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“I know,” Lila calls back over her shoulder.
“Order up,” Hal says in his indoor voice as he places my order on the pass-through.
I carry the food through the restaurant, and my thoughts immediately return to Bigfoot. I can’t figure him out. He’s good-looking and wealthy, so why’s he running around the forest in a fur suit? And he seems like the kind of guy who’d be primed for a little flirting and helping a damsel in distress, but he wasn’t taking any of my bait.
I even flirted with a few frat bros earlier in the evening and was easily able to convince them to come help out at the farm this weekend, so I haven’t lost all my skills.
Something about Bigfoot is different, and it’s bothering me that I can’t figure him out. Maybe he’s a criminal in hiding? Or, he’s a true recluse and hates people? I need to see him again and get a better read on the man.
Ellery grins as I set her plate of hamburger and fries in front of her. A headband covered in tiny books holds back her auburn curls. She’s the children’s librarian at our local library and she’s lived in Catalpa Creek all her life. She seems nice enough, and she’s a great tipper. “Thanks, Honey.”
Seated with Ellery is Gentry, who works as a receptionist at my brother-in-law, Noah’s clinic.
My cousin Levi has a crush on Gentry and has been begging me to get information on her, but she can’t stand him. She’s pretty, but there are dark circles under her eyes like she’s working too hard. She’s got custody of her teenage sisters and is working to support them after their mother vanished last year.
But her smile is warm. “Your Noah’s sister-in-law. How are things on the farm? My sisters have been begging me to take them out there.”
“The farm’s doing great. You and your sisters are welcome anytime. In fact, we currently have several exotic animals I bet your sisters would love to see.” I set a plate of food in front of Gentry. Maybe I can arrange for Levi to be there when they are. “Can I get you anything else?”
“You like games, don’t you?” Ellery asks.
I freeze. My first thought is that she’s talking about the sorts of games con artists play.
She smiles at me openly, waiting patiently for an answer while I silently freak out. I didn’t con Bigfoot. I just asked for a favor. And no one here knows about my past.
“I do like games.” I take a step back from their table like I’m in a hurry. “You probably know my family’s a touch competitive.” I suspect everyone in town has heard about our family games taking place at the house.
“Do you have any interest in…” Ellery looks around like she’s checking to see if anyone’s listening and my heart beats into overdrive. “Poker?”
I shrug, blinking against the spots in my eyes that are popping up along with my blood pressure. “I’ve never really played.” My family’s games tend toward the physical, sometimes dangerous, vs sit-down games.
“Neither have I,” Gentry says. “I suggested something simpler like Go-fish, but Ellery’s got her mind set.”
My laugh sounds strange even to my own ears. I need to calm down, but I can’t seem to convince myself these women are just being friendly.
Ellery gestures for me to come closer and I oblige. “I’m thinking about starting a secret underground high stakes poker game just for women.”
My heart flips and relief washes through me. That’s why she’s acting so weird. It’s just a secret game. “What are the stakes?” Money isn’t something I have a lot of, but I suspect I’d be good at poker. Isn’t it all about reading people and keeping a straight face?
“She’s a children’s librarian.” Gentry leans forward. “Her idea of high stakes is twenty-five dollars.”
“That’s one and a half paperbacks.” Ellery lifts her chin. “That’s not nothing.”
My instinct is to say yes, but I can’t get pulled away from my goal. If I have any hope of bringing my sisters close again, to experiencing the full house I never got to have as a teenager, I have to be at home as much as possible. I need time to come up with ideas to bring us all together.
“I’m sorry. I just don’t have the time right now.”
Ellery’s smile falls for only a moment, but unhappiness lingers in her eyes. It’s not the first time she’s made an overture of friendship, or the first time I’ve turned her down.
“Order up,” Hal hollers, saving me from making more excuses or apologizing.
“That’s me. Do you need anything else?”
They’re all good and I hurry away from their table, feeling like I’ve made a mistake. Maybe I should try harder to make friends in case my sisters never decide they want me in their lives after our year in the house has ended.
I shove the thought down. Failure isn’t an option.
The rest of the evening shift passes in a dizzy blur of faces and plates of food and laughter. Lila and I work well together and she keeps me smiling all night.
