Page 4 of Sack

And there goes the new laptop.

She wasn’t coddling him, she’d learned long ago that nagging at Jason had less of an effect than being supportive. Jason also liked to be the man of the house and her mentioning that she would foot the bills would grate on his ego and thus give him a metaphorical kick in the butt to find a job.

He squeezed her hand. “I’ll start looking first thing in the morning.”

Worked like a charm every time. Ivy secretly smiled but solemnly nodded. “I’m sure it won’t take you long to find something.”

“Enough doom and gloom.” He pried his hand from hers and smacked his thighs, sitting straighter on the couch. “At least they gave me my final paycheck. How about I take you out for dinner?”

Jumping up, Ivy grinned. “I know just the place.”

The drive from their apartment in the Pearl District to Downtown Portland didn’t take long and soon they arrived at The Parting Glass. The place seemed busy—if the packed parking lot was any indication. Perfect. She would get some good pictures.

She climbed out of the car and grabbed the strap of her digital camera case, slinging it over her shoulder before slamming the door. Clouds were starting to gather overhead, but it was still hot. Rain was unlikely, though always a possibility. They had a few good hours of daylight left, but if the clouds didn’t clear, she might have to come back to get good patio-dining shots. She made a mental note to arrive earlier in the day when the area wasn’t in shadows—maybe aim for the lunch crowd.

“The Parting Glass?”

Ivy looked over to see Jason, his head tilted back, staring up at the illuminated restaurant sign.

“I wasn’t sure of its meaning either. I had to look it up. The Parting Glass is an old Irish folk song, dating back to the eighteenth century. Well, technically it originated in Scotland, but the Irish consider it theirs as many Irish artists have recorded a rendition of it over the years. The meaning behind the name stems from the final drink a guest was given before leaving to fortify them on their travels.” When she looked over at Jason, a smirk twisted his lips. “What?”

“Your nerd is showing.”

“It’s called curiosity. You should try it sometime. Expand that pea-sized brain of yours.”

Huffing, he said, “Come on. I’m starving. Let’s hope they have good grub here.”

Ivy could recite the whole menu, but she wouldn’t, still smarting from the walking-encyclopedia shot Jason had thrown at her. “They make specialty burgers and fries.”

He nodded. “I can get behind a good burger.”

Jason opened the door and held it for Ivy to walk through before following. While her eyes adjusted to the low lighting, her nose was hit with the aroma of fried food and sage. Her stomach rumbled.

They headed for the bar and its owner who stood behind it. Hiking herself onto a stool, Ivy tucked her case at her feet and smiled as Emerson approached. “Looks like the place is doing good business.” Almost all the tables were full.

“And this is only Tuesday. I can’t wait to see how the weekend goes. The campaign you ran on Juzt Adz is doing great. Really bringing customers in.” Emerson smiled, showing perfectly straight teeth framed by ruby-red lips enhanced by the lip gloss she wore. The deep red color contrasted with her pale skin, as did her jet-black hair and blue eyes.

Ivy smiled back. “I’m glad. I’ll let it run for another week and see if it’s still performing.”

Jason shoved his hand forward. “Seeing as Ivy’s not going to introduce us,” his smile was bigger than Emerson’s, “hello, beautiful, I’m Jason.”

Ivy rolled her eyes at Jason’s display of interest. He was gay but so firmly in the closet, he wouldn’t be able to find his way out even if the door was open and a flashing, neon sign pointed the way.

Emerson took his hand. “Emerson. It’s a pleasure.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

Deciding to cut in before she threw up, Ivy picked up a menu and slapped it against Jason’s chest. “I was just telling him how good your burgers are. He can’t wait to try one.”

Reminding him of his stomach seemed to do the trick. His gaze moved from Emerson to read the menu. “The full Irish burger sounds interesting. I can have breakfast and dinner in one go.”

“Make it two,” Ivy agreed. “And a couple orders of champ fries.”

“Champ fries?” Jason raised a brow.

“Crispy potatoes topped with sour cream and chives.” Ivy’s mouth watered just thinking about them. The Parting Glass was definitely not the place to visit if one was on a diet.

“I’ll put your order in.”

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