Page 105 of About that Fling
“Hello, sweetheart!” Gertie said, fluffing her hair as she arrived at the edge of their table. “What a surprise seeing you here! I thought the two of you went to Gerlake.”
“Change of plans,” Mia said, biting off a piece of pizza and fanning her mouth. “Pull up a chair and join us. We ordered plenty.”
Shawn jumped up, vacating his seat. “Here, take mine. I see an extra one right over there.”
“I really shouldn’t,” Gert said. “I have a man friend who’s parking the car and?—”
“I see two free chairs right over there.” Shawn was already en route to the table. “I’ll grab ‘em both.”
“Please join us,” Mia urged. “We’ve got plenty of space, and there aren’t exactly tons of free tables tonight.”
Gert looked uneasy, darting a quick glance at Jenna. “They told me up front it’s a two-hour wait to be seated, but I really don’t think?—”
“Please,” Jenna begged, dropping her voice. “I feel weird having dinner with my ex and my hormonal, pregnant bestie. Like we’re some kind of awkward throuple.”
Mia laughed, but Gert looked unsure. “All right,” she said slowly a Shawn came back with two extra chairs. Mia and Jenna moved over, making room for Gertie and her date in the space between Jenna and Shawn. With everyone seated, Shawn sat back down and picked up his phone. Jenna picked up her wine and took a tentative sip, not wanting to overindulge with this much potential for awkward tension at the table.
“I can’t wait to meet your gentleman friend, Gertie,” Mia said, swallowing her bite of pizza. “Is this the guy who went to Cornell?”
“Oh—well yes, he did, but it’s not Arthur. My date is Adam.”
Mia blinked. “What?”
“Adam.” Gertie frowned, glancing at Jenna. “Oh, dear, I’m sorry. We can find a different table if this is going to be a problem.”
“No, it’s okay,” Mia said, reaching for her root beer. “If Jenna can handle eating pizza with her ex, I can do the same.”
Jenna bit her lip and looked at Shawn, who appeared to be engrossed in either a stock trade or a game of Angry Birds. It was tough to tell.
“You’re sure it’s okay?” Gert asked, looking from Mia to Jenna and back again. “I can just put our names on the list. I told Adam I’d find us a place by the time he parked the car, but we can wait. Or go someplace else. I really don’t want to cause trouble.”
“I’m a big girl, Gertie,” Mia said. “Besides, I feel like I owe Adam an apology for some things I said earlier. This is my opportunity to make nice.”
“In that case, we accept the invitation,” Gertie said. “I’m going to run over to the bar to order some drinks. Any idea what Adam likes?
Mia shrugged. “He’s not very experimental. Probably a Bud Light or something.”
Jenna took another sip of her wine and pushed it aside, wishing the waitress would bring a glass of water. Shawn was smiling and nodding, pretending to follow the conversation while his thumbs fluttered over the screen. Jenna cut her eyes to Mia, who was watching Shawn with a bemused expression.
“Isn’t this what the whole relationship was like?” Mia murmured under her breath.
“Pretty much,” Jenna murmured back.
“I see some things never change.”
“Sure they do. Isn’t that the latest iPhone? They didn’t have those when we broke up.”
“You’re right, I stand corrected.”
Jenna leaned closer, not that there was much risk of Shawn overhearing or lifting his gaze from the phone. “Which is worse,” she whispered. “The ex who changes everything about himself after you split, or the one who doesn’t change a damn thing?”
“I’ll get back to you on that one.” Mia reached for another piece of pizza.
Gertie returned to the table and set down two mugs of beer. “I hope one of these is what Adam likes.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Mia said.
Jenna bit her lip and glanced toward the front of the restaurant. As if on cue, Adam appeared in the doorway, his dark hair tousled and windblown. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, too, but seeing his forearms made Jenna shiver in a way Shawn’s didn’t. Adam was scanning the room, and Jenna sat breathless as his gaze moved from table to table, looking for Gertie.
