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"I won't tell anyone," I said staring blankly at him. My mind was so full of thoughts that it took me off guard when a coworker walked by and touched my shoulder. "Table fifty-two left this," she said. She handed me a wad of loose cash and change.
"Thank you," I said as she walked away. I looked at JD "I'm only working the lunch shift today. I've got about a half-hour left, but I'll be done after that."
JD stared into my eyes. "I'm going upstairs to visit my dad for a minute. You can text me when you get done."
I knew Jim lived upstairs on the third floor, and I nodded. "Okay," I said.
And just like that, JD stood up. He left a tip on the counter.
"I don't have your phone number," I said.
"Do you have Rita's?"
"Yes."
"It's the same, but my last four digits are two-two-three-eight."
"Two-two-three-eight," I repeated.
He nodded.
"I'll talk to you in a minute," I said.
JD gave me a small smile and turned to walk away. I turned to walk the other direction. JD could no longer see me, but other people could, and I had to bite the inside of my lip to keep from grinning from ear to ear. JD told me the whole story about the secret room, and he didn't even seem mad about it. He also clearly said that he did not regret it when I kissed him last night.
I was so happy that I basically floated on clouds after that conversation. I had thirty minutes of work to wrap up, and texting JD was the first thing I did afterward.
Me: Hey, it's Jordan. I just got off work. Are you still around?
I saw the thought bubble come up on the screen, and I stared at it, wide-eyed.
I heard back from him within seconds.
JD: I'll be down in five minutes. Meet me downstairs, by the alley entrance.
I wasn't far from that area of the restaurant, anyway, so I went over there the instant he replied. I found a spot leaning against the wall, and it was three or four minutes later when JD walked up to me. I expected him to come out of the same door that I had, but he came from outside, from the other side of the building.
"What are you doing?" I asked, walking toward him.
JD was grinning a little as he came up to me. It was cloudy but not misting or raining. I was cold, though, in spite of wearing a jacket. I put on my hood.
"You need a thicker jacket," he said.
He was staring at me.
Something had changed with him.
"I'm fine," I said. "I do need a thicker jacket, in general, but I'm also fine."
"Do you want mine?" he asked, starting to take it off.
"No, no, no, no, that's okay, I was just saying… it seems like it's colder now than it was on my way over here."
JD pointed down the side of the building once we rounded the corner. "Is that the door you saw?"
"Yes," I said.
He nudged his head, telling me to follow him. "Micah was in here for two years," he explained. "He was strung out on drugs at first. Rita told him he couldn’t stay if he was doing any of that, and he turned his life around. His name was Logan back then. He changed it legally. Rita has a verse from the book of Micah painted on one part of the wall up there, and he felt like he needed a new name at a moment when he was looking at it. It's still on the wall up there. You don't need to go telling everyone that story or anything, but I feel like you won't. I know Micah wouldn't mind me telling you that because I called him and asked him to make sure."
