Page 65 of Semi Sweet
“A lot of people keep saying that,” he deadpanned.
“So, just visiting, then?” she asked.
“For now.”
Katie must have noticed I was there because she gasped again and clasped her hands together. “Oh my gosh, is this your girlfriend? She’s cute.”
Sean and I locked eyes across the table and I couldn’t recall a time I’d seen him so visibly uncomfortable. Not even when Meg and Ariana, my former front end adversaries, grilled him about the disco masquerade.
Wanting to end the awkward altercation, I reached for his hand across the table and clasped it tightly. “I heard this place has pizza by the slice. I would love to know which kinds you have.”
Katie shook her head like she couldn’t understand how she’d gotten off topic. “Oh, of course. There’s pepperoni, bacon, buffalo chicken, margherita, cheese, and I think there will be a new vegetable coming out soon, or you could buy a whole pizza. We've got nearly forty options.”
“I’ll take two slices of that vegetable.”
Sean cleared his throat before he added, “Make it a double.”
Katie looked pleased as she wrote it down on her steno pad and told us to pick drinks from the nearby cooler before she flitted off towards the kitchen. I stared across the table at Sean with huge eyes.
“Oh my God,” I hissed. “What the hell was that?”
He looked around to make sure we weren’t being overheard. “I have no idea.”
“Did you know she worked here?”
“NO! Last I knew she worked at a daycare.”
I flung my body dramatically on the table. “She’s flawless.”
Sean shook his head. “You're prettier.”
We perked up and attempted to act naturally when Katie returned with our pizza. She smiled at us and I was thankful for the divine intervention of an elderly couple who came in and wanted soup and pasta for lunch. Sean and I quickly ate our food and left more than enough cash on the table to cover the bill. We were out the door before we could be caught by her again.
“Sorry about that,” I said as we drove towards the mountains a bit later.
“You handled it well,” he assured me. “I wasn’t expecting her to be there or be so cordial. She’s pretty much oblivious to what she put me through.”
I noticed he started to drive up twisty residential roads. “Where are you taking me now?”
He turned onto a cul de sac and pulled his car into one of the lots at the end of the loop. It was a modern home–modest in comparison to the Mizunos’ house. The neighborhood seemed quiet and peaceful and the view of the mountains was better than the one at Sean’s parents’ house.
“I thought you might be curious about where I used to live.”
I gasped. “You lived here?” I pointed to the scenery. “Again, why the hell would you ever leave this place?”
Sean chuckled while he texted someone from the driver's seat. “Technically, I rented the first floor, and the Quitteros asked me to work in their home store. Thought it might help with the whole life plan thing.” He smiled. “I met you, so if nothing else, there’s that.”
Several moments later, a middle-aged man was standing on the lawn shaking Sean’s hand and asking how he’d been. I stood politely as he discussed moving to Denver and everything he’d been up to.
“Olivia,” Sean said, putting his hand on the small of my back and making my thoughts turn to static. We were starting to touch each other like it was second nature. “This is Dan, my old landlord.”
I shook his hand and he welcomed me to Aspen.
“Sean was a great tenant. Honestly, I haven’t found a match as good as you, kid. She’s still unoccupied at the moment.”
“Dan, I’m flattered, but you could be raking in the dough.” Sean looked pleased with his corny baking joke.
“Perhaps,” Dan said with a nod. “But probably dealing with noisy kids or weirdos or something. Plus, I really miss Bear. Where is that dog?”
