Page 79 of Suits and Spark Plugs

“Okay. Hot cocoa and a Belgian waffle with blueberries.”

“Coming right up.” I tore his order off my pad and tucked the rest into my apron pocket. After hanging the order for Jake and the cooks to see, I filled a steaming mug with hot cocoa and placed it in front of Connor with a smile.

His face fell as he looked at the mug and back at me. “No marshmallows?” he asked.

I offered a stilted laugh in return. “Now that we’re better friends, I thought I’d give you what you actually ordered.”

“Right.” He looked back down at the cocoa as though it had broken his heart.

I moved busily along, taking orders, filling drinks, wiping down the counter, and all the while I did my best to keep up a light stream of sunny chitchat with Connor. Hot topics of the morning were the weather, a little more about the weather, and lastly, the weather. It was torture for both of us. I missed the banter we’d so easily fallen into.

When he finally left it felt like all the muscles in my body were on fire. I told Jake I was taking a little break and ran back to the employee lounge to get a drink and do a few stretches. That had been nothing short of warfare in there, only I was alone in the battle.

True to his word, Connor kept coming back. He usually ate breakfast there, so I didn’t see him every day with my varying shifts, but when I did see him I made sure to be unfailingly nice to him. He wanted to be friends, so I accommodated that. The more we interacted, the more I truly understood that I didn’t want to be friends with him. It wasn’t enough. My only hope became to slowly wean us into acquaintanceship in a way that he would one day wonder what had happened to that nice Liv Phelps.

“You’re being weird,” Kelly said as the breakfast rush was ending on our Saturday shift.

“I’m working. How is that being weird?” I asked her.

She handed me two menus that had been left in her booth and turned to pick up the plates. “Like, how you’re treating Connor this week. You’re being super nice.”

“We’re friends. I’m being friendly.”

“No, you’re being sugar with a side of maple syrup.” She walked off with the plates and I followed her.

“I’m treating him nicer than I do the other customers, so what’s the big deal?” I called as I tucked the two menus back in their place at the hostess stand.

Kelly reappeared from the kitchen and moved to clear another table. “Exactly. You’re only that nice to people you don’t like.”

“That is not true.”

“It’s totally true. The more you actually like someone, the sassier you are to them. Why are you so mad at Connor? I thought you two worked it out.”

“We did, it’s just that...”

“Hey you two.” Connor’s voice interrupted from behind Kelly. We spun around, and I was sure guilt was written all over my face.

“Hi to you.” Kelly smiled warmly at him. “Did you leave something?”

“No, I was just in the bathroom. Hey, Liv, I wanted to chat with you for a second.”

I peeked my head around Kelly and gave him a wide smile. “Hi. I’m right here. What’s up?’

“You free for lunch Monday?”

“Sure thing.” I nodded my head. “I work at two, so as long as we’re done by then.”

“Great. I’ll text you the details.”

“Great.”

“Okay. See you ladies later.” Connor waved and I waved back at him with a cheery grin.

The second the door closed, Kelly spun around and blasted me with her gaze. “What happened?”

I shrugged. “Nothing. We’re best buddies now, see. Lunch is for friends, remember?”

“Olivia Magdalena Phelps, spill it now.”

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