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I shake my head. “Oh, she’s definitely something.”
Santiago glares at Jenny. “Go get the mop and clean this up.”
Jenny grimaces at Anthony. “Sorry about all this.” Then, she saunters away singing, “Get a bucket and a mop. That’s a WAP. That’s a WAP.”
I slap my palm over my face. “Oh, my God. I am so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Anthony leans down, and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Now you owe me. I’ll pick you up next weekend for our date night, Charly.”
And he walks out of the diner, leaving me standing in a puddle of soda and melting ice.
“What the hell happened?” Santiago asks.
“Jenny tripped over something on the floor. Someone’s briefcase maybe. I don’t know.”
His brown eyes narrow as if he doesn’t believe me, but a smirk tips his lips. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but you can help your partner in crime and get this cleaned up.”
I salute him. “Yes, sir.”
He stalks away muttering Spanish expletives under his breath.
Jenny wheels the bucket out of the kitchen, and I apologize to the nearby customers who got splashed with soda and hit with ice cubes.
“Who was that, Charly?” Jenny’s brown eyes are wide as she whisper-yells. “And how do you know him? He was the most handsome man I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“He’s Bryce’s best friend. I met him while I was at the inn over the summer.” I swipe more ice cubes off the table into the bucket. “He wants me to be his date to the charity gala next week.”
“The one you were supposed to go to with Bryce?”
I nod. “He said Bryce isn’t going. But Beatrice will be there, and she has my journal.”
“Oh, good. See, I told you that you probably left it at the inn.” She pauses. “How would Bryce feel if you went with Anthony?”
I chew my bottom lip. “Does it matter? He doesn’t want to be with me.”
Jenny places her hand over mine to stop me from cleaning. “Char, you have to know he wants to be with you. I don’t know the guy, and even I know that.”
Sadness pricks my eyes. “Well, if he wanted to be with me, then he’d be with me.”
“You know it’s not as simple as that.” She tosses the soaked rag into the bucket. “Sometimes, loving someone isn’t enough to make you stay with them.”
My eyes widen. “Uh, okay. You’re gonna need to explain the fine print of that statement.”
She groans, and covers her face with her hands.
“Jen, is everything okay with Rob?”
She shakes her head, still covering her face. “Please don’t make me talk about it right now.”
I hold up my palms. “Okay, I won’t. But we are talking about it at some point.”
Guilt churns in my gut. I’ve been too wrapped up in my own sorrow that I haven’t noticed my best friend is going through something with her boyfriend.
“Why haven’t you talked to me about this?”
“I’m not ready to.” She slumps against the worn material of the booth. “Right now, I’d rather talk about your gorgeous friend. Tell me, how is it that you manage to find all the hot guys?”
“It’s easy finding a hot guy. It’s a bit more difficult finding a hot guy who actually wants to be with you. Greg cheated on me. Bryce can’t let himself trust me. And Anthony ... well, he’s a player.”
