“Katie.” He repeated. The man standing across from me looked completely dejected. Good. Let him feel a hint of what I had been feeling all theseyears.
“No, you know what? I gotta get out of here. Please, don’t wait up for me. And first thing tomorrow, I think I’m going to go get a car so I won’t have to be dependent on your generosityanymore.”
I left my bags on the floor of the entryway and stormed out knowing exactly where I was going and hating myself a littleforit.
ChapterTwelve
Julian
Gwenand I worked lunch shift together again. And while she didn’t seem upset with me, the air was thick with something unsaid. I couldn’t put my finger on it and wondered if shewasokay.
Katie had shown up in my back yard again the night before. It was the second night in a row. After holding her tight and running my hands over her hair while she bawled her eyes out the first time she showed up on my trampoline, I didn’t trust myself to go out there a second time to talktoher.
It had felt just a little too good holding her. She had been the one seeking comfort, and I found I was seeking that connection too. Probably more than she realized and definitely more than I wanted toadmit.
When I saw her sitting on the trampoline last night, I was scared I might try to take things further than she would be open to. I wanted to kiss her. Lose myself in her. But this was Katie, not somerandomgirl.
She had been broken when I held her tight. I didn’t want to take advantage of her. If I was being honest with myself, and Ireallydidn’t think I was ready for that, I had felt a strange connection with Katie. I couldn’t explain it, and it probably had more to do with the fact that I had known Katie forever, than some love at first sight typeofdeal.
I wasn’t even going thererightnow.
“Well, Tabitha just clocked in and I’m just waiting on table eleven to get out of here. I’m going to cash out with Mike and then I’ll come back and give you your tip share.” Gwen interrupted mythoughts.
“Yeah.” I barely registered what she was saying because I had just spotted the object of my obsessing walking though the parking lot. I hadn’t seen her dad’s Bronco pull up. Did someone drop her off? “Soundsgood.”
Gwen, not missing a thing, damn her, followed my stare to the parking lot and looked back at me with a sly smile on her face. “So, I actually invited Mitch and Katie to come have a late lunch with me today. You’re getting off soon,right?”
“Yeah.”
“You could come join us, if youwantedto.”
I heard the bell from the entrance door signaling someone had just come in the diner. I knew it was Katie and I forced myself to continue to look at Gwen instead. Every muscle in my body tensed against what it so badly wantedtodo.
“I just need to do a little prep work for dinner shift. I’ll thinkaboutit.”
“Just come hang out withus,okay?”
“Let me get my stuff done, and I’ll head over if you’re stillhangingout.”
She gave me another one of her knowing smiles and walked toward the office. With Gwen out of sight, and more importantly, me out ofhersight, I allowed myself to scan the dining area for Katie. She sat at one of the booths by herself looking at one of the menus, as if she didn’t know it by heart now. Her body was stiff and her feet were tapping so hard and fast her entire body was vibrating. I watched her tuck an imaginary piece of hair behind her ear twice before rushing though mysidework.
It took me all of ten minutes to get all the prep done for Frank. It wasn’t that I half-assed it or anything. Turns out, I could be pretty efficient if I wanted. I just hadn’t wanted to be lately. Frank and I exchanged a few words as he came in. It mostly consisted of him asking if we were 86 anything. I still didn’t know why we couldn’t simply say we were out of something. Why make it more confusing by adding secretcodes?
I walked out to the dining area just a little self-conscious about the fact I had been working in the kitchen all afternoon. It hadn’t been too busy so I wasn’t as sweaty as some shifts, but I also wasn’t used to hanging out with anyone after work. I knew the smells of the kitchen had a tendency to cling to clothing. Thankfully, Gwen had been working all morning too and I wouldn’t bealone.
Gwen, Mitch and Katie were all sitting at the booth by the time I made it out, but hadn’t ordered. Gwen and Mitch sat on one side very obviously not touching each other.Interesting.
That left me to slide in next to Katie. She was beautiful sitting there. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and she wore a plaid top and jeans. She wasn’t dressed extravagantly or anything. She justlookedgood.
I sat down just as everyone at the table burst outlaughing.
“Hey, man.” Mitch stopped laughing, but still had a smile on his face. He lifted his chin up in greeting at me. “We were just telling Katie about the gun club. Turns out she had no idea whatonewas.”
“She thinks it’s a bunch of guys sitting around in velvet coats polishing their guns,” Gwen added. I choked on a laugh. I glanced over at Mitch who also caught the unintentional innuendo and was doing his best not to start laughing again. I quickly looked back toward Katie before Ilostit.
When I had first walked over, she was laughing and looked comfortable. Much more comfortable when she had first come in. Now she was even stiffer than before and her cheeks werebrightred.
“It’s not my fault I don’t know what a gun club is,” she mumbled under her breath, not looking overatme.
