“Dude, I don’t think Coach meant you needed to break up with your lady. He just didn’t want anyone hanging out at the bars all night trying to score,” I pointed out as he picked up his phone on the off chance a message had come through in the two seconds it was out of his hand.
“Yeah, you look like a total pussy whip,” Collin added, elbowing him.
“Fuck off, Collin,” he said as Courtney approached the table carrying our drinks.
I flashed her a smile when our eyes met, but her glance slid right on by like she wasn’t even aware I was there.
“Here you go.” She smiled at Dave as she handed him his Coke. Collin got the same greeting, but when Courtney turned to me, her face was blank.
“Thanks,” I said as she set my drink down. She nodded in response but turned back to Collin and Dave. “Your food should be up in a few minutes. If you need anything, ring the buzzer,” she said to them, pointing at the buzzer attached to the wall. It was supposed to sound like the time-out buzzers at the arena, but it sounded more like some annoying horn you’d find in a smart car or something.
My eyes focused on Courtney’s backside as she walked away. I’m not going to lie. I was completely puzzled by her attitude toward me. Collin was right. She was acting like someone I’d had a bad breakup from, not someone I had once been friends with. Sure, it was a long time ago. Hell, she was the first girl I’d ever kissed. Although calling it a kiss was a stretch. It was more like me awkwardly smashing my lips against hers without asking when we were ten years old. We were watching a movie at her house and I took a shot. Courtney retaliated by socking me in the arm. I never tried to kiss her again after that.
chapter three
Courtney
“Hey, Chuck, how much longer on my order?” I drummed my fingers on the serving counter, staring off into space in the crowded kitchen.
“Coming up.”
I was so ready for the evening to be over, and past ready to get rid of Dalton. Having him grin at me and act like we were still friends was making me shaky and off-kilter. Obviously he didn’t remember how he’d tossed me aside like I was no longer important. He moved on, leaving me behind without my best friend. More important, I was confused about the feelings I had started having for him. One moment I was daydreaming about us becoming boyfriend and girlfriend and then, poof, he was gone.
I had tried convincing myself I hated him for ditching me, but I couldn’t do it. I had a crush. What could I say? Over the years I’d watched him from afar, but we never really ran in the same circles again. In eighth grade his talent on the court earned him a lot of attention, and in high school basketball had made him a legitimate star. When I saw him in the hallways, he always seemed to have a new girl on his arm. I found my own circle of friends in high school, and eventually I realized I had romanticized our friendship into something it wasn’t and I got over him.
Facing him now while he attempted to flirt with me like I was a typical girl he’d just met was seriously screwing with my head. I could see why girls were into him. It took all my concentration to ignore his come-hither looks and deep, sexy voice. How one person could be blessed with so many gifts was beyond me. Most men would trade their left nut for even a smidge of his talent on the basketball court, but combining that with rugged good looks and a voice that would make any girl’s panties wet was just unfair.
Amanda interrupted my inner whine-fest, snagging a fry from one of the plates waiting to go out. “So, how’s it going?”
I smacked her hand without hesitation, making the fry drop to the floor.
“Hey.” She reached for another in spite of her complaint, but I slid the plate out of her reach.
“You know Chris will have your head if he sees you munching off the customers’ plates.” I didn’t know why I had to remind her. She knew the rules as well as I did.
She pouted, folding her arms across her chest. “You’re such a brownnoser.”
“And you should know how gross that is. I’d hurl if I found out someone had their fingers in my food. You know Chuck would make you something if you asked.”
“I don’t want a whole dish of something. I’m on a diet, hence why I was only after one fry.” She patted her model-thin waist for emphasis. I was tempted to throat-punch her. I wasn’t fat. I just had more curves than I would have preferred. My waist was tiny, but my ass seemed determined to be seen. I was okay with my boobs being on the larger side, although at times I worried they were too large for my frame. Maybe I wouldn’t mind my figure as much if I were taller. Being five foot nothing made my hourglass curves look like they had been smooshed in a compactor.
“Thanks, Chuck,” I said, placing the last plate from my order on my tray.
He tipped his chef’s hat in response. “Anytime, sweetheart.”
“I saw that you lucked out with table twelve,” Amanda said, opening a package of saltines since I had deflected her attempts at taking a fry.
I balanced the heavy tray on my palm before heading for the swinging door to the dining area. “Lucked out?” I asked incredulously before reminding myself that she knew nothing about my history with Dalton. In the year and a half that Amanda and I had been friends, I never once let on that I knew Dalton before he became the basketball savior of the university.
“Are you kidding? You’re waiting on my own version of a dream team there.” She shot a lustful look toward my zone.
Understanding dawned on me at seeing her hooded eyes. “Of course.” Her next fascination was sitting at the table. For a horrible moment I wondered if it was Dalton. Not that it should matter. Dalton wasn’t mine. He never had been.
I returned to their table with their food, resolved to make the best of the situation.
“So, how have you been?” Dalton asked as I dished out their plates. “It’s been ages since we had a chance to talk.”
“I guess some of us just got busy.” My answer had a little more snap, despite my intent to play it cool.
He frowned, rubbing a hand over his head. It was a habit I remembered him doing when we were kids. It meant he was confused. “Yeah, I guess so.”
I excused myself, telling them I would be back in a few minutes to refill their drinks.
Somehow I managed to keep it together for the rest of the service. I checked on them a few times and inquired about dessert, but I could barely suppress the pent-up breath I’d been holding when they paid their checks and headed out.
After Gruby’s finally closed for the evening, I spent the last hour of my shift doing side work and cleaning the restaurant with Amanda and Chuck while Chris headed to the office to take care of whatever managers did. Chuck handled the kitchen and prepared a bucket of water for Amanda, who tried to bribe me into taking her turn at mopping. Throughout our closing duties, I finally learned that Amanda had set her sights on Collin. I didn’t know anything about him other than having just served him, but Amanda was absolutely gaga.
Once the restaurant was prepped for the following day, we all headed out together. Amanda followed me to my car since I was her ride home. She was from sunny Phoenix and had chosen to leave her car with her parents while she attended school in Michigan. I’d become her unofficial chauffeur after we became friends. I didn’t mind as long as she didn’t complain about Lucy, my car. Lucy was old and had been labeled a piece of crap by Earl, the mechanic I’d been taking her to for years. “Don’t call her that,” I had to chastise him every time I took Lucy for an oil change. “You’ll hurt her feelings. She may be older than all the other cars you work on, but she’s the toughest,” I’d point out, patting her rusty hood. I loved Lucy. I purchased her after I turned sixteen. I logged more hours at Denny’s than I cared to think about and even fit in some babysitting jobs on the side, all so I could buy Lucy free and clear. She might not be as pretty as she once was, but she sure as hell was reliable. I’d kick anyone’s ass that dared to argue.