“Hi, Gabe,” a pretty young waitress says to him. “There’s room at the bar if you don’t want to wait.” She winks and spins around, and bounces off to the kitchen.
Did she just wink at him? She can’t be more than eighteen.
Gabe looks down at me and asks, “Bar okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Are you a regular here or something?” Please say yes. Please don’t say you actually know the prom queen.
“Yeah, I guess I eat here a lot. No kitchen skills, remember?”
“Oh, right.” I climb up onto a barstool.
“Liv Dalton?” I look up and see Audrey Miller standing behind the bar wearing a Salty Lou’s T-shirt. She looks the same, with big blue eyes and full lips, but her face isn’t as full and her wavy brown hair is cut short to her shoulders.
“Audrey”—I smile—“what are you doing here? I thought you were in Florida.”
“I moved back last year to help my parents restore the inn. They had a lot of damage after the last hurricane.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“It’s a work in progress, but since I’m pretty sure I’ll never find a way to apply my Liberal Arts degree, I’ve decided to learn a new trade. Inn keeping!” She laughs and so do I. “My parents need someone to take over eventually, so it’s a win-win for everyone. Except that they drive me crazy, which is why I’ve taken to waiting tables in my spare time.”
I forgot how much I liked Audrey. I think the last time I saw her was at Brandon’s funeral. I only vaguely remember her being there, but then again, I only vaguely remember being there myself. I was on heavy pain killers for my arm, which I used to numb the pain in my heart.
“So, how have you been?” she asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Oh, I, um, I’ve been...” A total mess. “I’ve been good.”
“Well, when did you get back in town?” Her curious eyes move from me to Gabe and then back to me.
“I’ve been back for about a week now. I’m staying with my parents, so I might need to start waiting tables too.”
She laughs. “You planning on staying a while?”
“Yeah, I am, actually.”
“Well, Lou’s hiring. I could definitely recommend you.”
“Oh, okay.” I hadn’t really planned on getting a job just yet. But I hate to pass up the opportunity. Who knows when or if another one will arise so easily? And alongside a friend no less. “You know what? That would be great, Audrey. If you could put a good word in for me, I’d really appreciate it.”
Audrey’s face lights up. “Okay, I will!”
“Thanks. That’s really nice of you.”
“Anything for a Dalton.” She gives me a little smile and it makes my heart involuntarily ache for my brother.
Audrey really liked Brandon. I may never know how much, but I’m guessing it was more than a crush. I’ve never given much thought to the fact that he spent the last hours of his life with her until now, but I have to make myself stop thinking about it or I’ll end up wrapped around her like a koala, crying on her shoulder. “It’s really great to see you,” I say softly.
“You too, Liv.” She smiles over the sadness in her eyes. “Nice to see you too, Gabe,” she says tentatively, giving him a small smile, before walking away.
He raises his eyebrows. “Nice to see me?”
“What? What is it?”
He frowns and shakes his head. “I come in here every week and she’s never said as much as hello to me.”
“Huh. That’s weird.”
“Not weird. I told you how people around here see me. She’s not a fan.”
I crease my eyebrows. Certainly that’s not the case with Audrey. Maybe she just didn’t know what to say. I’m sure the accident affected her in ways we’re not aware of. I look up at Gabe and smile. “Well, I’m a fan. A big one. Now, feed this groupie before she starves to death!”
He fights a smile. “Chicken and waffles coming up. And an egg white omelet for me.”
“An egg white omelet?”
“I ate about two-thousand calories for lunch alone yesterday. If I’m not careful I’ll get soft around the middle with you around.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Good point. Don’t want to lose those washboard abs,” I say, staring at my menu, but I see him shake his head and smile out of my peripheral vision. I like seeing Gabe smile. Brooding Gabe isn’t the Gabe I know. My Gabe is happy. Or at least, he was. We both were.
Now, his smiles are like little gifts that he only hands out on special occasions.
We enjoy our breakfast and chat over several cups of coffee before the check comes, by which time I’m officially a Salty Lou’s employee. Lou came out and hired me personally. He said he’s known my father for years and would be thrilled to have me on his staff.
I start tomorrow.
With my Salty Lou’s T-shirt in hand, we exit the diner and head toward Gabe’s truck. “Have you ever waited a table in your life, Liv?” Gabe asks.
“No”—I narrow my eyes at him—“but I’m a quick learner. And I need a job. It’s just temporary until I get my website up and running. And find some books to edit. And writers who are willing to pay me.” I scrunch my nose and shrug.
“Well, I guess I can’t complain. You’ll definitely improve the scenery in there.”
I frown, thinking of the young, flirty server who greeted him when we walked in. Surely he noticed her. And what about Audrey? She’s very pretty and still sporting her curves. “What about the prom queen?” I ask, like a jealous girlfriend.
“Prom queen?”
“The waitress who was more than happy to seat you when we walked in.”
He gauges me and, after a beat, laughs. “You’re kidding, right?”
I give him an incredulous look.
“Okay, first of all, I think she’s a teenager. And second”—he stops and looks down at me—“she doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
My heart screeches to a halt and I look away, because I know that if I look at him, he’ll see right through me. He’ll know that I’m at his mercy, that I’m ripe for injury, and he’ll pull back. I don’t think he’ll risk hurting me again. And I won’t risk losing his friendship.
Chapter 11
Liv
“All right, now ease off the clutch,” Gabe says, just as the engine chugs and stalls. He laughs. “Not that quick.”
“Sorry,” I say for the tenth time. Thankfully, we’re on an empty backroad that leads to the beach.
“Stop apologizing. You’ve got this. You just have to keep trying until you get the hang of it,” he says with a sincere and determined look on his face.
“You’re really sweet, but I was just kidding before. You don’t have to teach me how to drive your truck.”
“No, you should learn. What if something happened and you needed to drive it?”
As troubling as the thought is, he’s right. I nod my head. “All right.”
“Press the clutch to the floor and start the engine again.”