“There’s always dinner,” I tell him.
Lester winks at me, his gaze traveling over to Callum—who, yep, is still here with us.
I clear my throat. “Lester, this is my friend Callum.”
“Your kissing friend?”
“At times,” I say.
“Good for you.” Lester pats Callum’s back before leaving a ten-dollar bill on the counter and rising from his seat.
The minute he’s out of sight, Callum looks at me. “There’s always dinner?”
“He’s waiting for his wife to haunt him.”
“Huh.” He licks his lips and gives his head the smallest of shakes. “Hey, when do you get off? Could we take a walk or talk or?—”
But it’s only ten in the morning. I’m here until one. “Not for a while. I have a break in twenty minutes, when Jan arrives. We could take a short walk then.” Because who needs to eat or sit after being on their feet for four and a half hours?
“Okay.” He grins, and it reminds me of sunshine after a brutal rainstorm. Light after darkness. Joy after wondering when the misery might end. It’s a nice smile, a telling smile, afriendlysmile. “Twenty minutes.”
Twenty minutes later, Cal’s teammates are eating. Hisegg white omelet is hot and untouched, but he excuses himself, meeting me at the exit.
“How long is your break?” he asks.
“Fifteen minutes.” I snag a muffin from the counter, knowing I won’t make it the rest of my shift without some sustenance.
We step out into the spring sunshine, and I follow Callum’s lead down Mill Street.
“How is your…”
“Butt?” I ask. I have come to terms with the fact that I announced to the world that my butt was in pain—it was a rough hit.
“I was going to say wound.”
I chuckle. “You make it sound like I went to war.” I shake my head, keeping time with his long legs—though I’m certain he’s walking slowly for my benefit. “My knee is healing, but man, it stings. I have to keep them bandaged and—” I swallow. I don’t actually want to tell him that walking breaks open the scabs and causes me pain—because I’m certain Cal would end this walk, here and now. “My backside is just bruised. I’m feeling better. Really.” It’s been a few days, and time has helped.
“Good.” He coughs, but it doesn’t sound natural. “I’m glad Paul was there to help you.”
“Me too.” I sigh. “I kind of wish it wasn’t all over the internet, but I am glad he didn’t let me get crushed like a bug.”
“Yeah, of course. Those videos are a bit awkward, though.”
“Most of the videos focus more on Paul than me, so I guess it’s fine. He doesn’t mind the attention. It’s not like anyone hasnoticed me.”
He clears his throat. “Are you seeing him again?”
“Yeah. We’re going to dinner.”
Cal nods. It’s curt. Suddenly, all of his movements are. He looks anxious for some reason. “So, then he didn’t see…”
I can be embarrassed, or I can own my actions. We both know what happened. I clear my throat and complete his thought. “When I kissed you? He did see it, actually.” It’s probably better that we’re talking about this. That it’s not some obscure moment in time that we never mention again.
Callum hisses like he might be in trouble—though I’m the one who made the move. “And he’s okay with that?”
I pause on the sidewalk, a light spring breeze kissing my skin. “I explained that we’re friends. Just friends.”
That light-bursting smile is back. “Do you normally kiss your friends like that, Fran?”
