Page 39 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

He straightened as soon as he laid eyes on Elliott, holding her gaze for a second. Then Carly said something to him, and he leaned down to listen.

A shriek sounded from behind her. “Elliott!”

She turned and found herself immediately enveloped in a hug. She grinned wide as she returned the gesture. “Tiffany! What are you doing here?”

Tiffany pulled back and elbowed Stephen. “Carly invited me. I told you we had a lot of the same friends, remember? I didn’t know you’d be here!”

“I didn’t, either, but I’m so happy to see you.”

Stephen dropped a friendly arm across Elliott’s shoulders. “I grabbed this one from work. Didn’t even let her take a breather, but figured she could use some fun after making Frappuccinos for high schoolers all day long. How do you two know each other?”

Tiffany waited, allowing Elliott to decide how much detail to give.

“She was my transplant nurse. Took care of me for months and was the only person I knew when I moved here.”

“No way? That’s cool.”

“Small world, huh?” Tiffany added.

Elliott smiled, ignoring Jamie’s large form taking up space in her peripheral vision.

Stephen gestured to the table. “Should we sit?”

“Sure.”

Once again, Carly and Jamie ended up right across from them. A server approached the table, and Carly took the lead, ordering several plates of raw-food assortments.

“Oh, but make sure there’s no cucumber anywhere. My boyfriend’s allergic.”

A memory triggered in Elliott’s brain. Cool night air against her skin, Jamie’s warm body beside her.I hate cucumbers so much I tell people I’m allergic just so one never gets anywhere near me.

Did he remember telling her that? She took a breath and chanced a glance at him. His gaze was on her face, handing her a silent reply.

What else did Elliott know about him that his girlfriend didn’t?

That was a question she had no business asking, even herself, so she forced herself to concentrate on the conversations going on around her. Stephen’s friends (Carly’s friends? Tiffany’s friends? Whatever.) were entertaining and interesting, swinging easily from topics like sports to pop culture and back to current events.

People periodically snuck away for prolonged periods, returning only for someone else to leave. Tiffany had just drained her second margarita and scurried off somewhere when Elliott leaned close to Stephento ask what the deal was. In that moment she felt a rush of heat across her skin and darted her eyes across the table.

Jamie’s eyes dropped as he stood and walked away.

“Where do people keep going?” she asked.

“Shh,” Stephen said conspiratorially. “It’s almost our turn.”

“For what?”

“You’ll see.”

A few minutes later, Stephen nudged her shoulder and nodded toward the front of the restaurant. With a frown, she headed that way. As soon as they were near the door, he put a gentle hand on her arm.

“It’s our turn for tacos,” Stephen said slyly. “Carly gives us a hard time for not giving her food a chance, so we try to be sneaky about it.”

Elliott laughed and followed him outside. “You’re not as smooth as you think you are.”

Sure enough, a bright-orange taco truck was parked a block away. Stephen turned to face her, walking backward as he spoke. “She’s probably pretending not to notice. Either way, she hasn’t said anything the last two times we’ve been here, and everyone gets what they want.”

That was totally something Yuka would do. “Works for me.”

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