They went to The Bell & Whistle. He’d taken Emmy there once before on a weekend. There had been live music and a huge crowd.
This time around, a weekday evening, was much calmer. They found a table easily. That is, they found a table after Will stopped to chat with a half dozen familiar faces. It was a small-town thing, Emmy knew.
Their server, who appeared to still be shy of his twentieth birthday, came up to them a minute later. His eyes landed on Emmy, and he froze. She watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” Emmy replied, trying for a polite smile.
“Uh… drinks? I mean… do you want to drink?”
“Water for me,” Will said, capturing the kid’s attention.
He blinked at Will as if seeing him for the first time.
“Same here,” Emmy added.
“Yeah, okay. Yeah. Water. Two waters.” He scribbled on his pad, though Emmy hoped he wouldn’t need the reminder.
After he scurried off, Emmy looked at Will. “First day on the job?”
Will shrugged. “I’ve seen him around. I think he’s on break from college or something. You made him nervous.”
Emmy wasn’t sure if that was the case or not. She thought of Paul’s proposal earlier that morning, not to mention all the meet-cutes she’d staved off when she first arrived. Will’s presence was supposed to have fixed that problem. Was his effect wearing off?
She tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding that had crept over her, but she kept noticing little things throughout the meal. Any time a man came in the door or left for the night, they seemed to take a moment to look at her. Even if they were with a partner or friends. She saw more than one significant other give a reprimanding smack on a boyfriend’s or husband’s arm. Feeling itchy, Emmy shifted her shoulders. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
When their server came to drop off the check, he remained standing at their table, staring silently. Emmy pushed the little paper toward Will, but kept her eyes on the nervous teenager.
“Do you want to go to a movie?” the waiter blurted.
“Not right now, thanks,” Emmy told him.
“Oh.”
Will, fortunately, had cash with him. He slapped some bills on the table and stood up, purposefully doing so in a way that forced the young server to shift out of the way.
“Keep the change,” Will said.
Emmy scooted out of the booth after him. She didn’t let herself look anywhere but at the door as they left, but she felt eyes on her back the whole way there.
Back in the car, Will took a moment before starting the ignition.
“That was… awkward,” he said into the silence.
“Yeah.”
“Not exactly the romantic, celebratory dinner I’d been hoping for.”
Emmy watched another couple stroll out of the restaurant. The man—old enough to be her father—craned his neck to stare at her as he passed.
She shuddered.
“Will… we have to get out of here.”
Though he took that moment to put the car in reverse and pull out of the space, the weight of his silence told Emmy he understood she’d been referring to the book, not the parking lot.
“We’ll figure it out,” he said a minute later.
