Page 10 of For the Love of Art

“Nathan Manning,” Lianne swooned.

“Can we stop saying his full name? It’s weird.”

“Tell me what he’s like.”

“Polite?” Lianne’s shoulders dropped, and she sighed, so I added, “All business.”

“Fine. We’ll stop talking about him.”

“Good.”

She gave me a bland look as I pressed my wine glass to my lips.

“So, what are we doing tonight?” Frankie leaned against the counter as I finished closing out the debit machine that Friday.

Lianne and I looked at each other.

“I have a date, and she’s a spinster now,” Lianne coolly lied.

“Hey!” I shot her a look.

Lianne shrugged.

“We never go out anymore,” Frankie whined. He shimmied his chest as he continued, “I wanna dance.”

“Go out with Derek.”

I hated bringing up his on-again, off-again boyfriend, who I couldn’t stand, but it kept me from admitting where we were going tonight.

Frankie dropped his head onto the counter, his pastel hair spreading across the wood. “We broke up.”

“Again?” Lianne and I asked at the same time.

“Damn, Frankie. You go through men like Apple comes up with new iPhones.”

I chuckled but instantly felt terrible when I saw how sad Frankie looked.

“He wasn’t the one.”

“Has he ever been, though?”

Frankie smiled, then reached across the counter, grabbing each of our hands. “Luckily, I have you two. You two are my happily ever after.”

“Ew.” Lianne pulled her hand back and then pumped some sanitizer into it.

Frankie scowled at her.

“Maybe–” I pulled my hand out of his and began to take off my apron. “You should consider the common denominator in your failed relationship with Derek. You keep getting back together with him and expect a different result.”

Frankie huffed, “Spinster doesn’t get a say.”

I narrowed my eyes at him as Lianne handed me my purse.

“Fine, you’re both busy tonight. How about tomorrow?”

“I’m available,” Lianne said as we walked around the counter.

“Same.”