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I was hoping they were just passing through, like a tornado or a wild fire, and they’d be gone by tomorrow morning, leaving me to pick up the pieces in their wake. All they did was bring back memories of dreams I’d long ago forgotten.
“How’ve you been, Connie?” Josh asked, with his slight Southern drawl. It was barely noticeable. Probably because they’d all been immersed in LA’s city culture. It might not have been a smart move to hang onto any kind of accent if you wanted to get ahead in LA. All three of them had gone to UCLA. I didn’t know much else other than that, and frankly I’d tried, not to care.
Until now.
For some reason, I suddenly wanted to know everything and could barely stop the trainload of questions that swirled around in my head.
I hated to admit it, but the longer I was around them, the more I wanted to know about their lives.
What the heck?
Josh’s eyes caught mine. He always did have beautiful eyes, the color of polished stones, gray with flecks of light gray bursting from the center. I could still get lost in those eyes if I wasn’t careful. Especially now with how he looked. Black, longish hair, high cheekbones, a strong, prominent chin, and a body that strained against his gray t-shirt and jeans. He was all man… a big man… and combined with that silky, cool voice, I knew my inner resolve would easily collapse if we were ever alone together.
“Oh, I’ve been good, but I can’t stay and chat. I’ve got a few more people to seat,” I told them as I placed the last menu down on the table.
“They’ve all been seated,” Luke said, as he glanced over at the podium behind me. “You must be able to give us a few minutes after all this time.”
Luke liked to reason things out, probably why we’d always gotten along so well. He was more like me, while both Rascal and Josh shot from the hip, survived on their initial reaction to an event or a situation. Luke and I had to think things through, and chew on the pros and cons for a bit. Which was probably why I choked when the time came for me to go all in. Instead, I went all out.
Josh thought things through as well, and was much more cerebral, and quiet, while Rascal was totally transparent in his dealings with people.
Still, Luke and I had always just been better friends, so when the desertion happened, his loss of friendship proved to be the hardest to get past.
“Sure,” I said, grinning. “But why don’t I tell you about our specials first?”
“If that’s what you think you need to do, go right ahead,” Luke said, grinning.
“If you like coffee drinks, we make the best Nutella latté you’ll ever taste. And if you want breakfast, which I’m assuming you do, our egg scramble pockets are the bomb. Today we’re featuring an egg white, pepper jack cheese, and asparagus pocket. It’s amazing. Plus, we have a vegan pocket that’s the best thing you’ll ever taste. We’re featuring our fresh strawberry cream pie, but we have a wide selection. We also have breakfast pot pies and some amazing quiches. Basically, anything that can have a pie crust, we’ve made it.”
They all listened intently, then Rascal said, “Just bring us whatever you think we’d like, three large cups of regular coffee, and sparkling water all around, no ice. Now, are we done with all of that?”
I nodded. “I’ll get you the drinks right away.”
And I took off before they had a chance to ask me anything.
I didn’t get very far when Lexi stopped me, taking my hand in hers. “Are they friends of yours, Connie?”
She knew if she was touching me, I wouldn’t/couldn’t lie. It was a thing I had about contact with another person. I couldn’t explain it, but folks who knew me well, knew about it and used it whenever they wanted to hear the absolute truth. Why my answer was important to her, I didn’t know, but there we stood in front of the coffee station.
“They used to be,” I told her.
“And they aren’t anymore?” she asked, trying her best to get me to spill my story.
“This is the first time I’ve seen them in at least five years.”
“I can get somebody else to take the table if you’re uncomfortable with them.”
There it was, my out, but did I want it?
“I guess I’d like to find out why they’re here first. I’ll put in their order and get their drinks, then, depending on what they say, maybe another server might be a good idea.”
“Believe me, I get it. I’ll have Jen stand by,” she said and finally let go of my hand.
Jen Basely was one of our more recently hired waitstaff, but she was already like family with her friendly smile and her amazing efficiency. She was probably in her early thirties, had a couple of kids, and was working on opening her own sushi restaurant with her brother-in-law in the next few months. Jack Ono made possibly the best sushi rolls I’d ever tasted. Jen’s husband had died two years ago from heart disease, and she was just now trying to pull her life back together. The entire town anxiously awaited the grand opening of her restaurant. Betty’s Startup had already donated a nice chunk of money to get the idea off the ground, all due to the fabulous proposal she and Jack had submitted to Cricket’s entrepreneurial organization. We couldn’t possibly say no. Besides, most of the town loved Sushi and were chomping at the bit for their place to open.
Just one of the many businesses we were helping to get up and running.
My life was full. I didn’t need these three guys from my past showing up to toss a grenade into my happiness.
