AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m your best friend. You don’t call, you don’t text. Maybe you ran off with the cook.”
Marnie walked up with a tray of drinks at that moment. Two coffees and a soda for me. She put them down. “Abbie’s too stubborn to run off with the cook. Or the bus boy, or any one of the students who show up only when she’s working and watch her with puppy dog eyes while she refills their drinks and brings their fries.”
I smiled at her. “Liar.”
“I’ll bring your burger over when it’s ready, Lucas. You hungry, hon?” She tilted the tray against her hip and looked at the two of us with an amused smile. She always had a soft spot for him.
“She’ll just eat off my plate.”
I laughed. “Likely true.”
“I’ll double the fries. Nice seeing you.”
“Nice seeing you too, Marnie.”
She walked off, and I leaned back against the booth. “Well? Don’t tell me you met someone else already?”
“Nope.” He shook his head emphatically for a moment.
“Thank God.”
“My mother’s probably praying for someone to drop into my lap.”
“Has your mother met you?” I laughed and took a long sip of my caffeine-laden soda then glanced out the window. The snow had just started to fall again in the last hour. We’d probably have a few inches by morning piled up.
Welcome to winter.
“You know her. All she wants is grandchildren.”
I remembered. Last Thanksgiving dinner had been spent half-listening to the football game in the other room while I’d helped off and on in the kitchen and setting the table with her lamenting that none of the little kids running around called her Grandma. The woes of having an only child, she’d said to me as she’d handed me a glass of wine.
Woes.
She’d actually used the wordwoes.
“So, what's up? You look like you're here for a reason.”
“You.”
“Sure.” I tapped my nails on the tabletop, noticing how chipped my red metallic nail polish had gotten since my shift had started. “Truth. What’s up?”
“Okay, fine, you know me too well. I have something to ask you.”
“I’m not going to break up with someone for you.”
“I only ever asked you to do that once for me…while I was studying for the bar.”
I nodded. “I remember. That’s why I’m never doing it again.”
That particular girlfriend had ugly-cried on the steps of the library before I’d manage to get halfway through our well-rehearsed spiel. I’d awkwardly had to rub her back while explaining maybe it was for the best as people passed by giving me dirty looks, like I’d stolen her puppy or something. I’d ended up taking her for drinks after, letting her hiccup into her beer and lament Lucas’ mere existence until the cute bartender had asked for her number after the second beer.
I took another sip, catching Marnie watching us from the counter. I waved and turned my attention back to Lucas.
“Okay, what is it?” I asked, leaning on the table.
“I’ve got an invitation to something.”
“Tends to happen in your line of work.” I straightened the salt and pepper shakers, moving the ketchup closer. “So, what is it this time?”
