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ONE
Ford
“It’s been a while,”I say to Ransom as I take a seat across from him at the small table.
“Hey, man! I know, between getting Ruby settled at my place and getting ready for the baby, I’ve been swamped,” he says.
He’s got the biggest smile on his face while he says it, and I grin. I’m happy that one of my closest friends has found the love of his life. I just wish that I could find mine too.
Well, actually, that’s not true. I’ve already found her. I just haven’t been able to convince her that we’re meant to be. Instead, I’m fully stuck in the friend zone. The friend and boss zone.
“How have you been?” Ransom asks. “How are things going at Nosh?”
“Good. Business has been steady, especially with all the tourists in town lately.”
I bought the Nosh Diner when I was eighteen. It had cost me all of my savings, plus what I had inherited after my mom passed away. It took a lot of trial and error for me to figure out how to keep the place running smoothly, but now, it’s second nature to do all of the things that I need to in order to keep the lights on and the customers happy.
Foster, my twin brother, plops down next to me, sliding me a beer.
“Thanks,” I grunt at him, and he nods.
“What’s happening?” Foster asks us.
“Ransom was just telling me how busy he’s been,” I explain.
“Yeah, how far along is Ruby now?” Foster asks him.
“Four months now. We’re supposed to be finding out the gender soon. Ruby is debating if we should wait until the baby is born to find out or not.”
“What do you want to do?” I ask him, and he shrugs.
“I’ll do whatever Ruby wants.”
I smile and he leans back in his seat.
“Is Fischer coming tonight?” I ask as I look around the crowded bar.
“I doubt it. I talked to him when he dropped Vera off at Cameron’s place and he was busy with work stuff. I bet he just heads home to get caught up.
I haven’t hung out with either of my friends or my brother in a while. I know that they’re only here tonight because it’s girls’ night and their partners are over at my girl’s place.
“What about you? How are things going with Cameron?” Ransom asks and I take a drink of my beer.
“The same as they’ve always been,” I admit with a sigh.
When Cameron came to me looking for a job, I had hoped that it was my chance to get closer to her and make her mine, but instead, it seemed to do the opposite. Now, I’m not just her friend; I’m her boss, and being her boss means she has an excuse to keep me at arm’s length. I don’t know how to explain to her that I would never fire her. She could be the worst waitress in the world, and I would still keep her on.
I would do anything for Cameron. She’s had me wrapped around her little finger since we were kids. I took one look at her and knew that she was the one for me. I’ve been hooked ever since.
She has not been though.
We’ve been friends, hanging out since we have the same friend group, but that was it. We’ve never been close to anything more than that, much to my disappointment.
Before my mom passed, she used to tell me to show her how I felt. She sat me down and told me to just talk to Cameron and tell her how I felt, but I could never find the words or the right time. I tried to show her, but nothing I did ever ended up working.
After my mom passed, I was dealing with a lot, and then Cameron left town. She’s an artist, a damn good one, and she was trying to make connections in the art world.
She wasn’t gone long, a few years, and then she was back and living in a little house just down the street from the diner. Things must not have gone well because not long after she got back to town, she came to me for a job at the diner.
