Page 127 of Holding On

I finish cleaning the table and turn to her. "Okay, I admit it. I've been going over there. Before and..." I glance around to make sure no one's listening, "after work."

"You've been spending the night with him?" she whispers. "And Mike hasn't freaked out?"

"He did at first but then he gave up because he's been spending the night with Heather."

"Heather's the girl he met when the fire alarms went off?"

"Yeah. He really likes her. And thank God she came along when she did. For a while there I thought he was going to try to get back with Tricia."

"Does he even know where she lives?"

"No, but she sent him a text a few weeks ago."

"Did he call her?"

"I don't think so."

"Waitress!" an older man yells from across the restaurant. "I need the check."

"I'll be right there," Tina says as she scurries away.

Later that night, right before close, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I check and see it's Ethan calling. I'm not supposed to answer my phone during work but Ethan never calls during my shift so I'm worried something's wrong.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I need to place an order," he says.

I laugh. "You got the wrong number. The number for The Chicken Shack is—"

"I'll take a box of fried chicken, a container of slaw, an order of homemade potato chips, and a dozen biscuits."

I laugh again as I go through the double doors that lead to the kitchen. "Are you serious? Do you really want that?"

"That's why I ordered it. Jackson's here and he's starving."

"We just closed. Hold on. I have to make sure we still have some chicken." I hold the phone away and yell to Max. "You got chicken left? Enough for a box?"

"Got all this." He holds up a metal pan full of chicken. "Mike can have all of it if he wants. That boy needs to fatten up."

"It's not for Mike. It's for—" I stop because if I say it's for Ethan, Max will probably toss it out.

"Okay, we have some," I say to Ethan. "Is your friend picking it up?"

"No. We need it delivered."

"We don't deliver."

"Could you make an exception? Just this once?"

"Um, sure. I'll have Max drop it off. Your house is on his way home."

"Sorry, but I only accept orders from one of the waitresses there. Hot brunette with the smokin' hot body?"

I smile. "She's busy tonight. Sorry. If you want the order, Max is your only option."

"C'mon, Becca. I want to see you. And Jackson really wants to meet you."

"I told you I don't want to meet him smelling like chicken."

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