“Oh, yeah.” She points ahead of us. “Find the first parking spot you can. It’s hard to find close parking, even during off season.”
“Sure thing.” I’ve been to some hole in the wall restaurants in my time with Crooked Halo, but this really looks like a residential area.
Someone is pulling out of a parking space, and I wait to pull in. I’m not taking any chances even if I don’t know where I’m at. Before Paula has a chance to open her door, I turn off the car and rush around to her side. It’s the little things. Not only is it part of the dating thing, but I was raised to be a gentleman. My dad still opens the door for my mom and they’ve been together for decades. It’s sweet.
“Thank you,” she says as I offer my hand to help her out.
“Any time.” I pull her closer to me and wrap an arm around her waist. It’s still pretty chilly, and she took my jacket off when we got back to the beach house.
“Is this place good?” I’ve never heard of it, and I don’t know what to expect.
“Definitely.” She nods. “They serve a little bit of everything and the food is delicious. They even have fountainBig Red, and that’s probably my favorite thing.”
“That’s good to know.” I give her a quick squeeze. “Sounds like an easy way to get back into your good graces when I screw up.”
“Are you talking about while we’re here? Or, when we go back to the real world and we’re just friends.”
The acknowledgment of our expiration dates hits me right in the heart. I know it’s not her casting me out of her life forever. But the more time I spend with her, I don’t know that I’ll ever be able toonlybe friends with her again.
“Both.” I force a small laugh to hide the pain.
We’ve come to small building on the corner, and I can only assume this is the right place. A blast of hot air hits me as soon as I pull the door open. There’s a line along the wall of people waiting to order. Wow, this place must be popular.
The room we’re in has tables sprinkled through, and none of them are empty. Paula’s family is also nowhere to be seen.
“Do you think they went to another restaurant?” I don’t want to take up space in here if we need to leave.
“No, there’s another dining area off to the side.” Paula assures me. She pulls out her phone from her small purse and sends a text. It dings with a response right away. “Piper said they’ve saved us some seats. And, they are far away from Pierce.”
That feels like an added bonus for her. We definitely don’t need to rehash earlier events in a public space. Though, I’m sure her brother knows that.
We’re slowly making progress to the front of the line, and I start perusing the lit-up menu behind the counter.
“So, what’s good here?” I haven’t had much seafood. The band prefers Mexican food, and we always try to find hidden gems to eat at.
“Pretty much anything.” She waves toward the menu. “If you don’t like seafood, they have burgers and chicken strips. Though I definitely recommend the grilled shrimp. They make it to perfection.”
“Okay, then. That’s what I’m getting.”
“You don’t have to get the same thing as me. Or, eat seafood for that matter.”
“Paula, I value your opinion. I’ve never really eaten seafood before. Is life even worth living if you don’t try new things?”
She flinches at the question, and I want to know why. I won’t push her, though. She’ll tell me or she won’t. That’s up to her.
“Okay, but don’t blame me when you learn you love it, and will want it all the time.” She smirks pushing aside whatever concerned her only seconds ago.
We place our order, and I pay for it despite her protests. She better get used to it. As long as I’m around, I’ll take care of things. Fake boyfriend or not.
“Do we wait here for the food?”
“Nope. That’s what this is for.” She holds up a small plastic tent with a number on it. “Let’s go find my family, and hope some of them are in better moods.” The last thing is said just above a whisper.
I follow her through a door on the side of the room. It leads outside to a pathway. There’s another door on the other side, and laughter can be heard before we open it.
Her family is on the far side of the room, taking up almost half of it. I wonder why this place doesn’t look for a bigger location. It’s popular enough to afford it. Maybe the cozy vibe is part of the appeal. It feels like a big family get together. At least, it does, based on what I’ve seen in movies. I wouldn’t know from personal experience.
“You finally made it.” Paul stands shakes my hand. It’s not like we didn’t see each other earlier, or are staying under the same room for a few days. Formalities must be a big thing for him.
