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“I’ll be fine. Just a massive mug of coffee, and I’m set.” Carly grins at me. “Although I wish we could have a glass of wine instead. That would be more appropriate to what we’re going to do later.”
Chapter 18 Luke
“Would you like anything else, Mr Ward?”
I shake my head as the server takes away my plate.
“Nah, I’m good. Can you bring me the bill? I’ll settle up now.”
“Sure.” The girl gives me a big smile. “I’ll bring that over to you now.”
She walks away, and I check my emails again. Nothing else has come in so far, which is a relief. Working through lunch isn’t really ideal, but there was so much going on and I couldn’t ignore my growling stomach any longer. At least the little diner across the street from my apartment has wifi, and their food is pretty good.
Maybe I can bring Elle and Amy here. We can have a few dates here, and the children’s menu was quite big.
Just the thought of those two brings a smile to my face. Elle said to me yesterday that she had the day off, but she would be free after lunch. Once I’m done here, I might just head over to her place and see if we can get a bit of alone time. With any luck, we can have the house to ourselves.
Going slow and not being able to be intimate as a result is tougher than I thought. Even if Elle doesn’t want to get naked, maybe I can get a cuddle on the couch with her.
God, I’m sounding like a teenager in the throes of a new romance. I’m not sure whether to find it cute or cringe at it.
The server comes back, placing the bill onto the table.
“There you go, Mr Ward. You need anything else, just let me know.”
“Thanks.”
She walks away as I check the bill. As I’m getting my wallet out to pay, I hear her greeting more customers.
“Good afternoon. Table for three?”
“Yes, please.”
I stiffen. Was that Elle? What was she doing here? There is a curved mirror above the door going towards the bathrooms near my booth, so I have a clear view of the rest of the diner. And, sure enough, I can see Elle and Carly following the waitress towards one of the booths. They’re accompanied by an older gentleman who looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him. Where have I seen him before?
The server seats them at the booth behind me. With the high dividers between us, and the fact I’m sitting further into the booth, none of them appear to see me.
It’s clear from the expression I saw on Elle’s face in the reflection that this is not something she’s looking forward to. I want to join them in the booth and sit with her, but I find myself unable to move. Elle wouldn’t appreciate me jumping in to help her. She’s got Carly, so I’m hoping that it won’t escalate or anything. But what is going on?
I notice that the server has come back to my table, now armed with the card reader. Before she can say anything, I’ve got my card out and held it out. One bleep, and it’s done. She tears off the receipt and hands it to me.
“Thank you. Hope to see you again soon!”
I simply give her a nod in reply, not wanting to speak and reveal myself to Elle. I carefully gather my things together, putting them into my backpack. Then I realize what I’m doing. What was I doing? I shouldn’t be eavesdropping on Elle’s conversation. I should be leaving, but that would mean they would see me.
I’m stuck. This is going to be awkward either way.
“Shall we order something?” the gentleman asks.
“I think we should leave that for now, Kevin,” Elle’s response is rather chilly.
Kevin? I didn’t think Elle knew anyone called Kevin. Then I remember where I had seen him. He had been at Amy’s game a while ago, and Elle had taken him elsewhere to talk. She told me that it was her father, and he wanted to talk to her. I did offer to be there with her, but she said she could handle it.
I certainly can’t bring myself to leave. Not anymore.
Her father sighs.
“I wish you would call me ‘dad’. You did when we last saw each other.”
