Remi pointed her fork at me. “You were busy with sex this morning,” she said, matter-of-fact. “That’s why you hadn’t eaten yet.”
“I did not have sex this morning,” I responded, choosing my words with care. Flo looked on with avid fascination.
“You had something this morning,” she persisted. “I bet if I were to pull that collar down, I’d find a hickey.” My hand flew to my neck and her cackle filled the diner. “See!”
“Anyway.” I continued haughtily. “That’s what it’s like, Flo. Is Flo short for Florence, by the way? I forgot to ask last time.”
Flo pushed away from the table. “It’s actually short for Florie. Weird, I know. Flo just stuck, I think, because of that t.v. show with the waitress at Mel’s Diner.” She started walking away. “Let me know if you need anything, girls.”
“All right. Spill,” Remi demanded as soon as she was back behind the counter. “Tell me everything.”
I shrugged. “There’s not really much to tell. Hayes is doing this cute little elf thing, where he leaves the elf sitting around with candy or something representative of our relationship. Today he called in to work for me and left me a bubble bath elf, with a note telling me to relax. So that’s what I did.”
“You took a bath?”
“Fell asleep in the tub, I relaxed so hard. And then I woke up to Hayes. One thing led to another, and…” I licked my lips.
“And…?”
I licked my lips again.
Remi looked at me in confusion.
Rolling my eyes, I licked my lips again, this time very suggestively.
“Oh! You dirty girl!” Remi’s voice was loud enough to turn heads.
“Shhh!”
“Nice. And how do we feel about this blessed event?”
“Confused.” I tossed my fork to my plate. “Remi, afterward, I remembered something. It was just a flicker, really, but it was disturbing.” I frowned at the memory and Remi reached over to squeeze my hand.
“Whatever it was, you can tell me.”
“I know. It just…I don’t…it doesn’t have any context. It makes no sense. What if I’m letting myself get bothered over nothing?”
“You can’t obsess over that. You have to work with what you’re given or ask someone to help you with the context. One positive is that it may mean your memory is on the way back. What was the memory?”
“A woman’s face. Serena Hansen, from UT. You know her?”
Remi shook her head. “Is that it? Just her face? That could mean anything…maybe you were in a class together, or you saw her in that café you went to all the time.”
“No. She had this expression. Cunning. Crafty. Very I’ll-get-you-my-pretty kind of vibes. And the timing. It’s too strange for me to ignore.”
“Maybe. I think you need to talk to Hayes about it.”
I exhaled breathily, but didn’t reply, and we shifted topics.
We were talking about Christmas plans when Remi’s face went blank. Beneath the blankness, though, I could see pink riding her cheekbones, and a glitter in her eyes that hadn’t previously been there. Turning, I saw Levi. Lifting his hand in a wave, he headed toward us.
“You know Levi? I asked.
Remi swung a guilty look in my direction. “I met him at the same party you officially met Hayes. He’s been a thorn in my side ever since.”
Levi reached us and reached out to tug at Remi’s ponytail. “Remington! Fancy meeting you here. And Birdie. So glad you came back.”
“Get lost, Levi,” Remi muttered.
“Remi!”
“Aww, it’s okay. She loves me.” Levi shoved in beside her while I watched with interest.
Nudging Remi in the ribs with his elbow, he snagged a fry from her plate and popped it in his mouth. He stared at her while he chewed, a smile playing around his lips as her lips pressed into a thin line.
“What’s going on with you guys?”
“Nothing,” Levi answered.
“He’s a cretin,” Remi hissed.
“You love my cretinous tendencies; don’t deny it.”
“Okayyy. So, you two know each other from the baseball party?” I remember Remi dragging me away, in a huff over some guy… “Ohhh. I remember now.”
“He plays baseball,” Remi spat. “Hayes was his pitcher last year and is his coach now.”
I pinned Levi with a look. “Is that so?”
“Now, Birdie.” He held up his hands, as if to say it’s not what you think. Then he said, “It’s not what you think.”
“Isn’t it?” Hurt and anger poured through me in equal measure. “Are you going to try to tell me you had no idea who I was when I walked into that café?”
He squirmed, while Remi leaned into the window behind her and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, Levi. Is that what you’re trying to say?”
Levi lifted a finger to scratch behind his ear. “I knew who you were. Your mother called Hayes to tell him you were insisting on going to the café and campus. He was worried about you. He knew I was always there in the morning, so he called and asked me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you didn’t get lost or confused.” His expression was open and earnest. “I should have just watched from a distance, but you looked like you needed a friend.”
“So, you were my babysitter.” I straightened my silverware on my plate. “I feel so stupid.”
“You’re a douche, Levi.” Remi pushed at his bulk. “Let me up.”
“I was just trying to help,” he protested.
“I thought you were my friend. I needed you to be a friend.” I rose from the bench and tossed a twenty on the table. “I appreciate the sentiment and I’m sure I will eventually forgive you. But right now, I’m pissed.” I looked at Remi. “And now I’m going Christmas shopping.”
I walked away.
The elf had shifted location when I arrive home later, the handles of several plastic shopping bags cutting into the flesh of my hands. I had found several treasures, including a coffee table reference on the meaning of flowers for Maggie and a mug that read ‘I’m feeling a tad stabby today.’ I’d struggled with what to get for Hayes, but eventually found a cool set of patent prints for baseball paraphernalia that he could put in his office, along with a wall clock that had equations instead of numerals.
All in all, I was pretty satisfied with my findings.
I toed my shoes off and placed them in the closet, pushing my bags into the far corner where I hoped they would go unnoticed. I wondered where the elf would appear next. I was starting to look forward to finding it in unexpected places, waiting for me.
“Big?” I left the bedroom and glanced into the kitchen. His truck was here.
“Up here.” His voice was muffled, muted by walls and a floor between us. Climbing the stairs, I called again and listened for his response. It came from the back bedroom on the right, the one I’d been thinking about using for the nursery.
“What are you — oh.” Hand to my mouth, I stared in wonder at the changes that had been wrought in just the few hours since I’d left the house.