Page 71 of Grounded
“Cheeseburger and fries for me,” Lindy said.
“I’ll take the BLT,” Annie said, “with one of those locally grown tomatoes.” She smiled at the waitress.
“What kind of salads do you have?” Cam asked.
“Just one kind. You can get it with or without fried chicken,” the waitress answered.
“Oh, okay. Definitely without the fried chicken. What kind of lettuce is it?”
“Just plain old lettuce,” the waitress said, her brow crinkled.
“It’s Iceberg,” Annie said.
“Any fat-free dressings?”
“We have a light Italian. That’s it.”
“That’s fine,” Cam said, closing her menu and turning back to the girls. “Actually …” Camille’s eyes took on a mischievous glint. “This is top secret, just between us girls, okay? My dad called this morning and has secured an option to buy into a large hotel in New York City. It will be a great opportunity for Jake if the deal goes through.”
“Oh, has Jake decided to do the hotel business?” Lindy looked at Annie then Camille.
“He’s almost there,” Cam said. “He’ll drop everything when he hears about the deal in New York. This would be the chance of a lifetime.” Camille smiled like a cat with a belly full of mouse.
“Why don’t you tell Jake now?” Annie asked, sipping her iced tea through a straw. “Wouldn’t your dad want Jake to weigh in on the deal before he takes such a big step?”
“Dad wants to wait until we know we have it. The owners are coming in for negotiations this weekend. That’s why I have to leave on Saturday. Jake thinks I have a sales meeting, but if it goes through, he’ll know all about it soon enough.”
The waitress brought their food with a clatter and some of Camille’s lettuce fell onto the table. Camille looked at the waitress sharply but held her tongue.
“That’s very generous of your father,” Lindy said. “But are you sure that’s what Jake wants to do?”
“Jake will come around eventually. He’ll see the benefit of us working together as a family. That’s how it is with us—we all work together.”
“I don’t know if I would want to work with my husband all day, but with the guy I’m hung up on, that wouldn’t be a problem,” Lindy said, wiping her mouth. She peered at Camille as if she just spotted a bedbug. “Are you sniffing your food?”
Annie nearly spit out her tea and instead started choking.
“Are you okay?” Lindy asked. Camille frowned at Annie with a slight look of disgust. Annie threw up her hand and choked out the words, “Fine, wrong pipe.”
“So what’s up with the sniffing?” Lindy asked again, just in case Camille forgot the question.
“It’s a technique I learned in college. If you take the time to sniff each bite, you eat less. It’s kinda like tricking your brain into thinking you’re full. It really works!”
“No kidding!” Lindy said. “I’ll have to try that.”
Annie fought hard against her eye-rolling urge.
“Now about this love interest. What is keeping you from going for it?” Camille asked.
“Mainly, he stays out West to climb rocks. He’s a free spirit and I’m traditional. Maybe one day,” Lindy said.
“Don’t wait. You should go for it. Decide what you want and grab it,” Camille said.
Advice to the lovelorn,Annie thought. She should write a column.
“What do you think, Annie?” Lindy asked.
“I think you should.”Before he goes falling in love with someone else,she thought.
