Page 64 of Love Potion

Lowen nods, blows out a breath, then actually laughs softly as Oakley leaves. “He’s amazing.”

“Seems like it.”

“How are you? I feel like we haven’t caught up in a while.”

“Life is good. No complaints.”

Jerryn walks over to us, smiling and tucking some of his hair behind his ear. “Hey, Low.”

“Hey. Thanks for grabbing that table for me.”

“Of course.” Jerryn glances over at Oakley. “Things are good with you guys?”

“Yes. Very good. The future is bright.”

Jerryn nods, glancing briefly at me before leaning against my arm. “I agree.”

Lowen seems to notice the contact between us, but it’s not exactly unusual, so he just smiles and excuses himself. Once he’s gone, Jerryn leans in even closer and kisses my cheek.

“I’m excited to get out of here tonight.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“Being alone with you is my favorite part of the day.”

“Mine too, sweet stuff.”

His smile grows, but I know there’s something else on his mind. I can tell from the way he bites his bottom lip, plays with his hair, and searches my eyes like he’s looking for permission.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I do.”

“Good. Anything on your mind?”

He shakes his head, smiling at me. “Just excited to get home.”

“Me too, Jerr.”

He’ll tell me when he’s ready. Until then, I’ll just keep showing him how I feel and how amazing he is.

About an hourlater I get my wish. I leave Moby’s with Jerryn, Indy, Salem, and Kit. Ridley and Lowen are staying behind to shut the place down. We all head down the sidewalk together, chatting about the day’s events from funny customer interactions to getting ready for the weekend crowd. Jerryn is talking about a customer who insisted he was allergic to tomatoes and was adamant they weren’t on his burger, but then he kept eating the cheese sticks and dipping them in marinara sauce. When Jerryn stepped in to clarify that the marinara sauce was made with tomatoes, the man said he was only allergic to them if they weren’t cooked.

“I don’t know why people insist on saying they have an allergy to something they don’t like,” Salem says. “Just say you don’t like raw tomatoes, dude. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s real,” Kit says. “I had a roommate who had the same thing with tomatoes. He could handle them in small amounts if they were cooked, but if he ate them raw he broke out in hives.”

Salem’s eyes widen for a second. “I had no idea.”

“Granted, a lot of customers just say stuff like that to make sure we won’t put something they don’t like in their food,” Kit continues. “But it can be a real allergy.”

“Good to know,” Salem says.

“I had no idea either,” I add.

The topic shifts when Salem talks about a reservation we have on the books for next week. “They asked if they could reserve a table for their group. I had to ask what the

group was about to make sure it fit our vibe, and I’m so glad I did.”

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