefully, as I have multiple novels ongoing. If you're on Apple, consider subscribing through your browser instead — it will be cheaper for you, and I won't have to wait 2 months for payments. Thank you!