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“You’re welcome to come, too, Fox,” Opal said.
“No thanks. Not a fan of looking through used shit people don’t want. I got enough shit of my own I could get rid of.”
“Then you should have a garage sale. I can come over and help you price things…”
I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to dolessthan open the door for the entire town to come in. I held up a hand. “I’m good, thanks.”
Opal ignored me like I wasn’t there, continuing to yap at Josie. “Heard you ran into your uncle Ray?”
Josie squinted but then a look of understanding crossed her face and she nodded. “I was at Lowell’s, earlier today. Sam pointed him out and introduced us. I expected my uncle to be different than he was. He was actually very soft-spoken and sweet.”
Opal and I exchanged glances. Then our waiter came by with the second glass of wine Josie had ordered. Most people would take the interruption as a segue to say goodbye, but not Opal. She stood there, continuing to yap while my food got cold. I waited a few more minutes, but she still didn’t stop. Frustrated, I picked my fork back up and waved it between my date and my employee.
“You think you could finish this conversation while shopping for used socks next week? Our food is getting cold.”
Josie frowned. “You don’t have to be rude.”
Opal smiled and waved me off. “Eh. He doesn’t bother me. But I should get back to Frannie anyway. You two enjoy your evening.”
“You, too, Opal,” Josie said.
I grunted and stuffed a piece of steak into my mouth.
But Josie didn’t resume eating her meal. She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Why are you like that?”
“Like what?”
“Rude. You act like everyone in the world annoys you.”
“Not acting.”
“Opal is just being friendly.”
“She was over here spreading gossip. And that’s what she’s going to be doing about us in thirty seconds, when she gets back to her table.”
Josie shrugged. “So? What could she possibly say? That we ate dinner together?”
“I like my business kept my business.”
Josie shook her head. “There’s a guy who takes out my garbage cans and puts on a suit for a date under that grumpy exterior. If you’d let him out more, you might be happier.”
“Who says I’m not happy?”
She searched my face like she was looking for something. “Were you always like this?”
“Hungry with a dislike for cold food? Yeah.”
“You know what I mean. Were you always grumpy? Or did it change after…”
My eyes narrowed. “After what?”
“After you lost your fiancée.”
“She’s not lost. She’s dead. And this is who I’ve always been.” The legs of my chair skidded loudly against the tile floor as I pushed my chair back. Standing, I tossed my napkin on the table. “Excuse me. I need to use the men’s room.”
In the bathroom, I splashed some water on my face. Maybe this was a dumb idea after all. Josie wasn’t a woman who would take what I could give and be happy. The fancy restaurant and flowers were only the beginning. Soon she’d be expecting me to pour my heart out. And go with her to dumb garage sales. Probably liked to spend hours talking after sex, too, instead of rolling over and getting a decent night’s sleep. I looked in the mirror and shook my head. What the hell was I thinking?
Back at the table, our plates were gone. Josie gestured to the missing place settings.
