CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
As happy as I was to see Drew happy with Kevin, canoodling at the register over the chocolate bars and day-old bananas, it wasn’t exactly my ideal Saturday afternoon. Still, Drew made good on his promise to get me some sort of frosty mocha whipped-cream thing that was delicious. It eased the pain of hanging out at a table mostly by myself, checking my phone for a text that never came.
“You should text him,” Drew told me when there were customers, and Kevin had to take their order. “Just do it.”
“Well, what do I say?” I ran my thumb over my phone’s screen. “Like, ‘Good making out with your face last night? Let’s do it again.’?”
“Text Caro and ask her. You need all the help you can get.”
I made a face at Drew but texted Caro, anyway. Her response came through a minute later:
Just say what’s up or whatever.
I told Drew when he wandered back to me.
Drew sounded annoyed. “‘What’s up?’ That’s her answer? God, she bugs the hell out of me sometimes. I love her but I want to kill her, you know?”
“I know,” I said, because I did. “That’s friendship, dude. Kevin’s free again, by the way.”
Drew glanced over his shoulder. “Be right back. You better have texted him by the time I return.” He pointed his finger at me, then tapped me on the nose and went back to Kevin, who hadn’t stopped blushing in the hour that we had been there.
I rolled my eyes in their general direction, then texted Oliver before I could stop myself. It took a few minutes to figure out what to say, but in the end, I went with something safe, just in case Maureen was checking Oliver’s phone. “Hey,” a voice said, and I looked up to see Kevin holding a duplicate of the drink Drew had bought me earlier. “Thought you might want another. On the house.”
“The service here is amazing,” I said, then smiled and took it. “Thanks.”
Kevin sat down next to me. “Drew went to use the bathroom but he said I had to check and make sure that you texted Oliver.”
“So you’re up to speed?”
“You made out with him last night but now you’re too scared to text him and he hasn’t texted you yet?”
“Impressive. You are up to speed. And I did text him. I said”—I held up the phone so Kevin could read it—“‘Had a great time last night.’ What do you think?”
Kevin shrugged. “A little boring, but it’ll do. Better than Caro’s response, that’s for sure.” He grinned at me and I could see why Drew was starry-eyed over him. “Thanks for hanging out here, by the way. I know it’s not exactly exciting just watching us talk to each other.”
“No worries, dude. I like when Drew’s happy and he seems happy with you.”
Kevin blushed even deeper and tried to hide his smile by playing with his apron strings. “Is this the part where you tell me you’ll break my legs if I break his heart or something?”
“No. I thought that was already implied. Besides, I figured Caro might have already covered that.”
He nodded. “Last night. She mentioned something about a crowbar . . . ?”
“That’s my girl.”
“Did you text him?” Drew came hurrying over. “Did he text you yet? What did I miss?”
“Had a great night,” Kevin reported. “I told her it was meh.”
“Six out of a possible score of ten,” Drew agreed. He nudged Kevin’s hip with his own. “How long is your break?”
Kevin just smiled and took Drew’s hand in his own. I couldn’t help but watch as Drew laced his fingers between Kevin’s and pulled him a little closer.
I knew my cue to leave.
“Well, thanks for the drinks,” I said, standing up and gathering my phone. “I’m gonna go, though.”
“No, stay!” Drew said.
“There’s scones,” Kevin added. “The blueberry ones, not the gross currant ones.”
“Ugh, currants.” Drew shuddered.
“I don’t even know why we sell them,” Kevin admitted.
“Bye,” I said pointedly, then stood on my tiptoes to kiss Drew’s cheek. “See you on Monday. Use protection.”
“I assume you mean an apron,” he muttered in my ear, but kissed me back. “Be safe walking. Don’t take any rides from strange men.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” I said, then stole his sunglasses off his head and took a sip of my drink as I headed out. He and Kevin were already halfway out the back door, tripping over each other’s feet and giggling.
I checked my phone. Nothing.
Time to head home.
I was halfway there, waiting for the light to change at the intersection, when Maureen’s SUV suddenly pulled up next to me. Rick was at the wheel and Maureen was talking to someone in the backseat, motioning with her hand about something. The windows were tinted, but I could make out the outline of the twins’ car seats in the middle seats, and farther back, the tousle of Oliver’s hair.
My breath caught before I could stop it.
“Oh, hi!” Maureen said, her voice muffled by the window. Open it, open it, I could see her mouthing to Rick, who dutifully did just that. “Hi, Emmy! What are you doing out here?”
Protest noises started to come from the backseat, and then Rick rolled down those windows, as well. “Hi!” the twins yelled. “We went mini golfing!”