Page 33 of Keeping Promises

“I said, I can finish this up. You can go ahead and leave with your… um…” Her eyes dart between Asher and me, trying to find the right word to describe us. Is there one? Baby daddy sounds so weird, like that ’90s song by Nut N’2 Nice.

“Hi, I’m Asher Harrington, a friend of Hadley’s.” Asher stands and extends his hand to Zoe. “We didn’t formally meet back there.” He nods back to the front desk.

“Hi, I’m Zoe. You guys go on. I’ve got this and can close up.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive. Now get.” She takes the broom out of my hand and swats my butt with it.

“All right, but I’m going to lock you in here, okay?”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” Zoe smiles. She’s a sweet girl, having worked at the salon for just over a year as she attends Willow Creek University.

I grab my bag from the shelf behind the mirror. “Let me run and change, and then I’ll be all set.”

Asher nods, and I rush to the bathroom to change. When I come back out dressed comfortably in black leggings, long black flared tank, and a crème leopard cardigan, still wearing my ballet flats, I see Asher leaning against my station with his arms and ankles crossed, chatting with Zoe. They’re both smiling, but there is nothing flirtatious about the interaction. I don’t feel the same jealousy that I felt when the girl from the doctor’s office was talking with him. Maybe we have a chance to be some form of normal here.

I’m still admiring him when he looks over and smiles, straightening up. “You ready?”

I nod, closing the distance. I grab my stuff from the station and give Zoe a small hug goodbye.

“You kids have fun,” she says over her shoulder. We both freeze, sharing a glance at her word choice—kids. I haven’t shared with anyone at the salon yet that I’m pregnant. My boss, Chad, has been quite a dick lately and has already cut half the stylists’ hours, which is why I get to enjoy most weekends with my friends, but I would be worried that he would try to hold this against me when I am more than capable of standing and still doing the job I love and do well.

Asher escorts me out the front door, and I reach for my keys out of my bag and secure the lock with Zoe stuck inside.

With his hand grazing my lower back, Asher leads me down the sidewalk. He seems to have a plan in mind.

“So where are we going?” I ask as we walk along Wharton Ave.

“Okay, so hear me out. I know you mentioned last night that bacon is on your top priority list of foods right now.” I nod, and I smile because I like where this is going if bacon is involved. “Well, cheeseburgers happen to be my favorite food, so I thought I would take you to my favorite burger joint. Seriously the best in the city, yet they never win anything for Best of Willow Creek. I know they have a bacon cheeseburger on the menu, so I thought it would settle both of our cravings. But I need you to keep in mind that it’s not a five-star restaurant. It’s a quirky hole-in-the-wall, but I stumbled into it one night after partying when we first moved to town, and I think it might be possible that I keep them in business.”

Asher is playing it off like this isn’t a big deal, but this is everything. He did this for me, for the baby. It might not seem like much, but he’s offering me a glimpse into his world that others don’t get to see.

Asher stops walking and turns to look at me. “What are you thinking? You haven’t said anything. If it’s stupid, then we can go find someplace else to eat.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s perfect. Lead the way.”

“It’s not that far, but if you prefer to take a cab, we can get one. I know you’ve been on your feet all day.”

“I’m good.” I show off my ballet flats as if I’m Cinderella showing off my glass slippers. “Plus, it’s a nice night out.”

Asher extends his elbow, and I link my arm with his. This feels normal, something so not Asher and Hadley. It took me so long to feel comfortable around Josh with PDA and hand holding, yet this is relatively easy between Asher and me. Well, not easy, but it’s different.

The walk is quiet but comfortable and not at all awkward. To be honest, I’m just enjoying his company, walking downtown as the sun sets, and the colors paint a beautiful picture in the sky around us. Something again that is very different for us.

Asher slows down in front of a small building with fluorescent pink letters in front: Johnny’s Diner. I have passed this place multiple times but never thought to stop in. He ushers me through the front door, and my senses go into maximum overload. While not my favorite era but still a classic as soon as it hits my ears, the fun ’50-style music has my feet itching to dance. I grew up listening to this music when Grams would be in the kitchen cooking.

The smell of the grease, cheese, and clogged arteries is making my mouth water. Thankfully, a waitress is there to greet us at the hostess stand and seats us right away.

The menu is somewhat overwhelming, and I am sure I should have a cardiologist on standby, but then I see bacon, bacon, and more bacon. Within a few moments of our arrival, we have our orders in: two bacon cheeseburgers, mine with extra bacon, an order of bacon cheese fries to share, and two chocolate shakes.

“I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.” I look around the room and see two waitresses dancing behind the counter, singing into a bottle of ketchup to a song I recognize as “Dancing in the Street.” I wonder if someone selected that on the jukeboxes situated on the tables. This place is seriously so cool, very eclectic. When we first sat down at the table, I noticed a few of Grams’s favorite songs on the slide facing us on our jukebox. She would have loved this place.

I’ve been missing her more than usual lately, wishing she were here to talk to about the baby. I bet she would be both scared and excited for me and probably spoil the crap out of the baby. A bubble forms in the pit of my stomach, wishing that cancer hadn’t stolen her from me my freshman year of college. Or maybe that feeling is oncoming indigestion I’ll be having after this meal. Either way, it hurts my heart.

I look down at my clasped hands on the table before looking back up at Asher. His blue eyes are trained on me.How long has he been staring at me?I give him a soft smile before shifting in my seat to bring both of my legs up under me.

“Thank you for bringing me here, for sharing this place with me. It was a long day, so this is the perfect end. Especially when there’s bacon.” I wonder if there are little hearts in my eyes like emojis because the way Asher throws his head back laughing tells me it’s possible.

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