Delilah looks in the direction I’m pointing. “Sure.” She grabs a menu and leads me to the table. “Do you want time to look over this? Or, do you want your usual?”
I barely hear the words, and I take a second to respond. “Um, I’ll take a look. I’m feeling adventurous today.”
“Sounds good. I’ll send someone over to take your order in a few, but I’ll let Eric know to bring you a beer.”
“Thanks, Delilah. It’s like you read my mind.” She walks away and my focus is on Jasmin and her sister.
I’m seated at an angle so I can see Jasmin, but she doesn’t have a clear view of me. It may be a little creepy, but I want to see how she is when she’s not around me. Besides, with the size of this town, it’s totally plausible for us to run into each other.
They are talking about the flowers they chose, and a mug of beer slides in front of me. “Dude, I’ve never seen you so attuned to someone else’s conversation.”
“Shh, Eric. I’m trying to listen.”
“Are you interested in her?”
“We’re kind of dating.” I know he’s going to want elaboration, but I’m not giving it to him. At least, not right now. “I’ll fill you in later.”
“Just don’t be weird.” He sighs and walks off, and I can listen in again.
Daniela is staring her sister down. “I know you said you’re bringing a plus one, but I want to meet him. And he’ll need to come with us to some events leading up to the wedding.”
“Why?” There’s a hint of panic in her voice. That doesn’t sit well with me. It’s almost like she’s ashamed of taking me. Which doesn’t make sense. She’s the one who asked me to do go on this wild ride with her.
“Because we want to get to know him. Especially if he’s going to be in wedding pictures.” Daniela sounds exhausted. I wonder how many times she’s had a similar conversation with Jasmin.
“I don’t see why that matters,” Jasmin huffs. “We can always put him on the edge of the photo in case we need to cut him out.”
Ouch. That’s harsh. I know we don’t do relationships, either of us, but to know she can speak about erasing me so easily is brutal.
“True. I still want to meet this mystery person, though.”
Kudos to Daniela for pushing her sister out of her comfort zone. That’s usually my job in my family. Well, mine and Piper’s. We aren’t as reserved as the rest of the Summers’ bunch.
“Hey, Parker.” Lisa, a longtime server, comes over to take my order. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“We’ve been swamped so I haven’t been able to sneak away for lunch. How have you been?” She’s always been one of my favorites. She’s full of energy and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in a bad mood.
“Good. Devin is about to go on tour again. He keeps telling me to come with him and asks why I’m still working.” She shakes her head. “But I love my job and want to be here. I couldn’t sit cooped up all day in a car. Besides, it makes when he comes home that much better.”
“I bet. Can I get the wings and fries.”
“So, your normal order?”
“What can I say? I’m a creature of habit.”
“Sure thing, I’ll get that right out to you.”
Lisa’s gone for two seconds before I hear, “The winery guy is your plus one.”
I sit up straight. She must have heard Lisa say my name. What other reason would that be the topic? Crap. I wanted to casually bump into her. Staring at my beer, I will someone to come to rescue. This is not how I planned on things going.
“Are you stalking me?” Jasmin pulls out the other seat at my table.
“Wh—what? No. I came here for lunch.” Ugh, I hate when I stutter. It only happens when I’m caught doing something I shouldn’t be doing.
“Are you sure your sister didn’t have anything to do with it?”
“Piper? Nope. She’s on a rampage today and part of the reason I needed to get off the property.” Well, she would have something to do with it if I put it that way.
