Page 17 of Hooked on a Demon
Anyway, you in?
Where? What time?
Krumb-Krushers
10:30?
Oooh. Krumb-Krushers is great.
She checks the time on her phone. Meeting for 10:30 doesn’t give her a ton of time, but she also hasn’t seen her bestie in what feels like forever. And she does have the day off… so a mimosa or two wouldn’t be a horrible thing. Her phone chimes in her hand again, drawing her attention back to the conversation.
Way to leave a girl hanging…
You do know I like to keep you in suspense
Don’t I know it.
So what do you say? Will you go on a brunchie-brunch date with me?
Alright, yes! But only if you stop calling it brunchie-brunch.
I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises.
That will have to do, I guess.
I’ll see you soon!
Arriving at the restaurant, Eliana takes a quick glance in the window, trying to see if Kaia is here yet, and uses the opportunity to check her reflection. She tucks a stray hair behind her ear and sees a hand inside waving at her. She raises a hand and wiggles her fingers back at Kaia, then reaches over and pulls open the door.
The bell chimes overhead, and as she steps into the building, she’s overtaken by the smell of fresh bread, bacon, and coffee. She must be hungrier than she thought because the mix of scents is heavenly and causes her mouth to water.
As she steps toward the table, she notices that Kaia isn’t alone. She didn’t say anything about it being a group gathering, and the fact that it won’t be the two of them for a girl’s date saddens her a bit, but she puts on a smile anyway, not wanting to upset anyone at the table.
“Ellie!” Kaia jumps up, stepping quickly around the table, and hugs her. “I’m so happy to see you.”
Laughing, Eliana replies, “I can tell. It hasn’t been that long. Though I do appreciate the enthusiasm.”
“Oh, shush. I’m happy to see my friend.” Moving back to her seat, Kaia extends her hand and waves it at the open chair, “Sit. Sit.”
Eliana removes her coat, hanging it on the back of the chair, and does as instructed.
“Ellie, this is Charlie and Wendall,” Kaia says, gesturing to the other ladies at the table, who each extend a hand and shake Eliana’s. “I know Charlie from my old job at the bank, and Wendall is her friend. We happened to come in at the same time and got to chatting, so we grabbed a table together.” Kaia looks at her, secretly asking with her expression if this is okay. Of course, it’s a little late now, but Eliana is nothing if not a people pleaser, so she nods slightly and sees the sense of relief cross her friend’s eyes.
“So wonderful to meet you both. How long did you two work together?” Eliana asks Charlie.
“A couple of years. It was my first job after getting my degree in business administration from Leeside University. Kaia took me under her wing, showing me all the things I needed to know when working in the field.” She laughs. “I always felt like I was bugging her with all my questions, but she was so gracious, never hesitating to help me when I needed. We ended up hanging out outside of work and became actual friends.”
Kaia smiles at her as she takes a sip of her water. “She’s being modest. Charlie was one of the best employees we had. Not seeing her every day and being able to gossip about all things Leeside was probably the hardest part of leaving that job.”
“But you needed it. You weren’t going to get the growth you wanted if you stayed there any longer.”
She nods in agreement. “True. Anyway, I was so happy to run into you that I couldn’t miss the chance to have a meal together.”
Eliana looks over at Wendall, who appears bored with the conversation. Not that Eliana blames her, it feels a little odd watching the two of them. Looking at Kaia again, Eliana can see a little flush in her cheeks. Perhaps there’s more to that friendship than Charlie is saying. Trying to bring the conversation away from whatever may exist between Charlie and Kaia, Eliana turns to Wendall, asking, “What about you? How did you and Charlie meet?”
Wendall’s face lights up, as if the tiny question is the best gift in the world. “We are actually childhood best friends. We met in kindergarten and, according to our parents, became instantly attached at the hip. We had to have playdates every weekend, much to our parents’ grumbling.”
“Aww, that’s cute,” Eliana says. “Kaia and I met as children, too. We were like five or six, I think. We shared a deep love of princesses and turtles. Like you, we’ve been kind of inseparable since. Though we never lived together.” She laughs. “As much as we love each other, I don’t think that would have gone well.”
