Page 79 of The Edge of Summer
Her smile is sad. “He should get to grow up with his parents. That’s what isn’t fair.”
She leaves me on the porch as she jogs down the steps and gets in the car. Parker doesn’t look at her; he just stares out the passenger window. And as I watch them leave, I’m reminded once again how much of an idiot I’ve been.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
DELILAH
Saturdays at Docksideonly seem to get busier as the summer progresses.
Earlier today, my section was full and the restaurant itself had a waitlist a mile long. Now the lunchtime rush has petered out, leaving just a few patrons enjoying a late afternoon meal. I stuff my most recent tip into my pocket as I take advantage of the lull and pour myself a glass of water. When it touches my lips, I realize just how dehydrated I am. I don’t usually mind the busy shifts, but not being able to stop for hours on end takes its toll.
When the bell above the door sounds, I set my glass aside with a sigh.Showtime.
“Hey, Chief Bowman!” someone across the room calls.
Luke waves to the overly friendly townie as he makes his way toward me.
“Hey,” I say. “Fancy seeing you here.”
I’m still not used to Luke’s smile. He doesn’t give it toeveryone—and he certainly didn’t give it to me in the beginning—but that just makes it all the more special. It softens his otherwise serious exterior and makes my insides feel like the middle of a warm cookie right out of the oven.
“Hey, Shutterbug,” he says.
“Do you want your usual?” I hook a thumb over my shoulder. “I can put the order in.”
He shakes his head. “Just here to see Clara about something. She in her office?”
I laugh. “It’s schedule day. She’s been holed up since six.” I grab the sandwich that just came out of the kitchen. “I was just about to bring this to her, but now you can have the honours.”
He takes the plate from my hands and then brushes a kiss to my cheek on his way past. I can still feel exactly where his lips touched even though he is long gone. I resist the urge to put my hand there.
The bell above the door jingles again and this time, instead of a handsome fire chief, a group of four guys come in. They all could be stand-ins for Ken dolls with their nearly identical short-sleeve button-ups and chino shorts. They have varying shades of blonde hair and overly cocky smirks. I roll my eyes heavenward when I see the way they jostle one another, clearly intoxicated, as the host leads them to a table. In my section, of course.
I preemptively grab four glasses of water and carry them over to the table with me. “Hi, guys,” I say in my perky customer service voice. “I’m Delilah. I’ll be taking care of you today.”
Ken One does an exaggerated perusal of my body. “I know how you can take care of me, sweetheart.”
Ken Two nudges Ken One with his elbow. They share a look and then dissolve into laughter. I grit my teeth, sure that my smile is hanging on by a thread.
“I brought you all some water. I’ll give you a minute to look over the menu, unless you’d like to order something else to drink.”
“Beer!” Ken Three shouts. “A Canadian.”
“How about we stick to the nonalcoholic side of things for now?” Each of them has more than a buzz going. I’m not going to be responsible for their alcohol poisoning. “I’ll be back to take your food orders.”
“Man, the service here fucking sucks,” one of them complains to my back.
I refill another table’s water and help bus another table that just cleared out. Then I make my way back over and manage to get orders for appetizers out of the rowdy group.
Just as I move to step away, a familiar hand settles on my hip, giving it a squeeze. Suddenly, the group of guys in front of me looksveryinterested in their drinks, and their obnoxious chatter has completely died out.
“Can I help you?” I ask, sparing him a glance over my shoulder. “Or are you just here to glower at my customers?”
“I don’t glower,” Luke insists. “And they were being little assholes.”
I head for the bar. His hand falls from my side, but he trails after me like a stupidly handsome shadow. “I won’t argue with that, but I can handle myself.”
