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It had been a long time since Charity last set foot in Cloudtop Pizzeria. For a while, it reminded her too much of her ex. They’d hung out here long before they dated. On top of that, this had been the location of their very first date.
But that wasn’t why she stayed away these days. She just didn’t have much time to hang out in restaurants. The only exception was when she met clients for lunch, but she either scheduled those at the café on the square or the restaurant in the resort off the strip.
“Welcome!” the two employees working the counter yelled out as Charity entered the pizzeria.
Charity smiled at them and gave a little wave. Then she stopped uncertainly just inside the door. This was a place where you ordered and paid before heading to the back room. They brought your pizza to you once it was ready.
Should she check to make sure Nic was back there before ordering? She hadn’t seen his car, but she’d managed to spot an available space across the street in front of Town Hall. She knew from experience never to pass up an empty spot in downtown Misty Mountain.
Pulling her wallet out, Charity stepped up to the counter and stared up at the menu. Should she just order the same thing she always got when she came here as a teen?
“Are you with the man who got the full deluxe but left onions and peppers off one half?” the guy, who appeared to be high school age, asked.
There was no stopping the smile that spread across her face at the question. It was the exact order she and Nic always placed going back to when their parents dropped them off to meet other friends here. They both loved the deluxe because it had all the meats on it, but she didn’t like peppers and onions and he didn’t like mushrooms. Since she could take them or leave them, they left those off too.
“No mushrooms?” she asked.
The employee nodded. “And it’s already paid for. We’ll bring it out when it’s ready. What would you like to drink?”
Charity ordered a water and headed back to the table. Her heart was pounding as she entered the dining room. Not a single thing had changed. There were even two arcade games in the back that she’d swear had been there at least all her life.
The tables in the center of the room were packed with young people—high schoolers, it looked like. The sight reminded her of the many times she and Nic had hung out here with their friends in elementary and middle school. Even in high school when they were dating, most of their hangouts had been a group thing.
When she looked past the high schoolers to the booths on the far wall, she spotted him. He was in the booth just ahead of her. He was staring down at his phone like he wasn’t even watching to see if she might show up. What if she hadn’t? Would he have tried to eat the whole pizza himself?
No, he probably would have taken the leftovers home and handed them off to his mom.
“Hey,” she said as she approached the table.
She shrugged out of her coat as she slid in across from him. Nic looked up from his phone like he’d just awoken from a nap.
“Oh, hi,” he said.
Charity narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly but said nothing. He may have been away a while, but they’d spent countless hours together as kids. She knew when he was faking surprise.
“I guess they told you I placed the order.” He set his phone face down on the table and looked around. “I always expect to find this place completely remodeled when I visit. I guess Crosby is still running it.”
Charity nodded. He took the place over from his grandpa. His dad died when he was a kid, and his grandparents raised him. She’d heard stories about him working here as early as middle school.
Nic looked toward the front of the restaurant, even though a wall wouldn’t let him see what was going on up there. “I always figure one of these days, I’ll hear he retired.”
“His kids will probably take it over.”
Crosby had two kids in Misty Mountain Middle School. One boy, one girl. It was inevitable they’d work here eventually, even if they didn’t start as young as Crosby had.
“Must stink to have your life mapped out for you like that,” he said.
“I can’t imagine.” She shook her head. “What if I’d had to work for the bank for life?”
“Your dad didn’t want you to do that?”
Charity shrugged. “I worked as a teller for a few years after high school. I was trying to figure out what to do. You know Brianna Jewell?”
He nodded. “She went to school with us.”
“She’s also dating the mayor now.”
He looked surprised at that. “Matt didn’t mention it.”
