Page 52 of Not My Finest Hour

“I’ve missed you,” he says, gazing at me with hazy, dream-like eyes.

“I’ve missed you too,” I say, unable to pull my gaze away from his. “I hate that we don’t get to spend much time together.”

“You know I’d spend all my free time with you if I could. But sometimes things come up that can’t be avoided. It’s temporary though. My schedule won’t always be this bad.”

“I know. I just have to keep telling myself that.”

“Do you need to grab anything before we leave?”

I pick up my phone off the sofa table. “Now I’m all set.”

I see that Justin took my advice tonight. I told him to dress casually because it’s just my friends we’re going out with, nothing fancy. He did what I said and is wearing a pair of jeans and a linen button-down shirt. I’m wearing jeans and a maroon cable-knit sweater with my pink Converse.

My friends are meeting Justin and me at a sports bar tonight. It’s less than two miles from my place, but since the weather is dreary and drizzly, we’re driving. It takes us ten minutes to get there and about that long to find street parking. The restaurant, called The Dawg Bowl, may be a sports bar, but the interior and even the exterior are more upscale than that.

When I was in college, my friends and I used to come here for their cheap wing nights. There was no other place in town where you could get wings and a beer for five bucks, and the place was always packed on those days. Today is definitely not a cheap wing night, so the place isn’t stuffed to the gills when we enter. My friends sent a text while we were driving saying they got us a table, and it doesn’t take long to find where they’re seated.

Lorelei and Chelsea are seated together on one side of a booth, leaving room for Justin and me on the other side. Lorelei’s boyfriend Sam, who is also Justin’s friend, was supposed to be here tonight, but he’s at home sick with some stomach bug that’s been going around.

My friends look like they coordinated their outfits. They’re both wearing Huskies sweatshirts, although Lorelei’s is a hoodie and Chelsea’s is a crewneck.

“Hey, you two finally made it!” Lorelei says as Justin and I take our seats.

I notice that both of them have ordered drinks for themselves and are partway through them. “Yeah, so nice of you to wait on us to order,” I say with a slight eye roll.

“We would’ve ordered your usual for you too, but we weren’t sure what to order for Justin, so we just ordered for us,” Chelsea says.

Lorelei takes a sip of her beer. “And I was thirsty, so I made the decision.”

Thank goodness they didn’t order my usual, which is a blackberry hard cider made by a cidery right here in Seattle. This is one of the only restaurants in town to carry it, so I order it every time we come. But my friends don’t know that I’m pregnant and can’t drink, and I plan on keeping that news to myself for a while. Although I have no doubt that they’d be super supportive, I want to wait until after I get my first ultrasound.

Chelsea sticks out her hand to Justin. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Chelsea.”

Justin shakes her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Justin.”

Lorelei follows up with her own introduction, then our server comes to the table to take our drink order. When I order a soda, my friends don’t even attempt to hide their confusion.

Chelsea waits until our server leaves before saying, “Are you sick or something? I have never not known you to get the blackberry cider from here.”

Justin and I share a look and without saying anything, I plead with him not to say a word about the baby to my friends. “I just don’t feel like having a drink today,” I say with a shrug, trying to play it cool. “I’ve had a little bit of a headache most of the day and don’t want to add to it by having alcohol.” I hate lying to my friends, but the truth doesn’t need to come out yet.

“Maybe you’re coming down with the same thing that Sam has. He said his sickness started out with a headache,” Lorelei says.

I pretend to act concerned for my well-being. “Gosh, I hope it’s not that serious. I should be okay though because I haven’t been around anyone who’s been sick.”

“I take it you ladies have been here before? What’s the best thing to eat?” Justin asks, changing the topic.

“This used to be our hangout back in the day. That was back when a whole mess of wings and a beer could be called dinner,” Chelsea says. “But these days, we like to come here whenever we just need to get out but don’t want to go very far. I prefer their burgers. In fact, it’s what they’re known for. They’ve won awards for them.”

“Any particular one you like the most?” he asks.

Chelsea nods. “Their award-winning The Original Burger. They take this super thin beef patty and thinly sliced onions and cook them together on a griddle. It’s like they mash the patty into the onions, and then the edges of the patty get kinda crispy. A slice of cheese goes on, then it’s placed onto a soft bun. It’s so good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”

“Well, with a description like that, I’m sold,” Justin says. “And the fries are good?”

“They’re the best,” Lorelei says. “Seriously. Don’t skip the fries.”

Justin turns toward me for confirmation. “They’re both right. I think you should order The Original Burger and get as many fries as you can handle,” I say.

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