Page 11 of 518 Hope Ave
Moving away from the window, I take a seat on my couch and pick up a magazine, flicking through it for a few minutes before I grow impatient and check the window again. Nothing. I check my phone, and there's no message or missed calls. Then I go to the house phone and call my cell just to make sure it's working. It is. The nerves in my stomach bottom out, and I'm not even sure that I'm hungry anymore. Those initial five minutes become thirty. And a deep, deep dread plants its seed and I just feel... awful. I check my phone over and over and over before I look through my contacts and realize that we never exchanged numbers.Shit.
My finger hovers over Sarah’s name.Maybe she has his number?I could call her and ask… But I don’t want to come into work on Monday to have her prying about my date with Ezra…Especiallysince it seems he’s just stood me up.
Maybe I misread the entire situation?
Maybe he didn’t want to come to dinner at all?
But he kissed me back!
Did he really?
My mind instantly erupts into total chaos, and I start to convince myself that he only agreed to come tonight because Cora and I railroaded him into it.Stupid Quinn!I threw myself at him, and he was kind enough not to turn me down to my face, but in a way, I think I would have preferred that. Because then, I wouldn’t have had all this hope...
When I glance at the time again, it’s eight forty-five, and my eyes start to water. He’s not coming.
Standing up from the couch, I clear away the table setting and throw the pasta in the trash. I lost my appetite an hour ago, and I couldn’t force myself to eat.
As I head to my bedroom and change my dress for my comfy sweats, my lip trembles and a tear escapes my eye. I wanted this to worksobadly that I actually believed a man as handsome as Ezra could actually be into a big girl like me.
I never learn.
10
Ezra
“What’s a guy gotta do to get some service around here?” a customer yells from across the diner.
“Coming!” I holler as I pour Mrs. Henderson her second cup of coffee for the night.
The diner is completely packed tonight, and Caroline desperately needed me to pull a double shift, so I’m stuck here working overtime. On top of that, Amelia called in sick so we’re ridiculously short-staffed, and I have no chance to even get away for a moment.
I hate my life.
I glance at the clock hanging over the window to the kitchen—nine-thirty.Quinn is gonna hate me.
The door flies open, and a group of new customers enters. “Fuck,” I mutter under my breath as I make my way over to them, wishing there were other employment options for a guy like me in this tiny town. I’ve been forced to choose between my job or my date, and since my siblings count on me to provide for them, I had to choose my job. Now I feel like the biggest asshole on the planet and hope to God I can somehow make it up to Quinn.
I realized when my boss read me the riot act that Quinn and I didn’t exchange numbers the night we kissed. So as much as I wanted to call her to reschedule our date, I didn’t have the means to do so. I keep hoping that she’ll walk through the doors of the diner to check if I’m here, but she never shows.Does that mean she’s really mad?
Some of her colleagues from the school office have come and gone, but I didn’t have the guts to ask them if I could have her number. Not when I don’t even know what we are yet. And I’m too flustered to come up with a good cover story. I just want this shift over so I can go to her and grovel on my knees in apology.
“Service!” The new group has barely sat down before they’re yelling at me.Awesome.
“How can I help you?” I ask through my teeth with as much patience and kindness as I can muster.
“Finally, jeez,” he groans before taking a look at the menu.He hasn’t even decided what he wants—asshole.
As his entourage giggles and snickers, I struggle to keep my composure in check, and I take a deep calming breath while the customer’s attention is on his menu.
“Excuse me! I'd like to order, please,” someone else calls from behind me.
“I’ll be right there, ma’am,” I call back. I turn back to the man and tap my notepad, “Should I give you guys a couple more minutes to decide what you want?”
“Excuse me? What did you just say to me?” he asks, voice raised. More snickers emanate from around the table. "I'm trying to figure out what I want, and I need you here in case I have a question. I have dietary requirements that need to be taken into consideration."
“All of our menus note which items have allergens in them, sir,” I say, glancing at the other customers needing help.
“Yeah. But are they keto?” he grunts, and I try my hardest not to roll my eyes. This is obviously some dickhead from Syn City who thought it would be fun to come over to Cherry Falls and act like he owns the place.
