Page 28 of Mr. B

Wes sat across from her. “Iced tea.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve sat across a table from each other.”

Cassandra took a napkin from the holder and set it on the table in front of her. “Seventeen years. Do you remember our last meal together?”

He wanted to tell her no, but lying to her didn’t seem right. “Ribs at that barbecue joint down the street from the bookstore.”

“Dusty’s.”

“Right. Best ribs ever.”

Maggie returned with their drinks. “Are we ordering pizza?”

Wes took a sip of his tea. “Yeah.” He looked at Cassandra. “Any preference?”

“No. Order what you want.”

“Um…let’s go medium with pepperoni, bacon, and bell peppers.”

“Breadsticks?”

“Sure. Small. Extra cheesy.”

“Got it.” She glanced back at Abe. “Abe wants you to come see him for a minute.”

“Okay.”

Maggie left, and Cassandra smiled. “I’m guessing he wants to know what the hell you’re doing here with me.”

“Exactly.”

She glanced at Abe. “I must say. He sure has grown up.”

“Well, he was in eighth grade when you knew him last.” Wes drank some more tea. “He has a very serious girlfriend and a son, so don’t get any ideas.”

She laughed. “He’ll always be cute little Abe to me.”

“I’ll tell him you said so.” He slid out of the booth. “I should go get this over with.”

He left the table and went behind the counter. Abe was moving pizzas around in the oven. When he finished, he grinned at Wes.

“So, what’s this?”

“We had a…bit of drama at work, and I thought she needed some time to get over it.”

“By having dinner with you?”

“By taking her mind off it.”

“Right. What happened?”

“A very disturbed student got belligerent in her office.”

“Damn.” He looked at Cassandra for a moment. “She’s very…attractive.”

Wes scowled. “Nothing has changed. I’m just being a good…boss.”