Page 95 of Buy Back My Love

“The man she was with when everything popped off with JB.”

Wren immediately started looking too.

“Can all y’all stop looking?”

“Which one?” Wren asked.

“The tall one,” Anika told her.

“Anika!”

“Damn.”

Nina finally spotted him. “He cute.”

“Thank you,” Anika said like somebody had complimented her man.

“Why you saying thank you?”

“Because I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“Tell me what? That’s my friend.”

Wren looked from me to Van, then back at me. “Mhm.”

I pointed a fry at her. “Don’t.”

She grinned.

“And quit looking over there before he see y’all.”

“Too late,” Nina said.

My hand stopped halfway to my mouth.

“He looking over here.”

I should’ve kept my eyes on my food, but I didn’t. Van was standing near the counter with the girl beside him, looking straight at our table. Our eyes met, and for a second neither one of us smiled. His gaze moved over Anika, Nina, and Wren before coming back to me.

Then he gave me a little nod and I nodded back.

Wren leaned toward me. “Oh, y’all got a little nod.”

I kicked her under the table.

“Ow! Lee!”

“Leave me alone.”

“I ain’t said nothing.”

“You was finna.”

Anika laughed into her straw.

About twenty minutes later, I saw Van get up from his table and head toward the back where the restrooms were. I told myself I wasn’t going to watch him go, but apparently my neck ain’t get the message.

Sure enough, on his way back, he looped around past our table. He ain’t make a big production out of it. He just slowed down beside me with his hands in his pockets and looked down.