Ellie giggled along, and I forced my best courtesy laugh, all while Lottie was doubled over recounting the memory.
“That’s a funny story,” Ellie said.
“Oh well, dear I have plenty where that came from.”
“Lottie!” A voice called, and we all looked to an older gentleman who stood a distance away, glasses on the tip of his nose as he shot her a pointed glare.
Lottie turned back to us with her lips pulled tight in a half smile.
“That’s my cue to get y’all to a table. He’s a bit of a grump, doesn’t believe in fun. If I could leave you two with a piece of life advice, don’t allow a good opportunity to slip your fingers. I had a chance to perform on Broadway, and I missed the audition because of a bad case of food poisoning from a sushi place in the city. Don’t let anything—not even bad sushi—get in the way of what you love.” Lottie recoiled, like she was reliving that moment. “Is it just the two of you?”
“Please,” Ellie said, shining her sweetest smile. Lottie grabbed menus and flatware, then jerked her head—a silent,Follow me.
As crazy as Lottie seemed, her advice struck me, hitting a little too close to home.
Ellie shot me a wide-eyed look. I mouthed,Geez,and rested a guiding hand on the small of her back as we wound through the maze of booths. Even with the music, the neon, and the hum of strangers’ conversations, the only thing I noticed was how perfectly her body fit beneath my palm and how right it felt to keep her close.
Spending this kind of time with her, just the two of us, was slowly destroying every ounce of restraint I had. Each glance, each stolen moment, only deepened the ache I’d been trying to bury. Every mile we drove together added weight to the truth I hadn’t told her yet: I was in love with my best friend’s little sister. Maybe it was the distance from our hometown, our friends, that made this urge to spill it all so strong.
I would tell her. I would. Just… not yet. Not while everything was still so raw with Miles.
Lottie’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“Your waiter will be right with you,” she said. “He is a bit… much, so watch out.”
Ellie and I said nothing, just exchanged a look before sliding into the booth across from each other. More than her? I doubted that.
“Okay, is it just me, or is she a little kooky?” I whispered, leaning in slightly.
Ellie mirrored my movement, her eyes locking on mine with a grin. “Not just you. She’s definitely kooky. But I kind of liked it. I am scared, consideringshethinks we should watch out.”
We stayed that way—leaning across the table, caught in some kind of invisible thread that kept pulling us closer. Her gaze softened, then shifted, a flicker of something new in her expression. Her lips parted slightly, like she was about to say something, or maybe… like she was thinking about what it would be like if I leaned in and kissed her right there. That was my stupid mind hoping for the best.
The air between us grew heavy. The world faded. It was just her. Just me.
Until—
“Can we stop playing googly eyes and read the damn menu? I don’t have all day, Hercules.”
Both our heads snapped up in unison.
Standing beside the table was an older man, tall and gangly, with a full head of silver hair and round wire-rimmed glasses. He looked like he belonged in a sitcom, and not the charming kind.
I blinked, confused. “Uh… what?”
“Y’all deaf or just in love?” he asked, hands on his hips. “Drinks? Or should I come back after your wedding? What do you think, Princess Peach?”
I stared at him, stunned into silence. Ellie, on the other hand, couldn’t hold it together as she burst out laughing.
“Princess Peach?” she asked between laughs, her mouth open in disbelief.
“You got the look. All sweet and cartoony,” he said, waving his pen at her. “Now come on, focus up, lovebirds. We’re slammed.”
I glanced around the half-empty restaurant. “Slammed” wasn’t exactly the word I’d use. A few other tables were occupied, and there were at least three other waiters walking around, none of them looking particularly rushed.
“I’ll have an orange soda,” I said with a resigned sigh.
“Diet Coke,” Ellie added, still grinning.
