“They passed away when I was little,” she says.
Oh, shit. “I’m sorry.”
She gives me a small smile. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. I don’t even really remember them, you know?”
“So, is that how you ended up with your grandparents?”
She nods. “There was nobody on my dad’s side of the family. He went through the foster system, so… If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have had anybody.”
That explains her affection for them so much, and I admire them for their dedication to her. If I’d been left alone as a little orphan… I just can’t picture any of my grandparents stepping up. They’re too busy with their lives, and they wouldn’t have wanted to be bothered with a child.
We split a tiramisu for dessert. I’m a little full, but she says it’s the best tiramisu in the state, so I have to take a bite.
“Wow. Fabulous,” I say with a nod of approval.
“Told you.” She closes her eyes for a moment, lost in the sweetness, then lets out a soft sigh. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever had. Thank God I don’t come here all the time. Otherwise, I would’ve gained a Freshman Fifty or something.”
I laugh. “You’d still look pretty.”
She flushes. “Yeah, but my grandparents would’ve worried. They might’ve assumed I was stress-eating.”
“Do you do that?”
“Depends. But generally, no. I prefer to mull things over or just go out for a walk to clear my head.”
I can see her doing that, actually. She seems too practical to gorge on sugar to soothe herself.
Dinner ends, and she asks for the check.
“It’s been taken care of.” The server beams proudly, like he had something to do with it.
She frowns up at him. “How?”
“I don’t know.” He gives her a small black folio with my credit card sticking out.
The hostess should’ve told him to hand it to me, but I guess she forgot. The food gets an A+, but the service? A big fat F.
She opens it, reads the name on the black AmEx and looks at me. “You paid already?”
“Uh-huh.” I smile.
“But I thought I was buying you dinner for the medicine and all that when I was sick.”
“I still owe you one for putting my name on the paper.”
She laughs. “If I’d known, I would’ve taken you somewhere classier.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you.” Since Aspen’s watching, I quickly do the math and tip Zack twenty percent. If I were alone, I’d give him nothing for being a fool who tried to hit on Aspen every time he came by.
I scrawl my signature on the slip and put it into the folio. “Ready?”
“Yup.”
We head out together. I walk her to her car. Although the lot is well lit, it’s the principle of the matter. Plus I feel the need to come up with a reason to see her again. It’s a surprisingly unfamiliar feeling—but I’ve never had to bother before. Girls almost always try to score more time withme.
“Hey, you free next Saturday? There’s a polo match. Thought you might be interested.” I play it cool and all, even though inside I’m dying for her to come. I want to celebrate with her after we spank the other team.
She considers for a second. “I have a shift at the café until two.”
