“Technically two,” Win adds, grinning.
Joel rolls his eyes but doesn’t correct him. “How about this? It doesn’t look too gory. I like a good underdog takes down the big bad movie. There’s a little romance, and Win is always up for something with magic.”
“Sounds good to me,” I say.
“Me too,” Murph adds.
“Me three,” Win says, settling into the couch.
“Done.” Joel hits play, and we all relax as the movie starts.
Chapter 19
Win
Rose is sitting in a booth, and her smile is strained.
“Something’s wrong,” I murmur.
“You say something, Win?” Nico yells from the other side of the kitchen hatch.
“Can you take over the cooking?” I ask him, not looking away from Rose. “I need to check something out.”
He follows my gaze, then turns to Lina, calling out, “Lina, I’ll be out back. Can you keep an eye on the counter?”
Lina, busy with a customer, glances at him and nods. “Got it.”
There’s no explanation needed here. If you have a personal emergency, Nico is the first to shove you out the door to deal with it. If it involves family, he’s volunteering to drive you wherever you need to go. He was like that before his wife, Alexandria, passed away from heart disease several years ago. After he lost her, he doesn’t just put family first; he makes sure you do the same.
I pull my apron over my head and wash my hands in the small sink by the swinging door. Nico walks into the kitchen, ready to take my place.
“What tickets are up?” he asks, tying his apron as he scans the grills.
I run through everything on the grill and in the fryer. We’ve been working together for years, used to seamlessly switching when I take a break, or he has to help Lina at the front, so it’s only a couple of minutes before I walk out of the kitchen and toward table seven.
Rose's mind is elsewhere. While Ben digs into his burger and fries, Rose twirls the straw for her banana milkshake, her brow furrowed. I don’t think he’s realized how distracted his mom is. She’s smiling and nodding, but I doubt she’s heard a word he’s said since they walked into the diner just after the busy lunch period ended thirty minutes ago.
I stop beside their booth. “Hey,” I say, scaring the shit out of her. Her milkshake glass topples, and I reach out to catch it before it spills onto the table and her lap. “Sorry.”
She forces another smile as she grabs a napkin to clean her hands. “Hi, Win. Is something wrong?”
Yeah. Just not with me.
Ever since our first movie night together a couple of days ago, it’s a regular habit. After Ben goes to bed, we pick a movie to watch in the living room. It’s become my favorite part of the day, something to look forward to, and I know I’m not the only one.
Rose was quieter than usual at breakfast this morning. Last night, we stayed up too late, laughing, talking, and watching very little of the movie we picked out. I thought she was just tired, like we all were, but that’s not what this is.This, the strained smiles, the staring at nothing, the sadness she can’t quite hide, is something else.
“I just had a quick question,” I say to her, then smile at Ben. “Mind if I borrow your mom for two minutes? We won’t go far.”
Ben stops sipping his chocolate shake and grins at me. “Nope.”
Rose doesn’t move from her seat.
“You’ll be able to see him from where we’re standing,” I reassure her.
After hesitating briefly, she nods. “Okay.” She slides out of the red leather seat and follows me to a slightly quieter corner of the diner, where she can still watch Ben.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her.
