Page 30 of Crossing the Brooklyn Briggs
“Sorry,” she says with a broad smile. “That’s probably weird ’cause we haven’t met. I’m Micah’s best friend, Kinley.”
Suddenly I feel like a terrible sister for not knowing the name of her best friend. “Oh, right. Hi.”
“We were just talking about you, actually,” Jordan throws in. “Thought maybe you would be working this morning.”
I give him a look that I hope says he’s full of it, but then Kinley turns a pretty pink color and smiles even wider. She seems sweet, exactly the kind of person Micah would like, and apparently being talked about is a pretty big confidence boost for her.
“I don’t usually waitress,” she says brightly, “but I’m covering someone else’s shift. What are the odds of running into you guys, huh?” Her eyes go wide as she looks at me, then at Jordan, and then back to me.
I know she’s trying to tell me something, but I have no idea what it is. The one thing I do know is Micah is going to hear about this “date” as soon as Kinley goes into the back, and I’m not looking forward to that.
More than anyone, Micah pushes me to get myself out there and find my true love, and she’s going to take me sitting here with Jordan as a sign that the universe has finally brought us together. She was just a middle schooler most of the time Jordan was around at our house, but she knows him almost as well as I do.
Which, at the moment, feels like not at all.
“I’ll just have water,” Jordan says, thankfully pulling Kinley’s attention away from me. “Brook, what do you want?”
I haven’t even looked at the menu, but if this were a date with Mark, who is cultured and mature, I wouldn’t order hot chocolate like I want to. Sun City may never drop below seventy degrees most of the time, but hot chocolate is good no matter the temperature outside.
“Water with lemon?” I say, though it comes out like a question.
Kinley flashes another wide smile. “You got it! Be right back with those waters.”
She’s barely out of earshot before Jordan sits forward, leaning his elbows on the table like he’s about to spill the tea. “Don’t go giving me dirty looks for saving your bacon,” he says with narrowed eyes. “And no, you probably shouldn’t order bacon. Bacon is a layman’s breakfast, and probably not something your fancy mop bucket of a crush would approve of.”
Mark probably wouldn’t approve of ordering pancakes at a fancy restaurant either.
“Thanks,” I mutter. “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard Micah talk about her before, but I guess I don’t pay that much attention.”
“Hey.” He reaches across the table, like he might put a hand on mine, but instead picks up his napkin-wrapped cutlery and opens it. “I’ve barely even talked to my youngest brother since coming back from California. It’s hard to stay connected sometimes.”
That doesn’t really make me feel better, but I appreciate the solidarity. “I guess this is my sign to try a little harder to be a part of Micah’s life.”
Jordan twists his lips, his eyebrows dipping low as he looks at me. Whatever that means, he’s really laying into the expression.
“Here’s that water for you!” Kinley is back, still full of smiles. “It’s so fun to finally get another Briggs sib in here! I love Micah, but she’s here so often that I’ve gotten used to seeing her around.”
“She must really like the food,” Jordan says.
“She really likes the familiarity,” Kinley counters with a laugh. “Plus, I’ve gotten good at chasing away her dates when they’re duds. It’s always fun to see the kinds of guys she brings in here.”
I frown. “Micah brings all of her dates here? Really?”
“That’s how we met. I started recognizing her and realizing she had a different guy every time, so I asked her about it. And here we are! It’s too bad you didn’t come tonight instead of this morning so you could watch the date she has with her mailman.”
I’m sorry, with herwhat?
This time Jordandoesgrab my hand, probably to stop me from freaking out about my little sister going out with random men who shouldn’t be asking her out in the first place. “I think we’re probably ready to order,” he says, even though I still haven’t opened my menu.
I glance down, scanning the brunch items for anything that sounds like something Mark would like even though the waffles sound amazing right now. “Uh, I’ll have the salmon omelet,” I say warily.
“Biscuits and gravy.” Jordan doesn’t hesitate at all with his choice, and it sounds a million times better than whatever I just said. But if I’m going to pretend to be on a date with Mark and practice this whole fish reeling nonsense, I have to play the game right. Not that fishing is a game. Or dating. Games are supposed to be fun.
Only when Kinley heads back to the kitchen does Jordan free my hand, sitting back in his chair and giving me an easy smile. “So,” he says. “Logarithms, am I right?”
If this is him trying to pretend to be Mark, this is going to be an epic failure. “Do you even know what a logarithm is?”
“Something mathy. PR doesn’t really require algebra or trigonometry, so…”
