His lips spasm again.
“Did you note that? I didn’t see you write it down.”
Like the smartass I am, I pull the pad back out, put pen to paper, and then flip it his way.
“See?” I show him the page. “Lonely man, table 9. Wait.”
“Lonely, huh?”
“I mean, youareon LustStruck. That’s a sure cry of loneliness.”
I turn on my heel, satisfied I’ve won our spar.
“Bring back some breadsticks!” he calls out.
I shake my head and lift my notebook. “Can’t.”
“Breadsticks, Wren!”
“It’s been noted, Foster! Noted!”
His laughter follows me through the dining room.
Slice Four
Foster
“Do you want the good or bad news first?”
“Hit me with the good. I could use it after that date.”
“Good: at least she wasn’t a teenager. Bad: I’m fairly certain shehasa teenager.”
I laugh, because Wren isn’t wrong. She does, and she talked about hima lot. I don’t have an issue dating an older woman, but seeing as she was sixteen years my senior, that piece of information would have been nice to know.
Wren reaches for another French fry, dipping it into the famous house buffalo ranch Simon mixes up fresh every day.
“At least that was the only major issue.”
“Right, but itwasa major issue. I think I’m closer in age to her son than I am her.”
She winces. “You’re not wrong there.”
I sigh, scrubbing a hand over my face, defeat starting to settle in. “This dating shit is hard.”
“It is.” She wrinkles her nose. “I was really good at it once upon a time, though.”
There’s a familiar pinch in my chest.
Just like every other time I’ve heard about Wren’s dating life or witnessed it firsthand, that ugly thing called jealousy tries to rear its head.
I push it away. I have no right to be jealous, not when I can’t even muster up the courage to properly tell her how I feel.
“Are you seeing anyone now?” I punish myself like the moron I am.
She snorts. “As if I have the time for that.”
“No time? How many hours a week do you work here?”