Page 5 of Replay

Welcome back to this side of the pond.

Me

For real. When are you guys coming back?

Bell

Possibly sooner than I thought. I don’t know how much more family bonding time I can take.

Darby

Woof… sounds like torture.

Me

Yeah, sounds like you should come back tomorrow. You literally live like thirty minutes away… Okay, thanks .

Darby

Jackie and I are going away this weekend before she goes back to school. So, I’ll probably head there on Monday after she leaves.

Bell

Aww, that’s so sweet. Hope you enjoy it!

Me

Aw okay! Well, enjoy your lovas weekend. And I'll see you both soon. Bell, let me know when you're coming.

Bell

Sounds like a plan.

I step out of the bathroom in my robe, with my hair wrapped in a towel. Carter takes one look at me and laughs. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you looking like that.”

Rolling my eyes playfully, I sit next to him. “It’s granny-chic.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

“Listen, you can’t judge until you’ve experienced the robe life. Until then, zip it.”

“Okay, granny, eat your sandwich before I do,” he teases before taking the final bite of his own.

Carter, refusing to go back to his smelly house, walked me into town for my waitressing shift, then headed over to a friend’s house to play Call of Duty. It’s a Monday, so I'm not expecting to make a lot of tips, but anything will help. Especially after the way I ate and drank my way through Barcelona and Madrid, I'm broke as a joke. Usually, Mondays during football season are a gold mine shift, but it’s still a bit too early for that. At least there’s baseball…and thankfully, the Carolina Bulls have a game tonight.

Strapping on my apron, I begin my prep work, checking the utensil rolls, ketchup, and salt and pepper shakers. I jot down today’s specials, then head to the bar, where my manager Phil Oakley is wiping down the bottles.

“Hey, kid! How was your trip?” he asks with a genuine smile across his face.

“It was life-changing, but I’m glad to be back.”

“Oh, I bet you are. We missed you. Well, I think Tiffany did the most.” He laughs, and I join him.

I help Tiffany and Phil by watching their crazy clan of four kids whenever they need me. It’s great money, and their kids are hysterical. I swear their youngest, Gwen, will be a stand-up comedian or an actress one day.

“Well, I'm back and don’t have classes for another week and a half…”

Phil’s eyebrow quirks. “Oh, she knows you’re back, probably giving you at least forty-eight hours to adjust before she unleashes the beasts.”

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