“No.” He hugged me back and then we stepped away from one another. “Just pleasantly surprised.”
“I think our mutual friends were playing a little prank on us.”
He shook his head. “So, they know where we met before?”
“I’m friends with August and Jovan as well. When I told them about what happened and mentioned your name, they promised to ask if I could contact you. Looks like Hal and Ernie went a different way.”
We started into the diner, a bright open space with servers on roller skates and lots of neon. When we had been seated, he leaned across the table toward me. “You did get my gift right? With the note?”
“Yes, thank you so much. I ate every bite.”
“I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe you didn’t because you didn’t reply to my note.”
“I-I definitely would have, but I didn’t know your number.” The server came by just then and we both ordered the specialof the night, something with Korean flavors I thought, but I was more interested in the man staring at me in dismay.
“The number was on the note,” he said, starting out with confidence and fading a little at the end. “I’m sure I put it on there.”
“I must have missed it.” No way did I miss it. It was only a few lines, and I read it over multiple times trying to decide if there was a hidden message.
He flushed again, and it was too cute. “You’re too nice. I must have forgotten. And there I was thinking I’d been being subtle. I was going to say ‘let me know if you like the pastries,’ but I got interrupted and never finished.”
The server returned with our orders, the burgers, dirty sodas, and a plate of parmesan spicy fries that could have fed at least two tables. She told us to let her know if we needed anything and moved on to other customers.
“This looks incredible.” I studied the plate in front of me. “It’s a lot.”
“I know.” Ridge squirted ketchup on his plate and picked up a fry. “I always end up with enough left over for another meal.”
So he was getting two meals for a reasonable price.
We exchanged some casual conversation while we ate. Ridge had so many amusing anecdotes from his cat-sitting and also did a number of other jobs, the very definition of a gig worker. Where I got up and went to one office, occasionally leaving for meetings, my date for the evening was all over the city, delivering food, doing odd jobs, and watching pets—mostly cats, although he recently had stayed with a designer gecko.
“What makes them designer?” I asked.
He shrugged. “This one had kind of a rainbow pattern on his back, but I don’t know how they do that. It was the easiest job. I just had to feed him occasionally, make sure his heater stayed on, and generally keep him company.”
“Still takes up your time. And the owner probably cares about him, so having someone responsible there means they can enjoy their vacation or whatever trip they were on.”
He took a bite of his burger and chewed thoughtfully. Swallowed. “This is pretty good. I’ve never had it before and maybe never will again.”
“Why not? I think it’s good, too.”
“These specials are often only one time. Get it when they have it or never see it again.”
“That’s a shame.” I’d order it again and again.
The server came by just then, and I made a bit of a fuss about how much I liked the burger. That I would tell my friends to come try it if they ever featured it again.
She popped her gum and did a little spin on the front wheels of her skates. Really remarkable. “I’ll tell Eddie. He comes up with these great things and then doesn’t keep them on the menu.”
After she left, I winked at Ridge. “I tried, anyway.”
“Yeah, and you never know.”
“But now I’m full, and I had my eye on a sundae. Want to split one?”
He did, and we did, and then, over his protests, I paid the bill. “Next time, I’d love to take you somewhere nicer.”
“Please don’t,” he said. “I like diners and dives.”
