Page 38 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

Which, come to think of it, probably didn’t help matters ... but at this point, it was a vicious cycle she didn’t know how to stop.

Last night a headache came on around ten. A constant headache was one of her first symptoms when she was originally diagnosed, so despite knowing they were common and it was probably nothing, they never failed to send her into a spiral of fear. She’d taken medicine and the pain faded quickly, but the same hadn’t been true for her nerves. Thank God her mom had been up and sat on the phone with her until almost one in the morning—the only reason she hadn’t dropped everything and driven back to Lincoln for the night.

Hence, coffee.

The front door opened and Stephen strolled in, tucking his hands into his skinny jeans and flashing a wide smile as he approached the counter.

Elliott gave an awkward wave because, well, she was awkward. He’d stopped by several times since their introduction, and she’d like to say she was getting better at handling the attention and mild flirting, but honestly, it was hard to know. One of her coworkers, Suzie, mooned over him anytime she was on shift and he came in, and the smooth, sexy way she spoke to him made Elliott feel wholly inadequate.

“Hi,” she said, because she couldn’t pull offWhat’s up, handsome?like Suzie.

“Hey. What time do you get off?”

She checked the clock on the register. “Ten minutes.”

“What are you doing tonight?”

Nothing except working on some design stuff ... How sad was that on a Friday night? She considered what else she could say, not because she wanted to lie and say she had plans, but she just felt exposed as he stood there watching her, waiting. She’d expected him to ask her out eventually, based on the way he’d stood in that exact spot flirting with her on multiple occasions, much to Suzie’s dismay.

Elliott didn’t object to the idea of going out with him; it just made her nervous. She didn’t have a lot of experience with the dating world.

Finally, she settled on the truth. “No plans.”

“I’m about to meet some friends for dinner down the street. Wanna come?”

Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a date. Or Stephen was more perceptive than she gave him credit for and was trying to keep the pressure low. “Sure. Do you mean, like, right when I get off?”

“If that’s okay? I’ll just hang around till you’re done, and you can follow me, if you want.”

She looked down at her jeans and black V-neck. Not far off from what she’d have chosen anyway, but ... “I smell like coffee.”

“Is that supposed to be a bad thing?”

She didn’t mind in the least. “If you’re good with it, I’m in. Where are we going?”

“It’s some horribly pretentious raw-food restaurant,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Carly picked it. But don’t worry—the hummus appetizer and drinks are worth it, and there’s always a taco truck parked right outside. You won’t regret coming.”

Carly picked it?

Would Jamie be there?

“I like drinks. And tacos.”

Stephen grinned at her. “I like you already.”

“Hard not to.” Had she just made a joke? A flirty one? “I just need a few more minutes to finish up and clock out.”

He ran a hand through his dark hair, his eyes happy. “Take your time.”

She tried to ignore the nerves fluttering around as she finished up her shift duties. While she’d been committed to moving and living on her own, it hadn’t stopped her from bemoaning to Yuka how awkward she could be and how difficult it would be to make new friends.

Yuka had replied with standard-issue brutal honesty. “I won’t argue the awkward part, but one, I love that about you, and two, the only way to get better at meeting people is to do it.” She’d be so proud when Elliott texted her later and told her what she’d done tonight.

A few minutes later, Elliott hung up her apron and walked with Stephen to the parking lot. The restaurant was only a few minutes down the road, and they parked along the street and went inside together.

Pretentious or not, the place was packed. Stephen stood tall and looked around, jerking his chin up in acknowledgment when he found who he was looking for. “Over there.”

Elliott followed as he wove through the room to a group of high-top tables in the back. Tara With No Filter was there, and several other people Elliott didn’t recognize. Carly waved, and beside her stood Jamie.

---