Page 72 of Love Me Boldly

* * *

My onion rings came out,and I dug in, closing my eyes with each glorious bite. More customers came in until the restaurant was almost full, and the teenage girls worked like a well-oiled machine. I had yet to catch a single glimpse of either Caroline or Holly, but I tried to be patient as I played a hockey game on my phone and enjoyed my onion rings.

A shred of hope came when Holly walked out of the silver doors that led to the restaurant. Since I’d been keeping an eye out, I saw her immediately and then grinned down at my phone.

She had a serving platter in one hand, and if I’d been a betting man, I would have already known it was my lunch.

I didn’t look up from my phone when she stepped to the edge of my table. The plate was flung down harder than necessary, and I slowly glanced up.

“Good afternoon.”

She scowled at me, and she looked so frustrated with me I bit back a grin. “Mustard with fries? Really?”

“Maybe it’s growing on me.”

I slid the plate closer to me and chomped on a crisp onion sticking out from the bun. It smelled incredible, and the small bit of barbecue sauce on the onion hit my tongue with the mix of vinegar and tang.

“No one but me likes mustard on fries.”

“Not true.” To prove it, I dunked my own fry into the mustard and took a bite. Man, that was horrible. I had no idea what she ever saw with that. “Did the waitress tell you?”

“No. Caroline did when Emma told her that someone ordered mustard with a side of fries. Caroline knew it was you right away.”

“She’s a smart cookie. I like her.”

I could do this all day long, but Holly scanned the restaurant and sighed. “I thought you were leaving today.”

“I was. Change of plans.”

Another quick look from Holly around the restaurant. With the way her eyes narrowed, I assumed she was taking in every table, making sure all their needs were met, maybe seeing if she knew anyone. When her gaze hesitantly reached mine, she dropped into the booth across from me, sliding her serving tray into the booth next to her.

Without asking, she stole a fry and dipped it in the mustard.

I pushed the plate closer to her and grabbed my burger.

Before I could take a bite, Holly asked, “What are you really doing here?”

I bit. Chewed my food. Took my time. Holly rolled her eyes, but she appeared tired of this game already.

So was I. I was so tired of playing games.

“I have six weeks until I think about heading back to start getting ready for the school year. I’ve decided I’m spending it here.”

That wasn’t fully true. I would need to either go home for a day and grab my computer and some other things, and I would need to spend time doing some professional development learning and reading. I typically spent the summer making lesson plans for the following year, figuring out what worked the previous one when things were still fresh so I didn’t have to take time to do it during the school year. Sure, things changed, but doing the bulk of the work over the summer kept my school year less stressed, especially during the hockey season. Fortunately, that didn’t start until October, so hockey season was only a drop in the bucket of items I’d need to worry about.

“Why?” Her shoulders dropped, almost like she was defeated and exhausted. Didn’t blame her. I was a lot to deal with.

She’d have to suck it up, because while I was tired of playing games, I had one last one to start, and this time, I intended to win.

“For you,” I told her, and I wasn’t surprised when she blinked and her lips parted. “You said you didn’t think we had a chance of working out. I intend to prove you wrong.”

* * *

“I can’t believeyou didn’t tell me.” I didn’t introduce myself, and I skipped the niceties altogether when Tanner’s voice said hello through my AirPods.

“Graham?”

“Yeah, it’s me. How could you not tell me about Jonah?”

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