He handed Greg his dessert. ‘There – I even added sprinkles for extra delight.’
Greg managed a stiff smile. ‘Thanks.’ He fiddled with his spoon, playing with the ice cream. ‘I know you think I’m being dramatic, but you know what Jenn is like. Look at all the drama with her van.’
Lucas frowned. He had to agree, that had been stressful. A few months ago, Jenn had got it into her head that she was going to run some kind of cake and dessert van right next to his diner. He later discovered that her plan was to use his electricity and water to operate the thing and being the loser he was, he had reluctantly agreed.
He was relieved that plan seemed to have fallen by the wayside. The last he had heard, Jenn was selling the van and using the money to travel around Europe. He was thankful for once that Jenn was so flaky and never actually stuck to her plans.
‘That van would’ve been a nightmare,’ he admitted. ‘It would’ve taken business away from me and it’s not exactly booming in here as it is.’
He looked around the place and the same gloomy feeling swamped him. Was he making a mess of it? He promised his mom he would keep the place going – and they were barely keeping afloat.
‘I don’t know why you agreed in the first place,’ Greg muttered. ‘I would have told her where to go.’
‘She just has a way of persuading people and getting in your head,’ Lucas replied bitterly. ‘Anyway – you know what she’s like. She would have done it anyway even if I said no. I wanted some control over the situation.’
This clearly reminded Greg of his car again as he started quickly ramming ice cream in his mouth, whilst muttering bitterly about Jenn under his breath.
‘None of this matters now,’ Lucas said casually, wiping up the trail of ice-cream drips that Greg was leaving behind. ‘Jenn will be back in no time with your car and some lame-ass excuse I’m sure and she will soon be gone.’
Greg threw his arms dramatically into the air. ‘Thank the Lord.’
‘I honestly don’t know why she annoys you so much. Yeah, I know she’s a bit of an airhead, but she’s always been like that. Even in school, she would be the one to borrow textbooks off one of us and then lose them. Or be desperate for some cash and forget to pay us back—’
‘High school was a long time ago,’ Greg muttered. ‘We’re different now. You should know that more than anyone else.’
Greg gave him that look above his glasses that made Lucas feel a little uncomfortable. He knew he looked different now. He wasn’t the same skinny-ass kid he used to be. Daily runs and working hard in the kitchen had filled him out. He was fitter, stronger now – but the same insecurities rattled inside him, as he was sure they did for Greg.
Were they really so different to those nerdy kids they had been in school?
‘You need to tell me what the deal is between you and Jenn,’ he said, desperate to change the subject. ‘There is something more going on; I’m sure of it.’
Greg glared at him and then pushed his half-eaten ice cream to one side. ‘It’s a long and convoluted tale and not something I will bore you with now. Let’s just say we both have problematic girls from our past that know exactly how to get under our skin.’
Lucas flinched. Was that comment really necessary? ‘Yeah, well – at least my problem is many, many miles away,’ he replied sharply.
And long may that continue.
The last thing he needed was more drama in his life.
As the hours continued to tick by, Greg’s complaints grew. He couldn’t settle in The Diner but refused to open the bar until he knew his beloved car was back safe. Lucas rustled him up some steak and fries, hoping that food might placate him, but it only seemed to make him more tired and grumpy. Greg finally retreated into one of the side booths, looking mournfully at photos of Billy on his phone. It seemed to Lucas that he loved that car more than a child. Or anyone else for that matter.
It was understandable though. That car had been his father’s.
Lucas knew that the most important person in Greg’s life had been his father. He hadn’t exactly gotten along with his mom and when she met Rick and moved to the neighboring town of Westpine Ridge, Greg had stayed here with his dad, Al. He was an older man with a lot of health issues. It hadn’t been easy for Greg to see the decline in Al’s health and mental well-being, and Greg cherished everything he had of his.
‘How is the old boy?’ Lucas asked now, conscious that he had just recently recovered from another heavy cold.
Greg put down his phone and sighed. ‘He’s still forgetting stuff. I went over there yesterday and he had put his front-door keys in the fridge. He was all upset and worked up – kept talking about Mom like she was still here.’
Lucas nodded empathetically. He knew his friend could come across as grumpy and cold, but he had a lot on his plate.
‘How are you?’ Greg asked suddenly, breaking the short silence. ‘I figured this might be a hard time for you, what with your mom and that …’
Lucas blinked. He wasn’t expecting this question. If he was being honest, he liked to keep the focus on Greg, so that he didn’t have to think about his own shit. He was aware that his mom’s anniversary was looming. He still couldn’t believe it had been nearly two years. It still seemed so raw. Time was cruel like that; sometimes it had you believing that things were still true when they clearly could never be again.
‘Maybe you should do something. To mark the day?’ Greg suggested hesitantly. ‘It’s coming up next month, isn’t it?’
Yeah, Lucas thought sadly. May 22nd. In no time at all, the anniversary would be here.
