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“Aw, shucks,” he said, playing bashful.
“If it keeps up, we can go somewhere else.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “They must all be bored.”
He reached for menus, handing her one first.
“I always get the same thing when I come here,” she said. “Strawberry french toast.”
“I’ll have that, too,” he said, putting the menu away. “I’m starving. Digging cars out of snowbanks is not my usual, sedentary routine.”
“You don’t work out?” she asked, trying to keep her composure, looking at the size of his arms.
“I’m a weekend athlete,” he said. “But since this is my last break for a long time, I’ve been spending more of my time sleeping. What about you?”
“I go to the gym every day. I’m afraid if I miss a day, I’ll never go again.”
“Ah, one of those people,” he said, grinning at her.
The waitress, an acquaintance of Lily’s, came to take their orders, definitely curious about Jason Karas and Lily Fairchild sharing a booth. She gave them a knowing grin when they ordered the same food.
“Did you notice that?” Lily whispered. “We’re going to be the talk of the town.”
“Yes, ’cause your dad is a bigwig in town, and my pop owns the local garage.”
Frowning, Lily shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’s why,” she said. “It’s because I was—am a nerd, and you’re Jason Karas.”
Shaking his head in disagreement, Jason’s exasperation was apparent. “How about we don’t care what they think?”
“Why did you ask me for coffee?” she asked, her voice giving her anxiety away. “You never spoke to me when we saw each other every day for years.”
Before he could answer, he wondered why, too. Why hadn’t he spoken to Lily, when he was clearly attracted to her all those years ago?
“I think it was selfishness. I didn’t like calling attention to myself, yet it seemed like no matter what I did, that was exactly what happened.”
“You took Jennifer Morgan to prom,” Lily said, smiling, not letting him get away with a pat answer. He was a pretty clueless guy not to understand why the spotlight was always on him.
“She asked me to go,” he said. “It was the completion of a cliché. I was the captain of the football team; she was the captain of the cheerleaders. I never saw her again after that night.”
“She’s married with four kids,” Lily said, chuckling.
“How does someone my age have four children?” he asked, frowning.
“It’s evidently all she does. I haven’t had a date in a year, and she has four kids.”
“You’re having a date now,” he said.
“Oh! Right,” she replied, “I forgot.”
“Will you have another with me tonight? It’s Friday, and I live in Greektown. The annual Christmas ball is at the casino tonight.”
“No way! A real, formal dress-up party?” she asked.
“Is it too late notice?” he asked. “They give a prize for the best dancers and the most spruced-up couple.”
“Oh, I love to dress up! Yes, I’d love to go. Be warned though, I don’t dance.”
“Me either, but so what? We can pretend. What time can I pick you up?” he asked.
