Page 10 of Can't Kiss the Chef

Our cease fire is short lived. A blaring car horn jolts us back into reality. I watch her smile fall as remembers she doesn’t like me anymore.

Mia, not reading the room, yips in delight when Lola gives her the treat she did nothing to earn.

“Well, I better get home with the kegs.” I point to the metal barrels. “Will I see you tonight?”

This time, she lets the small smile stay long enough for me to appreciate it.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

She helps Mia into the truck. If this were last year, I would have given her a kiss goodbye, but right now, I don’t know what to do. I keep my hands awkwardly tucked to my side as I watch her walk away.

Lola just gives me a little wave before getting into her Suburban. I wait for her to pull out and when she does, she stops when her window is parallel to mine.

“I’m looking forward to tonight,” she tells me.

All I have time for is a slight nod and smile before she pulls away.

A packed can of sardines would have had more room to breathe then I do at this moment.

The party flows out both the front and back door. Everyone has a drink in hand, enjoying the playlist that Indy made. It’s setting the tone for what I know is going to be an unforgettable year. The atmosphere is infectious, making me forget the no drinking rule I implemented for myself.

I grab one of the IPAs I tucked into the back of the fridge before making my way to the backyard to start a fire in the pit we have out there. Once it’s lit, I sit in one of the plastic chairs around the fire.

“Drink up.”

Josiah takes the seat next to me before handing me two plastic cups. One is filled with beer from the keg, and the other is filled with a shot of whiskey. I throw the whiskey back first. It feels like the cup never empties, and when it finally does, it sends a shiver down my spine.

“Dude, that was so much more than a shot.”

Josiah just shrugs before his eyes catch on someone coming out the back door.

“Damn, who is that?” I turn because what guy’s curiosity doesn’t peak when their friend points out a hot girl?

A cool breeze shifts the direction of the fire, highlighting a figure dressed in all black. My jaw grows more tense with each chomp of her signature piece of minty gum.

“That’s Lola,” I grumble.

“Damn really? Summer treated her well.”

I’m shooting him a warning look when a girl I used to sleep with sophomore year makes herself at home in my lap with another shot for each of us.

When she gets up to get another round of shots, Josiah turns to me, “Lola looks good. Mind if I see if she needs a drink?”

I flip him a middle finger. He brushes it off before joining a couple of his teammates in a game of beer pong.

When it’s clear that I’m forgotten, I take things into my own hands. Pushing through games of flip cup and dancing couples to the bar, I pick up the dark liquor and pour until it fills half the cup adding some coke before taking a sip.

An hour Iater, after letting Mia out, I’m surprised to see Lola sitting alone on our front porch.

It’s when I see the bench in three different places that I realize how drunk I am. By the grace of God, I land my ass next to Lola.

Her tattoos peek out of her black cropped shirt. I couldn’t know that ink better even if it were etched into my skin. I run my finger over the outline of a lighthouse that’s in an oval picture frame.

“This one has always been my favorite.” My thumb takes a little longer to run over the words sketched into the frame.

BYRON BAY

Lola’s favorite place she’s been to and she travels a lot.

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