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Patsy burst in looking flustered. “A Canadian tour bus just unloaded in the parking lot. Oh, and Odette quit.”
“What? When did that happen?”
Patsy hesitated. “The tour bus or Odette?”
“Both. Never mind. I’m coming.”
“I’ll go help out in the kitchen,” Gio said mildly. “Canadians tend to really like pizza.”
The dining room had turned into a circus filled with exceedingly polite people. The tour bus had visited the Grand Canyon and Sedona, and now the group was spending the night in Phoenix before heading back up north. I tied my hair back and got busy helping at the hostess desk, serving food, and cashing out very happy customers.
I managed to think about Dominic very little. And then, just as I was seating a young family, it occurred to me that the way I’d been living wasn’t very good for me. I was working too much and playing too hard with a guy who might not be capable of feeling the same way about me that I felt about him.
The happily fed Canadians had just boarded their tour bus, and I was adding some small bills to the cash register, when I saw something that almost made me drop the pile of money.
“Shit,” I gasped.
Jessica, one of the young servers, was on her way to the kitchen, and she heard me. She stopped and looked at me with alarm, then redirected her gaze to what I was staring at as if hypnotized.
“You know them or something?” she asked, squinting at the attractive couple that had just walked in. Patsy grabbed a couple of menus and led them to a small table along the far wall. The woman was pretty in a wholesome soap commercial kind of way. The man who carefully pulled her chair out, then waited until she was settled before he sat down himself, was my ex-husband.
“Melanie.” Jessica was looking at me worriedly. I must have been wearing my shock all over my face. She looked from me to the couple and then back at me. “I’ll go wait on them,” she said. “They haven’t looked over here yet, so you can still escape to the office if you don’t want to run into whoever that is.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s all right. I’ll take their order.”
James and his wife were reading over their menus as I approached. I hadn’t seen him in person for a while, although I knew he’d gotten married again and had a baby. I didn’t resent him for that. We were never going to be one of those former couples who found their way to a comfortable friendship after they split, but despite all our problems, I didn’t wish he’d fall into the nearest open manhole either.
James saw me first. He glanced up from his menu and couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Melanie,” he croaked.
I took a deep breath and smiled. “Hello, James. Welcome to Esposito’s.”
He looked me over with confusion. “Wait, you work here?”
“Yes. I’m the assistant manager. Just thought I’d come over and say hello.” I nodded to the woman who was now gazing at me curiously. “You must be Maris.” I held my hand out. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
She smiled with obvious relief and accepted my handshake. “It’s nice to finally meet you, too, Melanie.” She looked around brightly. “I’ve been looking forward to trying this place. What do you recommend?”
James had been giving me something of a troubled look, but he seemed to relax when his wife and I exchanged pleasantries. We chatted for a few minutes, and I found out they’d left their baby boy with a sitter so they could venture out for a rare date. I suggested the meat lover’s pizza with a side of garlic knots, and they agreed with enthusiasm. Maris told me again that she was glad we’d finally met face-to-face. I’d known James had been seeing her before we were formally separated. I’d been so hurt when I first found out, even though I’d already accepted that our marriage was a lost cause. But now, as I gazed at the two of them with their matching wedding bands and their relaxed smiles, I didn’t feel any pain at all. They were happy. James and I had never been happy.
As I walked back to the kitchen to drop off their order, I felt an odd sense of relief. A little later I was heading to the office to take a quick look at next week’s schedule when James caught up with me in the hallway.
“Melanie.” He touched my elbow and then immediately dropped his hand and took a step back. Whatever he wanted to say seemed to have been forgotten, because he just stood there in silence and frowned at the floor.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, exhaling deeply. “This is weird, huh?”
He nodded with a vague smile. “Weird, yeah.” He met my eyes, and his expression was kind. “I was surprised to see you working here. Just wanted to make sure everything was all right with you.”
“You mean because I’ve taken an apparent step down in the professional world?”
James made a face. “I heard what happened at that resort you were working at. I’m sorry, Mel. I should have gotten in touch with you. I could have pulled a few strings to get you an offer somewhere.” He looked earnest. “I still can, you know. I’ve got a lot of contacts all over the valley. One of my frat brothers—”
I cut him off. “I don’t need your strings, James.”
James hesitated. Then a grudging grin spread across his face. “No, you probably don’t. You were always so capable all on your own.” He scanned the busy dining room. “Are you happy, Melanie?”
“Yes,” I said before I had a chance to think about whether it was true. “I’ll be just fine.”
