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She looked like she didn’t want to tell me for fear I’d be upset. “Um, it’s just that there’s someone at the front claiming she is meeting you. We take the privacy of our guests very seriously and—”
“Yes, I’m expecting someone. Is her name Lucy?” I pushed my chair out and stood.
The woman looked crestfallen. “Yes. Shall I walk her back, then?”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll walk out with you,” I offered.
Lucy was scrolling through her phone when we approached. The girl greeted a couple and went about her business.
“Hi Lucy.” I smiled. It was hard not to. I was happy she was here and was choosing to spend time with me.
“Hullo,” she responded. She rewarded me with a smile of her own, slightly lopsided and shy.
“Hungry?” My stomach growled at my own question.
“Totally starving. I haven’t had much since my lunch break early this afternoon.” We began our way back to the banquet room. “Unless you count the bag of nuts I inhaled an hour ago.”
I barked a laugh. “What kind of nuts did you inhale? I like honey roasted cashews.”
“Oh those are good, but I prefer macadamias.”
“Well, there’s plenty of food to choose from here, as you can see.” I gestured around to the table and the additional service stations against the wall with various commercial chafers.
Lucy took it all in like her head was on a swivel. “Well, isn’t this a little slice of heaven.”
I suggested we load our plates and dive in. When they were sufficiently filled, we took a seat next to Lauren and I introduced the two women.
“Lucy, this is Lauren. Lauren is my coworker,” I sidestepped, avoiding the word costar.
“Hey Lucy, it’s nice to meet you.” Lauren was gracious about meeting new people. It was another thing I liked about her and something else we had in common.
They shook hands. Lauren stood and excused herself for the night, though. I knew exactly what she was doing and concealed a cough behind my hand.
“It was lovely meeting you Lucy, but I’m going to go soak in a hot bath. I hope to see you around,” Lauren concluded warmly.
“It was nice meeting you too,” Lucy replied with her hand discreetly cupping her mouth. She had just taken a bite and her cheeks soon matched the color of the salmon on her plate.
Besides the small group of people at the other end of the table (from another franchise), Lucy and I were alone.
A faint plume of steam rose from my plate. “I promise I thought more people would be here.” The need to apologize felt immense as I twirled a noodle around my fork tines. I figured my workout earlier would negate the pasta.
“It’s ok. To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect…”
And then, changing the subject, she stated, “Lauren seems really nice.” I watched Lucy as she made her assumption. “I hope she didn’t leave because of me,” she rushed. The inside corners of her eyebrows raised in concern. It was an ostensibly generic expression, but on her it was full of meaning. She truly cared.
“She did not,” I confirmed. “Lauren is the type to live her life by the limits she sets on it. She doesn’t indulge in more than one drink and she had finished it right before you got here. She also cannot live without her bubble baths, so there’s that,” I joked.
Lucy dipped her head in understanding but her lips pressed into a tight line.
“Lauren is the sister I never had.” The words came out fast, the need to clarify my relationship with her important.
“I guess sisters might seem more appealing when you don’t have one,” she laughed. The apple of her cheeks shone in the soft lighting. “Mine is crazy. Older. Tries to control me. I know she loves me, but good god, pump the breaks already.” Lucy tucked back into her food and I was pleasantly surprised by her appetite.
“…the sister that dragged you to San Diego Comic-Con, right?” I recalled, remembering our conversation in the elevator.
She narrowed her eyes momentarily. “You, my friend, have a steel trap memory.” She used her knife in conjunction with her fork to round up a bit of rice pilaf, taking a bite. “But yes. I shouldn’t complain since she got me the photography job for the circuit. If she were here, she’d be hounding me about how I should be grateful, blah, blah, blah.” Lucy used her fork to point for emphasis, stabbing the air each time she enunciatedblah.
Again, I found her very animated. And quite attractive.
