Page 23 of Suddenly Dating
And winced.
That was no caramel latte. She didn’t know what it was, but she didn’t like it. She made a move toward the counter to tell them, but a man in a business suit behind her sighed loudly, as if she were intentionally trying to annoy him by not getting out of the way. So she reflexively stepped away from the counter with the drink that was not hers, for which she’d paid five dollars, thank you very much. It wasn’t even sweet.
The tables were completely full, but she spotted one across the room tucked up against the wall with a pair of coffee cups and two empty pastry plates. Lola began to weave her way through the tables for it, holding her bag aloft so as not to bonk anyone in the head with it. And just as she was about to break free of the obstacle course of human bodies, wooden chairs, and people’s bags on the floor, a girl wearing floral tights and a very short skirt appeared from nowhere and plunked her computer bag down on the table.
Lola gaped at the girl, who was now texting on her phone. She spared Lola a glance. “Sorry,” she said.
Lola was going to stand up for herself and demand this table, but the girl took a phone call, and Lola’s resolve deflated. She turned around in defeat, and in doing so, her bag bumped against a table. She heard the cups rattle and grabbed the edge of the table. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize! It’s super crowded in here. It’s a wonder tables and cups aren’t flying.”
Lola looked at the woman who had said those words. She looked to be Lola’s age. She had a book in one hand, a plate with the crumbs of her breakfast at her elbow. She had frizzy brown hair, was pleasingly plump, and wore a silver chain around her neck from which dangled a silver candy wrapper charm. Lola liked her dancing brown eyes and snowy white teeth.
“You can sit here if you like,” she said, indicating the empty chair.
“Would you mind?” Lola asked gratefully.
“Not at all. Better you than that guy,” she said, nodding toward a man with dreadlocks who looked as if he’d been sleeping on the beach. “I’m Mallory Cantrell, by the way.” She pushed the extra chair out for Lola.
“Hi,” Lola said, and juggled her coffee and her bag so she could extend her hand. “I’m Lola Dunne.”
“Nice to meet you, Lola Dunne! Pretty name. My cousin had a dog named Lola,” Mallory said, reaching for Lola’s cup.
“Yeah... I get that a lot,” Lola said, and gratefully relinquished her cup, plopped onto the empty chair, and dropped her bag by her feet with a sigh of relief.
“Are you new to town?” Mallory asked.
Lola had thought about this question and what her response would be if asked, and said confidently, “I’m staying at my friend’s house.”
“Oh, where’s that, on the lake? It’s gorgeous right now, isn’t it? Everything is blooming.”
“Yep, on the lake. Out on Juneberry Road,” Lola added absently.
“Hey, my aunt lives on Juneberry. Small world, huh? So who’s your friend? I probably know her. I’m a year-rounder.”
“A what?”
Mallory laughed. “That’s what we locals call ourselves. Year-rounders. Who did you say your friend was?” she asked again.
“Sa...” Lola thought twice about what she was about to say, and at the last moment, changed that S sound to a Z. “Zach Miller.” That would be safer, she thought. According to Sara, Zach hadn’t been a regular at the lake in a few years.
But Mallory gasped with delight and said loudly, “Zach Miller! Wellhello,Lola Dunne!Verynice to meet Zach’s friend.”
Shit. Shitshitshit.“You know him?”
“I don’t reallyknowhim,” Mallory said to Lola’s great relief. “Not well, anyway. But we’ve met a couple of times at different functions. He’s very generous to the Lake Haven Foster Kids’ Project. But you know how generous he is.”
ZachMiller? Lola tried not to look shocked and glanced down just in case her expression gave her away, because the man Sara had so vividly described was a narcissist dickhead who rarely showed his face in East Beach. Not a generous man contributing to a charity for foster kids.
“He’s modest,” Mallory said, mistaking Lola’s reaction. “Is he in town? I’d love to say hello.”
“No, no,” Lola said quickly. “No, I don’t think he’ll be out this summer. Lots going on, you know.” She glanced away guiltily. She wondered what Humorless Harry said when people asked him where he was living. Oh, right—he was so charming he probably didn’t have any friends.
“Oh. Okay. So what do you do?”
“Ah, well,” Lola said, and shifted a little.Just say it!Casey’s voice shouted in her head.What are you afraid of?“I, ah... I write. I’m writing a book,” she blurted.
“Really? How fun!” Mallory Cantrell said. “I love to read. What’s it about?”
